Career Biography

Kunaal Wharfe is a transformational C-Suite executive recognised for professionalising and developing legal functions in complex, high growth businesses. Currently serving as general counsel and company secretary at Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA), Kunaal has been a primary architect of the airport’s evolution from a legacy, paper-based environment into a high-performing, private equity-backed operation. His impact on the legal and business landscape was recently cemented by his inclusion in The Lawyer’s Hot 100 2026 list and his shortlisting for In-house Lawyer of the Year at the Legal 500 Northern Powerhouse Awards 2026.

Since joining LBA in early 2023, Kunaal has played a pivotal role in the airport’s strategic growth and eventual exit strategy. He serves as a key member of the executive team that has taken the business through a successful majority sale (51% stake) to Aena, the world’s largest airport operator. To support this growth, he worked as part of the team who secured a £260m financing package, including a £160m senior debt refinancing that completed in 2025. This financing provided the critical liquidity necessary for the airport’s long-term capital investment programme and the complete transformation of LBA. Kunaal has been the legal lead for LBA:REGEN, the first significant terminal rebuild and capacity expansion in the airport’s history. Kunaal has also worked tirelessly navigating regulatory hurdles in a multi-year planning dispute regarding night flight movements in order to secure the airport’s operational future. This has included a planning inquiry and judicial review process.

A pioneer in sustainable operations, Kunaal was instrumental in the creation of LBA’s first ESG Board Committee as well development and publication of LBA’s first ever ESG strategy. His leadership has led the airport to achieve a 100% GRESB ESG score in 2025, driven by initiatives such as vehicle fleet electrification and elimination of gas usage across the airport. Kunaal also serves as Executive sponsor for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and oversees the airport’s diverse range of DEI initiatives and engagement with staff and the local community. Internally, he has professionalised the legal function by building a high-performing team from the ground up and implementing a tech-enabled contract lifecycle management (CLM) model that has increased efficiency across the business and reduced headcount dependency.

Kunaal’s success at LBA is built upon a decade of leadership in major multinational organisations. As Deputy General Counsel at Dentsu, he was in part responsible for a 22-person legal team for a business of 4,000 employees. His career also includes serving as sole counsel for Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s US$900m Department for Work & Pensions account and advising on carrier sales at Apple. He began his career at Simmons & Simmons LLP in London, where he advised major clients like Virgin Media and Barclays on complex technology and outsourcing matters.

Kunaal holds an LLB from the University of Leicester and studied the Legal Practice Course at BPP in London.