London City airport has confirmed the appointment of Alison FitzGerald as chief executive following her period as co-chief executive.
FitzGerald, who became chief operating officer in September 2016, had been serving as co-chief executive alongside chief financial officer Wilma Allan since January this year.
As chief executive with immediate effect, FitzGerald’s priorities will include working with airlines to offer new destinations and building on the airport’s record on punctuality, speed of service and customer experience.
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London City chair Mel Ewell praised FitzGerald’s “strong track record” at the airport, adding: “After an extensive search process, we are confident that Alison is the right person to lead the business through its next phase of growth.”
FitzGerald joined the airport as chief information officer in January 2014, going on to take on the role of chief operating officer.
In that position, she led the business to become the first major airport in the UK to fully deploy next-generation CT security scanners.
She also oversaw the implementation of the world’s first major digital air traffic control tower and has worked with aircraft manufacturers and airlines to enable the introduction of next-generation aircraft at the airport.
FitzGerald said: “I’m hugely excited to take on the role [of] CEO and to lead our great team at London City as we enter the next stage of our growth journey.
“London City delivers one of the best passenger experiences in the UK and I’m committed to building on this success even further.”
She will sit on the Board of London City Airport and lead the company’s leadership team, which includes Allan [chief financial officer], chief commercial officer Andrew Hodges and chief people officer Michael Spiers.
Before FitzGerald joined London City, she was chief information officer at the Financial Times where she was responsible for both print and digital technology.
Prior to the FT, she spent 16 years at Abbey/Santander where she held a number of senior management technology positions.