Emily Rothwell

Capital Delivery Director, Manchester Airport

Emily Rothwell is Capital Delivery Director at Manchester Airport, responsible for leading the delivery of major infrastructure projects and capital investment programmes. With extensive experience delivering complex change, including the £1.3bn Manchester Airport Transformation Programme, Emily has worked across operational, commercial and delivery teams to successfully implement large-scale transformation while maintaining focus on people, collaboration and operational performance.

Opening keynote | Transforming More Than Terminals: The Human Side of Change at Manchester Airport

In this practical case study, speakers from across the transformation programme will share how they delivered complex change in a live operational environment, bringing together Operations, Commercial, Digital and wider business functions around a common vision. The session will explore how effective stakeholder engagement, clear communication, collaborative leadership and strong change management helped embed new ways of working, maintain operational performance and achieve business outcomes at pace.

Attendees will gain insights into the realities of delivering transformation at scale, including navigating competing priorities, building trust across diverse stakeholder groups, influencing behavioural change, and leading teams through uncertainty. Through real world examples from one of the UK's busiest airports, the session will demonstrate why successful transformation is as much about people and behaviours as it is about projects, processes and technology.