Staff shuffle at BAA as design offer centralised

Design managers at airport operator BAA have undergone a round of musical chairs as part of a restructuring bid aimed at centralising design services within the company.

“Across a lot of our functions, not just design, we have centralised reporting procedures,” says BAA design director of airports business Mike Forster.

This will involve service units, such as the design teams, reporting directly to central BAA management rather than to the management of individual airports.

Forster now holds overall responsibility for strategy across all aspects of airport design, including elements such as train services.

Lorna Wain, previously head of design at London’s Heathrow Airport, has become BAA’s head of airport design strategy. “Lorna is setting design strategies from BAA’s point of view. She will look at common issues such as accessibility and signage,” says Forster. The job involves liaison with BAA’s business partners, such as retailers and airline operators.

The Heathrow design headship has been filled by Joanna O’Driscoll, former senior design manager at Heathrow Express.

Group design director Raymond Turner retains his position, but with an altered remit, confirms Forster. Turner’s role is “the overall vision of design in BAA and its co-ordination across all businesses, including Heathrow Express and retail”, says Forster.