The Board

Lord Deighton was appointed as Non-Executive Chairman on 22 June 2016. He is best known for delivering the 2012 London Olympic Games to international acclaim as CEO of LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games), enhancing the UK’s reputation for infrastructure service delivery and generating national pride. More recently, he was Commercial Secretary to the Treasury and was responsible for the UK’s National Infrastructure Plan, focussing on getting major projects built, benefits captured, attracting capital into the UK from across the world and creating the right environment for continued infrastructure investment. Lord Deighton also had a very successful career at Goldman Sachs and will now guide Heathrow through its next phase of development, supporting Heathrow’s vision of giving passengers the best airport service in the world and preparing for the Government’s decision on airport expansion.

Akbar Al Baker was appointed a Non-Executive Director in January 2013. He has been the Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Airways since 1997. He is also leading the development of the multi-billion dollar Hamad International Airport (formerly known under the project name New Doha International Airport), which is scheduled to open in phases from April 2013.

Mr. Al Baker is a graduate of Commerce and Economics and holds a private pilot licence. He is also CEO of several divisions of Qatar's national airline - being Qatar Airways Holidays, Qatar Aviation Services, Qatar Duty Free Company, Doha International Airport, Qatar Distribution Company, Qatar Executive, Oryx Rotana Hotel and Qatar Aircraft Catering Company.

Ahmed Al-Hammadi is the Chief Investment Officer for Europe, Russia and Turkey. He oversees Qatar Investment Authority’s direct sector teams’ investments in Europe, Russia and Turkey. Prior to joining QIA, Al-Hammadi worked at EFG-Hermes as a regional asset manager and before that at consulting firm Booz & Co. advising financial services clients on strategy, private equity investment opportunities, and organization structures. Al-Hammadi sits on the boards of Heathrow Airport, SoFi, Borsa Istanbul and Pavillion Real Estate Investment Trust. He was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2019. Ahmed Al-Hammadi is a graduate of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and has obtained his MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Andrew Dench is a Managing Director, Head of Asset Management for GIC’s global Infrastructure Portfolio and a member of the Infrastructure Investment Committee. Andrew is also a member of GIC’s Global Leadership Group. In addition to portfolio responsibilities, Andrew has represented GIC on a number of investee company boards including Greenko, Duquesne Light, Kellas, Terega, and Railpool. His current board memberships include Yorkshire Water. Andrew joined GIC Infrastructure in 2015, prior to which he held various c-suite and board positions for network utilities, contracting and service delivery businesses in Northern Europe. Andrew also spent 15 years in investment banking largely at Morgan Stanley.

Raymond Chan was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on 9 May 2023. He is a senior member of the Global Real Assets team at Australian Retirement Trust, one of Australia’s largest superannuation funds with over $230 billion of assets and over 2 million members which was the result of a merger between QSuper and Sunsuper in early 2022. Raymond joined QSuper in 2011 with primary responsibility for implementing investment policy decisions, structuring potential investments and managing portfolios of private assets. Raymond has over 25 years of investment management, merchant banking and advisory experience.  He has originated, executed, and financed principal investments across various asset classes, including private equity, real estate and infrastructure.  Before joining QSuper, Raymond worked in New York for 10 years in infrastructure investing with Macquarie Bank and corporate development with McGraw Hill. He began his career in Australia in corporate finance with PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deutsche Bank.  Raymond earned a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Queensland and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment from the Financial Services Institute of Australasia. He is also a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Juan was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on 12 December 2024.  He joined Ardian in 2013. Prior to Ardian, he spent 5 years at Citi Infrastructure Investors (CII) in London and before that, 10 years at Grupo Ferrovial after starting his career in BUPA Spain. Juan has a significant deal and management experience across Europe, the Americas (US, Mexico, Chile, Uruguay & Colombia) and Australia. He is a board member of airport portfolio companies such as London Luton Airport, Sydney International Airport and Bristol International Airport and other essential infrastructure companies such as Autopista Vespucio Norte & Tunel San Cristobal, ASR Wind, ASTM and Ecorodovias, Exolum and Tunels Barcelona. Juan holds a Degree in Business and Economics from the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid in Spain and an MBA from the IE in Madrid.

Alexis was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on 12 December 2024. He joined Ardian in 2008. Alexis worked at or was on the board of a number of companies across the sector including water companies in France and the UK and regulated grids.  He now focusses on transport assets including motorways Ascendi in Portugal and ASTM in Italy, French greenfield high speed rail line LISEA and Italian airports platform 2i Aeroporti. Alexis is also board member of French oil pipeline SPMR. Alexis graduated from Ecole Supérieure des Travaux Publics as a civil engineer and from ESSEC Business School with a postgraduate degree in Finance.

The Rt. Hon Ruth Kelly has been appointed to the Board as Non-Executive Director with effect 8 April 2019. Ms Kelly’s previous roles include Secretary of State for Transport and Financial Secretary to the Treasury and thus brings a wealth of political, transport and financial expertise to Heathrow. This will help Heathrow build on its role as the UK’s only hub airport – providing new trading global links post-Brexit and delivering world class passenger service.

