Head of Capital & Regulatory Governance

About the role:

To serve as the Airline Community’s independent authority on capital governance, ensuring that Heathrow’s capital programme is developed through effective airline engagement, evidence based scrutiny, transparent decision making, and demonstrable value for money in line with regulatory intent and consumer outcomes.

The role is intended to improve the quality and effectiveness of capital governance by working collaboratively with Heathrow to shape better proposals earlier in the process, reducing the likelihood that proposals need to be challenged, deferred or rejected at formal approval points.

The role provides a credible, authoritative independent counterpart to Heathrow’s internal capital planning and delivery functions, ensuring that governance integrity is maintained at all stages of the investment lifecycle while supporting a more effective, efficient and timely route to airline satisfactory proposals.

• Improved capital governance processes, with earlier airline engagement and clearer routes for shaping proposals before formal approval
• Better quality Heathrow submissions, including clearer evidence of need, options, scope, cost, risk, benefits and affordability
• Clearer Airline Community alignment on priorities, trade offs and support thresholds
• Projects scoped to real needs, driving efficiency and value, rather than “gold-plated” solutions
• Evidence that lower cost, phased or proportionate options have been considered where appropriate
• Reduced reliance on late-stage challenge, deferral or rejection because material issues are identified and addressed earlier
• Clear, demonstrable instances where constructive challenge has improved outcomes
• Prevention of inappropriate approvals and governance circumvention
• Strengthened capital governance integrity across the Heathrow programme
• Increased transparency, confidence and credibility in capital decision-making
• Effective resolution of material governance and regulatory issues, including proportionate escalation where necessary

• Act as the Airline Community’s lead authority across all capital forums (including LACC, JSB, CPB and successor bodies) working constructively with Heathrow and airline stakeholders to improve proposal quality, decision readiness and governance effectiveness.
• Determine whether capital proposals are decision-ready
  , with sufficient maturity, evidence, and risk transparency to progress through governance gateways
• Exercise authority to work with Heathrow to resolve issues early and, were unresolved,
  challenge, defer or reject proposals
• Enforce the principle that:
  Capital approval must precede financial commitment

• Use escalation as a proportionate safeguard, not the default route, ensuring that issues are first raised clearly with Heathrow and airline stakeholders with a view to early resolution wherever possible.
• Act as the Airline Community’s primary interface with the regulator on capital governance matters
• Identify, document and escalation:

• Governance breaches or circumvention
• Misalignment with licence obligations and regulatory intent
• Risks to capital efficiency, affordability, and consumer outcomes

• Provide structured, evidence-based input to support the regulator in assessing Heathrow’s compliance
• Understanding systemic governance risks
• Maintain a robust audit trail of material concerns, decisions, and escalations. Ensure escalation materials demonstrate the steps taken to resolve issues constructively, the evidence base for any remaining concern, and the impact on regulatory outcomes, affordability or consumer value.

• Lead rigorous,…