The Guardian reported that Gilthorpe, who joined the business in May 2024 having previously served as chief operating officer at Heathrow Airport, left last Thursday (19 June).
Martin Seidenberg, group CEO of Royal Mail parent International Distribution Services, said: “Emma has worked tirelessly to drive forward Royal Mail’s transformation, and I would like to extend my personal thanks to her for the significant contribution she has made to the company.
“On behalf of everyone at Royal Mail and IDS, we wish Emma all the best for the future.”
She will be replaced by chief operating officer Alistair Cochrane on an interim basis with immediate effect. He joined Royal Mail in 2023 having previously served as chief executive of Whistl.
“Alistair Cochrane is an exceptional leader and brings significant experience to his new role from across the logistics industry, and from his time with us at both Royal Mail and Parcelforce,” said Seidenberg.
“I look forward to continuing to work with him as we transform Royal Mail for the benefit of our company, colleagues and customers across all the communities we serve.”
Gilthorpe added: “I will always be incredibly proud to have led Royal Mail and I would like to thank all 130,000 colleagues for their support as we worked together to deliver our ambitious transformation programme.
“I look forward to seeing Royal Mail continue to transform in the years ahead, ensuring a stronger and more sustainable future for this great British company.”
Seidenberg was Royal Mail chief executive prior to Gilthorpe being taken on last year, having himself replaced Simon Thompson who departed in 2023.
The takeover deal for International Distribution Services was declared unconditional at the end of April.
Last month, Ofcom opened an investigation into Royal Mail’s compliance with regulatory obligations, after the company posted its annual delivery performance results.
Among other targets, Royal Mail must deliver 93% of First Class mail within one working day of collection; and deliver 98.5% of Second Class mail within three working days of collection.
But the postal operator said it did not meet the above performance targets in 2024/25, as it delivered 76.5% of First Class mail within one working day; and delivered 92.2% of Second Class mail within three working days.