Turqi was appointed Non-Executive Director on 12 December 2024. He is a seasoned investment professional with extensive expertise in the global investment markets. Since 2021, he has served as the Deputy Governor and Head of the International Investments Division for the Public Investment Fund of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds. In this role, he oversees investments across a wide range of sectors in Saudi Arabia and internationally. Turqi has led PIF’s International Investments division since 2016, where he is responsible for developing and executing the Fund’s global investment strategy. This encompasses various asset classes, including public markets, private equity, real estate, and infrastructure. He serves on the boards of several prominent companies and he is the Chairman of Lucid Motors and Manara Minerals and holds senior board positions at Uber Technologies Inc., Hapag-Lloyd, Azimut Benetti, Sanabil Investments, SITE (Saudi Information Technology Company), King Saud University, and others. Prior to his current role, Turqi held senior positions at leading investment firms, including Saudi Fransi Capital, where he served as Head of Asset Management. He has also worked for international investment banks such as Morgan Stanley. Earlier in his career, he was a Credit Associate at the Saudi Industrial Development Fund and the Capital Markets Authority. He holds an MBA from the University of San Francisco and a Bachelor’s degree in International Business from King Saud University.

Yazeed was appointed Non-Executive Director on 12 December 2024. He is the Head of Real Estate & Infrastructure Department, International Investments Division at the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. Yazeed joined the PIF in 2020. He has more than 18 years of combined investment experience, and industry experience throughout global markets. Yazeed also sits on the boards of Aman Group and AccorInvest. Prior positions include Managing Director at Jadwa Investment, and multiple positions with Amwal AlKhaleej, Saudi Aramco and the Boston Consulting Group. Yazeed holds an MBA from Oxford University, a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Missouri- Columbia, USA and he is also a CFA charter holder.

David Xie was appointed as a Non-Executive Director on 26 September 2018. He is a director of CIC Capital Corporation (‘CIC Capital’), a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Investment Corporation (‘CIC’). He is responsible for CIC Capital’s infrastructure investments globally, in paricular in transport, utilities and energy sectors. In addition to Heathrow Airport, David also sits on the board of Cadent Gas and InterPark. Prior to joining CIC in 2011, David worked 11 years in various capacities at Merrill Lynch. David is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University and has an MBA degree from Georgetown University

Joan MacNaughton was appointed a Non-Executive Director in June 2021. She has extensive board experience in industry, government, academia and the third sector. After a career in government culminating as Director General of Energy for the UK, she spent five years in a power sector company, where she led the company’s global climate change advocacy. She has wide international experience, including as Chair of the International Energy Agency, and a high-level international network. She currently chairs the Board of the Climate Group; is a Non-Executive Director of En+Group IPJSC, where she chairs the Health, Safety and Environment Committee; and is a member of the Strategic Advisory Board of Engie UK plc. She sits on several academic advisory boards at energy and climate institutes and publishes and lectures on energy and climate issues.

Thomas joined Heathrow in October 2023. Previously he served as the CEO of Copenhagen Airport where he championed passenger service, sustainability and growth. During his tenure at Copenhagen Airport, Thomas put customers and colleagues at the heart of the airport's transformation, turning it into the powerhouse transport hub of northern Europe with an award-winning passenger service ranking.

Prior to his role at Copenhagen Airport, he spent 27 years at Møller-Mærsk, leading the global shipping and ferry divisions, working in several different countries and delivering significant success in complex operating environments while building up expertise in process efficiency.

Sally was appointed as Heathrow’s Chief Financial Officer on 10 October 2024 having spent some time as Acting Chief Financial Officer. She became an Executive Director of the HAHL Board on 17 October 2024. Since joining Heathrow in 2006, Sally has played a key role in shaping Heathrow’s capital structure and establishing Heathrow’s credit in the financial market. Formerly, as the Director of Treasury and Business Planning, Sally has built robust global financial partnerships, delivered pioneering fundings, led the business through covid crisis and delivered complicated business plans for the business.  Sally is a Chartered Financial Analyst and holds a Masters degree in Finance and has worked in Australia and Hong Kong prior to Heathrow.

Luke is the Chief Executive Officer of Ferrovial Airports and has been a director on the HAHL Board since 2021 representing Ferrovial. With effect from 12 December 2024, he was appointed as the nominated Non-Executive Shareholder Director representing Ferrovial, CDPQ and USS. He has also held senior executive positions at Hermes GPE, OMERS, Ontario Airport Investments, and Macquarie Bank Limited/MAp Airports and has over 30 years’ experience in the aviation industry, including senior positions at Changi Airports International, Virgin Blue, and Qantas. Luke has held Board positions at London City, Brussels, and Bristol Airports

Mark Brooker was appointed to the Board as a Non-Executive Director on 1 April 2022. During his executive career, Mark was latterly Chief Operating Officer for Trainline, Europe’s largest independent retailer of rail and coach tickets.  Before Trainline, he was Chief Operating Officer of Betfair Group Plc, a leading online gambling operator and now part of Flutter Entertainment.  During his earlier career, Mark spent 17 years in investment banking working for Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, NatWest and NM Rothschild & Sons. Mark brings a diverse range of Non-Executive Board Director experience and currently sits on the boards of Findmypast, a leader in online genealogy, where he is Chairman; Future Plc, a global platform for specialist media and member of the FTSE250; Paysafe, an online payments system; and Seedrs, a digital fund-raising platform for early-stage businesses. He also recently served as a Non-Executive Director of Equiniti, a leading provider of share registration, pension administration and other technology-enabled business outsourcing and William Hill, one of the largest gambling operators in the UK, before the Board was dissolved following its acquisition by Caesars Entertainment in April 2021. Mark holds a Master’s Degree in Engineering, Economics and Management from Oxford University.