The Arora Group (“Arora” or the “Group”) announces today the appointment of Lord Grade as Chair of its London Heathrow Airport Expansion Advisory Board.
The announcement signals the further strengthening of its leadership team for delivering the expansion of Heathrow, adding to its existing Advisory Board which includes Sir Rod Eddington AO, Robert Webb QC, and Mike Clasper CBE CMGR CCMI. The appointment comes at an important time for the Group as it continues to push for a new, more efficient approach to expansion at Heathrow by introducing competition that will benefit both the passengers and the airlines.
The Lord Grade of Yarmouth
Lord Grade was chairman of the BBC from 2004 to 2006 and executive chairman of ITV PLC from 2007 to 2009. He was appointed to the House of Lords as a Conservative Party peer in 2011. A former sports journalist, he entered the television industry in 1973 when he joined London Weekend Television as Deputy Controller of Programmes. He subsequently held roles as Chief Executive of Channel 4, Executive Chair and CEO of First Leisure, Chairman of Pinewood Shepperton, Chairman of Camelot Group, Chairman of Ocado Group, Chairman and CEO of ITV plc and Chairman of Infinity Creative Media. He has also held roles on the BBC Board of Governors and Press Complaints Commission and continues to act as Chairman of the Charity Fundraising Regulator, Chairman of the Media Museum, Bradford and Trustee on the Science Museum.
Commenting on the appointment, Surinder Arora, Founder and Chairman of the Arora Group said:
“I am delighted to welcome Lord Grade to our Advisory Board. He brings considerable Board experience, and I very much look forward to working with him, alongside our excellent existing external Advisory Board members: Sir Rod Eddington, Robert Webb, and Mike Clasper. Arora is continuing to push for competition at Heathrow to challenge Heathrow Airport Limited. We can deliver a cost-effective alternative which is better for airlines and passengers alike.”
Commenting on the appointment, Lord Grade said:
“I am delighted to be joining Surinder and the Arora Group’s Heathrow Expansion Advisory Board at this exciting time. I have been following their proposals closely and am keen to support the sustainable success of this iconic British transport and business hub.
-ENDS -
Notes to Editors
Other members of the Advisory Board include:
Sir Rod Eddington AO
Sir Roderick Eddington is an Australian businessman and the former CEO of British Airways.
He is currently chair of the Government body Infrastructure Australia and a director of News Corporation.
He has served in various different leadership roles including Non-Executive director of Rio Tinto Group and Non-Executive Chairman of JPMorgan in Australia and New Zealand.
Mike Clasper CBE CMGR CCMI
Mike Clasper is currently Chairman of Coats Group PLC; the Senior Independent Director at Serco PLC; and Chairman of BIOSS.
He is the former CEO of BAA PLC. During his time at BAA PLC, the Heathrow Terminal 5 design was finalised and most of the construction was completed. Also, Budapest airport was added to the portfolio that included 7 UK airports and 9 overseas airports.
Mike’s executive career spans Procter & Gamble, BAA PLC and Terra Firma. In a 23 year career with Procter and Gamble, he was managing director of their businesses in Holland and the UK, and was President of Global Homecare.
Mike was previously Chairman of the commercial arm of Which? from 2008 until 2017. He was also non-executive Chairman of HM Revenue & Customs for four years, ending in 2013. He was on the board of ITV PLC for 8 years up to the end of 2013, including spells as Chair of Audit and Senior Independent Director.
In 1995 he was granted the title of CBE, and received an Honorary Doctorate from Sunderland University. He is President of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and a governor of the RSC.
Robert Webb QC:
Rob is currently Chairman of Darktrace Limited; Chairman of Luminance; and a Director of Holdingham Group.
He was General Counsel of British Airways, from 1998 to 2009, following a career as a practicing Barrister in the field of practice of commercial law, aviation law and mass disaster litigation.
Rob has previously held roles as Chairman of BBC Worldwide and of Autonomy plc; a former Senior Independent Director of the London Stock Exchange; and a former Director of Argent Ltd and of Air Mauritius. He was also General Counsel of Rolls-Royce Plc (2012-16).
He is a Bencher of the Inner Temple and a Door Tenant of Brick Court Chambers. He is also a Trustee of Comic Relief, and of the Migratory Salmon Foundation and a former Fellow of UNICEF.
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Arora Group
The Arora Group is a privately owned property group, which develops, owns, and manages a diverse portfolio of assets, with a strategic focus on the UK’s business hubs and airport locations. Since its foundations in 1999, the Group has demonstrated meticulous project and asset management, today partnering with some of the world’s most recognised brands, to deliver consistently high standards and sustainable growth across its property, hotel and construction divisions.
For more information on the Arora Group please visit www.thearoragroup.com @Arora_Group
Arora Group’s proposals for the expansion of Heathrow Airport
As the largest landowner in the area marked for expansion at Heathrow, the Arora Group has put forward proposals for the Heathrow Airport expansion with consultation of key airlines and world-leading Bechtel.
Arora is proposing the following vs. HAL’s costings submitted to the Davies Commission:
* A £1.7bn saving to the terminal design and taxiway system which would be preferred by airlines if it was reworked and also would maintain the same rise in runway and terminal capacity.
* Terminal 2 expansion is not seen as necessary for the overall expansion of Heathrow and removing this from HAL's plans would save an additional £1.1bn.
* Not building the £1.0bn passenger transit system for airside passengers, branding it unnecessary while airlines believe it is not needed for their passengers.
* By adopting Arora’s key improvements plus other changes such as improving parking proposals and reducing the site area by 20%, which significantly reduces demolition and groundworks required, the cost of the scheme would be reduced in total by £5.2bn without significant amendments to the Government’s North West Runway plans.
Significant resource and investment has been given by Arora and its partners, carefully considering safety, carbon emissions, community impact and noise implications of the proposal. Arora is confident that its proposed changes to Heathrow Airport Limited’s own proposals are positive. As an example, the 20% reduction in land use requirement makes a notable improvement.
Arora's plans include the following benefits:
* Affordability compared to the current HAL plan which would result in an unacceptable and untenable level of airline and passenger charges
* Meeting the needs of customers, i.e. airlines, and having the support of key carriers already
* Introduction of competition and choice for customers at Heathrow unlike the current monopoly which stifles innovation and raises costs
*Less disruption to local communities by reducing land taken by 20% and ensuring carbon emissions are at the very least no worse than current levels
* Improving options for ground surface access without any further costs to the public purse, such as enhanced rail capacity, while maintaining the Government’s aim of achieving 55% using public transport by 2040
* Offering alternative housing to impacted residents as an alternative option to compulsory purchase should they so wish
For more information on the Arora Group’s proposals for the expansion of London Heathrow Airport, please visit www.heathrow.thearoragroup.com
