February 18, 2025 8:33 pm

Royal Mail’s New Era Begins Under Emma Gilthorpe’s Leadership

International Distributions Services (IDS), the logistics and mail group, announced the appointment of Emma Gilthorpe as CEO of its subsidiary, Royal Mail. Gilthorpe will start work on May 1 and work closely with group CEO Martin Seidenberg before taking over completely in the summer.
Gilthorpe is currently the Chief Operating Officer at London Heathrow Airport. His appointment comes as Royal Mail faces an overhaul of its mail delivery services, including a reduction in delivery times from six to five or even three days.

The move is to tackle the growing multi-million pound losses due to the shift from traditional mail to email and the surge in parcel services due to e-commerce. Industry regulator Ofcom is reviewing the proposal.


Seidenberg, who has led Royal Mail on an interim basis since October 2023, has been criticized for his handling of employee strike action and mail delivery performance.
Gilthorpe welcomed the opportunity to join Royal Mail at this important time. He called Royal Mail a great British brand with a long and proud history, and is committed to ensuring its successful future.

Seidenberg praised Gilthorpe’s track record in delivering strategic change programs and improving performance. He believes Gilthorpe is the right person to lead Royal Mail in the future