Manchester Airport managing director Chris Woodroofe has been appointed co-chair of the body set up to forge closer ties between the city region and India.
He will join forces with Jo Ahmed MBE to drive forward the Manchester India Partnership (MIP), a unique public-private vehicle founded in 2018 to foster trade, tourism, investment and academic collaboration between the two economies.
The news was announced at the end of a week-long multi-city mission to India, during which Greater Manchester teamed-up with the other city-regions of the North of England under the Great North banner marking the first time Northern mayors have come together on the international stage. The mission was also supported by the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (DBIST) and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
The Greater Manchester delegation, led by Greater Manchester Mayor Bev Craig, involved senior figures from the region’s universities, cultural and sporting organisations and businesses, including Manchester Airport.
During the visit – which travelled to New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata - a series of deals was announced by Invest Manchester totalling £26m of investment and creating 600 jobs.
Deals created during the Greater Manchester mission to India included
- Hexaware is creating 420 jobs and investing £9 million in a new Design and Innovation Centre at SISTER delivered in collaboration with the University of Manchester
- Raven AI will invest approximately £7.5 million over five years to establish a UK base at DiSH, including a dedicated AI security research laboratory
- 42 Gears have invested approximately £2 million in Greater Manchester, with a new office in Didsbury. Growing its Greater Manchester headcount to above 50 in the next three years and developing a university partnership to support entry-level recruitment.
- Meta for Data Technologies announced plans for a new AI and data research centre, an engineering and AI hub, and a quantum computing lab in Greater Manchester.
- Infosys are continuing commitment to Greater Manchester through the recruitment of 80 apprentices to support delivery of the integrated NHS PeoplePortal Transformation Programme.
- Tata Consultancy Services will work on a new collaboration with Health Innovation Manchester to strengthen neighbourhood care through its Digital Nerve Centre model to enable more proactive management of health conditions, improve patient outcomes, and help deliver care in community settings.
Manchester Airport was a founding member of MIP and in 2025 launched direct routes to Mumbai and Delhi, with India’s largest airline IndiGo. While those services are currently paused due to complications caused by ongoing Middle East tensions, the number of people who travelled to the two cities increased by 50% and 25% respectively in the time they were operating.
The routes also delivered £48.5m of inbound tourism revenue and £25m of economic benefit in just more than 12 months.
Following his co-chair appointment, Chris Woodroofe said:
“Manchester Airport is proud to connect the North to the world, with our more than 200 destinations providing access to 75% of global GDP.
“That is why it was fitting to join MIP as co-chair during the mission that not only built on the strong ties created between Greater Manchester and India since 2018, but reinforced its role as the gateway to the North.
“With a new trade deal in place and so many synergies between our two economies, there is a significant opportunity ahead of us and I look forward to working with all MIP partners to drive the agenda forward.”
Jo Ahmed MBE Co-chair of the MIP, said:
“We established the Manchester India Partnership over six years ago to build long-term links across trade, investment, education, culture and innovation between our two regions and it has created collaborations that benefit people and place on both sides.
“Now as the UK and India’s relationship enters an exciting new phase and the UK India Free Trade Agreement comes into force, there is even more opportunity for us to build upon. This is why I am delighted to welcome Chris Woodroofe to co-chair the Manchester India Partnership.
“As the UK’s global gateway in the North, with connections to 200 destinations worldwide, Manchester Airport has long been a key driver for our region’s international relations supporting trade, tourism and business connectivity. I can think of no one better than Chris to help strengthen our relationship with India going forward and am excited to see what is next.”
Bev Craig, Mayor of Greater Manchester said:
“We’ve just returned from a hugely successful trade mission which saw us strengthen our relationship with India, while delivering hundreds of new jobs and tens of millions of pounds of investment for Greater Manchester. The work of the Manchester India Partnership has been crucial to this success.
“Leading Manchester Airport gives Chris a unique perspective on the value of our international partnerships, and I am sure he will be a fantastic asset as we build on the trade mission and grow our relationship even further.”
