Lifetime Achievement Award
Gurjit Jhuti Wood is Arup’s Sustainable Aviation Leader, and Aviation Business Leader for UK, India, Middle East and Africa. With 30 years’ experience spanning all aspects of the aviation industry, her clients value and respect her skills, advice and leadership.
Gurjit’s first job was as a check-in agent at British Midland where she learned how to listen to customers’ concerns and resolve issues. Her skills in negotiation and mediation, have always stood out – one client described her as ‘the Kofi Annan of consulting’. She developed a toolkit that helps her aviation clients to identify and reach tangible sustainable outcomes, to reduce their impact on the environment and do more to benefit their staff, passengers and communities. She is working with them to prioritise and implement changes, enabling more people to reap the economic and social benefits of air travel in an equitable, accessible and sustainable way.
She was Arup’s Middle East Group Leader for five years, including through Covid-19.
She lead teams across the whole professional services firm, overseeing every project, and introducing new services. With a workforce of foreign nationals and expats, living alone and unable to return home, she ensured everyone felt supported during this time.
Gurjit is a Commercial Director for Arup’s Technical Services, Climate Services and Sustainability work, Interim Chair of Arup’s Women’s Network, and leads their BAME Network People Pillar. Her mentoring of BAME individuals teaches her to do the best she can as a leader, to motivate, develop and support others to thrive.
View the Arup profile in the MCA Members Directory.