New CEOs appointed at Manchester and London Stansted airports

The changes are as follows:

-Ken O’Toole will take up the role of Chief Executive Officer at London Stansted Airport.

-Andrew Cowan will replace Ken as Chief Executive Officer at Manchester Airport.

-Collette Roche will take up a new role as Chief of Staff at MAG, with responsibility for shaping the development of the Group’s strategy and leading some of the key corporate functions.

Ken O’Toole, in his new role as CEO, London Stansted Airport, will lead the airport as it plays a critical role in providing runway capacity in the South East of England over the next 10-15 years. In July, London Stansted passed the 25m passengers per annum (mppa) landmark, and with planning permission secured for a new arrivals building, the airport recently announced its intention to apply for planning permission to make full use of its existing runway. Ken will lead the airport through this process and focus on developing Stansted’s route network, building on recent additions including scheduled flights to New York and Boston.

Andrew Cowan will join Manchester Airport as CEO at a time when the airport has never been busier. He will oversee the start of construction on the £1bn Manchester Airport Transformation Programme (MANTP), which will provide the UK’s third largest airport with a world-class terminal facility to allow it to make use of its two full-length runways. Andrew will be charged with cementing the airport’s position as the UK’s global gateway in the North, and will draw on his expertise from the infrastructure and construction sector before he joined MAG.

Ken and Andrew will take up their new roles at a time when both Manchester and Stansted have been referenced in the Government’s Aviation Strategy as vital to the UK’s success in aviation, in the period before a runway gets built elsewhere in the South East.

To support Manchester, London Stansted and the rest of the MAG business, Collette Roche will take up a new role as Chief of Staff, MAG. In this role Collette will have responsibility for shaping and overseeing the Group’s long-term strategy and the leadership of some corporate functions including: HR, IT, Strategy, Procurement, Engineering Services and Health & Safety.

Charlie Cornish, Chief Executive, MAG, said: “Both Ken and Andrew have demonstrated they are first class airport leaders during their career at MAG. I am pleased to have appointed them as the new CEOs of London Stansted and Manchester respectively.

I know that Ken and Andrew will successfully develop their airports further as they play an even bigger role providing the global connectivity and runway capacity that this country needs in the coming years. Both airports are about to embark on significant periods of development and investment, and Ken and Andrew are the right people to lead them during this critical time.”

“I’d like to thank Collette Roche for stepping in to lead Manchester Airport over the last few months. In her new role as Chief of Staff, she will play a vital role across the MAG business here and abroad.”

The changes will come into effect in September.

Ken O’Toole has led Manchester Airport since February 2013 and is an Executive Director of MAG, sitting on its Board. Prior to joining MAG, Ken spent six years with Ryanair, joining initially as Head of Revenue Management and latterly as Director of New Route Development. Ken is a qualified Chartered Accountant and his previous experience includes Musgrave Group, a leading Irish and UK based retailer, and Credit Suisse First Boston.

Andrew Cowan was appointed Chief Executive of London Stansted Airport in April 2016. He joined MAG in 2013 as Chief Operating Officer with overall responsibility for Manchester, East Midlands and Bournemouth Airports. He was also MD, Manchester Airport during this period. In 2015 he spent a year as Chief Strategy Officer for the group, including chairing the newly established MAG USA business. Prior to MAG, Andrew was Group Chief Executive of Robertson Group, and a director at United Utilities.

Collette Roche joined MAG in 2010 and has held several strategic roles in the Group including in HR, IT, transformation, Deputy MD Manchester Airport and most recently Acting MD Manchester Airport. Prior to this, Collette was HR Director at United Utilities and held roles at Ford and Siemens Information Systems.