London Gatwick has appointed Kathleen Maes as Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), bringing extensive experience across human resources, organisational transformation, talent management, culture, employee engagement and leadership development as the airport prepares for its next phase of growth.
Maes joins London Gatwick after a long career at BT Group, where she most recently served as HR Director – Portfolio Business, Transformation and M&A. She led people strategies for M&A projects, covering employee engagement, retention and HR due diligence.
She also managed the people strategy for 2 sales units generating around £2 billion in revenue, with responsibilities across leadership effectiveness, workforce optimisation, performance management, succession planning, talent management and inclusion.
Earlier, Maes spent more than 6 years as HR Director – Transformation and Europe at BT Group, leading organisational transformation and M&A initiatives while overseeing the people agenda across European markets covering around 3,500 employees.
Her responsibilities included workforce planning, organisational design, employee engagement, performance, leadership development, organisational capability, HR governance and compliance. She previously served as HR Manager Belux at BT, where she handled employee relations, worked with works councils and trade unions, and supported leadership coaching and graduate development programmes.
Between her 2 periods at BT, Maes worked as HR Manager Benelux at Jaguar Land Rover Benelux. She established the HR function for the growing organisation, introduced HR policies and training, strengthened recruitment processes and supported workforce expansion. She also worked on skills mapping and reskilling as the company increased its focus on electric vehicles.
Earlier in her career, Maes held an HR role at Facilicom Services Group Belgium and spent more than 9 years as a Trade Union Officer with LBC-NVK.
At London Gatwick, her people leadership experience will support efforts to build a workplace where employees feel valued, supported and proud to contribute as the airport continues to innovate and prepares for opportunities linked to its Northern Runway.
Maes holds a Master’s degree in German Language and Literature from the University of Antwerp and a Postgraduate Degree in Labour Law & Social Security from UCLL University of Applied Science.
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