Women Leading Airport Innovation: Lessons in Design, Tech & Leadership

By: Ashwini Sulakhe Thorat, Chief Design and Planning, Adani Airport Holdings

Leadership is often less about breaking barriers and more about building solutions.

In a candid conversation on airport innovation, design thinking, and leadership, Ashwini Sulakhe Thorat, Chief Design and Planning at Adani Airport Holdings, shares how expertise, empathy, and perseverance can transform complexity into opportunity.

A seasoned aviation professional with over 25 years of experience in airport planning, design, and project management, Ashwini has led complex global projects, driving innovation, stakeholder alignment, and the development of sustainable, future-ready airport infrastructure across diverse markets.

From navigating multifaceted stakeholder environments and embracing emerging technologies to championing empathy-driven leadership and challenging conventional approaches, her journey offers valuable insights for women aspiring to lead in technical industries.

While rooted in aviation, Ashwini's perspectives extend far beyond the sector, offering timeless lessons on leadership, innovation, and resilience for professionals across industries.

Q. As a woman leading airport design and planning, how do you approach the challenge of delivering complex airport projects?

A. Being a woman in a traditionally male dominated field has certainly been part of my journey, but complex airport projects ultimately demand professionalism, technical rigor and clarity of thought.

Airport projects are wonderfully complex. They bring together engineering, operations, regulators, airlines, commercial interests and millions of passengers. To deliver them successfully you need strong technical grounding, but equally the ability to understand people and align very different perspectives.

Over the years I have come to believe that great airport planning is half science and half art.

The science is what we are trained for, it gives structure and disciplines to projects of enormous scale. But the real challenge, and the real excitement, lies in the art: sensing issues before they appear in reports, balancing competing priorities, aligning stakeholders around a shared outcome and experiencing various scenarios.  

That’s where tacit knowledge begins to matter. You start recognising patterns, trusting your judgement and navigate complexity thoughtfully – because most challenges in large infrastructure are ultimately about people, not just systems.

My mantra is: airports maybe built with concrete and steel - but their success is always built by people.

Q. You’ve worked on innovative projects like the Zero Queue Terminal. How do you balance creative design with operational efficiency when tackling such complex ideas?

A. Simple design or simple plan is hardest to develop as it requires critical thinking, creativity and vision to breakdown complex problem to their core and develop solutions that eliminate it. Most of the time aviation planners and designers plan for the process but ignore the one experiencing the process resulting in wonderful architectural marvels but not so great operating airports.

To fully understand an airport user, a designer must be in his/her mind living and experiencing the space. They need to live the fears, curiosity, excitement and stress of their users. Strangely, we expect the first-time travellers to be stressed, but my study showed they are the ones who enjoy the bliss of ignorance. First time travellers remain ignorant of time, dos/don’ts, etiquettes or the various rules or norms. However, the frequent travellers familiar with the space worry about the known devils, stress about the worst nightmares, feel tired about the long walks or ignore the advertisements and new offerings. Hence, airports struggle to please all users, sometimes they are too functional, at times they overdue aesthetics.  

The only way to level all users in an airport is to remove the stress, make the whole process from entry to gate seamless and predictable. Across globe airport terminals are so paradoxically complex, uncertain, unpredictable and chaotic that the operational situation may seem impossible to understand. A Zero Queue terminal is radical but a simple standardised solution to a complex problem. It’s futuristic and a cognitive approach of operational art fundamentally.

Q. With your expertise in both aero and non-aeronautical business, how do you ensure the commercial aspect aligns with the core values of sustainability and operational excellence?

A.Good design is always good business. When you follow the principle that form follows function, you naturally create solutions that maximise commercial potential without compromising operational efficiency.

When airport terminals are thoughtfully designed to help travellers feel relaxed and comfortable, they create positive experiences and lasting memories. In such environments, passengers are naturally more inclined to explore and enjoy non-aeronautical offerings while also appreciating the seamless operational experience.

When the passenger experience is right, commercial success gets a smooth runway.

Q. In your leadership journey, how have you navigated challenges in an industry often dominated by traditional approaches, and what strategies helped you lead?

A. Leadership journeys are rarely curated, and mine was no different. But when I look back, three ‘E’s stand out as the principles that shaped how I navigated challenges and led teams.

The first is Experience. I don’t believe information alone is knowledge the real source of knowledge is experience. It is experience that turns information into insight and eventually into wisdom. For instance, where others may rely on measurements and simulations to understand airport congestion, years of real-world exposure often allows me to anticipate such situations instinctively. This wisdom only comes from being deeply immersed in the field.

The second is Empathy. In the corporate world, kindness is sometimes mistaken for weakness, but in reality it is a sign of strength. It takes courage to lead with empathy and patience in environments that often prioritise self-interest. I have seen how genuine kindness inspires teams, builds trust and drives extraordinary results. In many ways, it has redefined what strength in leadership means to me.

The last, but certainly not the least, is Effort. In today’s world obsessed with speed and shortcuts, I have learned that rushing often takes you somewhere you never intended to go. Sustainable growth—whether for individuals or organisations—comes from steady effort, hard work and a commitment to perfecting your craft. In the long run, moving steadily is often the fastest way forward.

So, focus on gaining solid, holistic experience, build your legacy on trust, and let your work speak.

Q. With your wealth of experience in airport master planning, what emerging trends are you most excited about integrating into the future of airport infrastructure?

A. We are at a very exciting cusp where technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and the Internet of Things (IoT) are beginning to merge with airport terminal design and operations. Integrating these technologies into planning and infrastructure opens up fascinating possibilities for how airports function in the future.

For planners and designers, learning how to incorporate these new systems into terminal 

layouts, passenger flows and operational processes is both challenging and inspiring. These technologies have the potential to make airports far more intelligent, responsive and efficient.

I believe that, if applied thoughtfully, they will help us address many long-standing operational challenges and create airports that are smarter, more seamless and better prepared for the demands of the future.

Top 5 Takeaways for Women Leaders:

1. Build expertise that speaks for itself: Deep technical knowledge, hands-on experience, and consistent results are the strongest foundations for leadership and credibility.
2. Lead people, not just projects: Success comes from balancing technical excellence with the ability to align stakeholders, build trust, and navigate diverse perspectives.
3. Make empathy your superpower: Understanding people, listening actively, and leading with kindness can create stronger teams and better outcomes.
4. Innovate through a user-first mindset: The best solutions emerge when leaders truly understand the experiences, challenges, and needs of the people they serve.
5. Own your voice and ideas:  Women bring valuable perspectives that drive innovation. Speak up confidently, focus on solutions, and let your impact define your success.

LAST WORD: Advice for aspiring women who are looking to bring fresh ideas to highly technical industries:

As the saying goes “The woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.” Women simply need to step up, speak up and own it. They bring unique perspectives along with distinctive strengths and talents.

In sectors traditionally dominated by men- such as engineering or construction these perspectives are not just valuable, they are essential for innovation and progress.

While it’s encouraging to see more women stepping unto leadership roles in 21st century India, there is still room for gender representation in board rooms. My advice is to move beyond the gender narrative, ignore the awkwardness that may arise, and focus instead on professionalism, strong technical knowledge and hands-on practical experience.

When women confidently bring their ideas and expertise to the table, they not only   advance their own careers but also strengthen the culture of innovation within organizations.

Ultimately, success isn’t about gender-it comes to those who focus on solutions, not problems.