EMEA appointment highlights of the month – August 2018

7 September, 2018

The travel, tourism and aviation industries in the EMEA region witness policy and upper level changes on a daily basis. It is important to not only keep tabs of these organisations direction, but to also monitor changes in executive branches to see the wider picture of the travel market. The Blue Swan Daily will keep you informed of these movements each month, with a full wrap of the key changes in the EMEA market, while also looking forward to key appointments announced for the following month.

Here are the key executive changes for August 2018:

  • Air Italy appointed Mark Robin Boraman as chief technical officer for its maintenance business. Mr Boraman formerly served as acting chief technical officer at Qatar Airways.
  • easyJet appointed Luca Zuccoli as its first chief data officer on 07-Aug-2018.
  • Proflight Zambia promoted chief pilot Captain Gerald Tembo to the position of director of flight operations on 09-Aug-2018.
  • Leisure Cargo appointed Ralf-Rainer Ausländer as MD, replacing Klaus Sieger and Thilo Schäfer on 06-Aug-2018.
  • Irkutsk Airport announced the appointment of Andrey Skuba as director general on 09-Aug-2018. Mr Skuba previously served as deputy director general for operational management.
  • Air France-KLM appointed Benjamin Smith as chairman and CEO, effective 30-Sep-2018 "at the latest".
  • Small Planet Airlines Poland appointed Bartosz Czajka as CEO and management board member on 16-Aug-2018, succeeding Jarosław Jeschke.
  • KLM Royal Dutch Airlines appointed Vincent van Hooff as EVP flight operations, effective 01-Sep-2018.
  • Stobart Group announced the following appointments on 23-Aug-2018:
    • Nick Dilworth appointed executive director and promoted from group commercial director to chief operating officer, effective 01-Sep-2018;
    • Michael Williamson appointed interim CFO, effective 10-Sep-2018. He will not be formally joining the board.
  • Icelandair reported the resignation of president and CEO Björgólfur Jóhannsson on 27-Aug-2018. CFO Bogi Nils Bogason will serve as interim president and CEO as the board seeks a permanent replacement.
  • Lugano Airport board of directors appointed Mayor of Lugano Marco Borradori as chairman and Filippo Lombardi as deputy chairman on 27-Aug-2018.
  • euroAtlantic airways appointed Eugenio Fernandes as CEO effective 06-Aug-2018.
  • Aeroflot appointed Andrey Chikhanchin as PJSC Aeroflot deputy CEO for commerce and finance on 29-Aug-2018.
  • London City Airport announced Sir Terry Morgan CBE resigned from his position as chairman, effective Sep-2018.
  • Wizz Air appointed Joel Goldberg to the newly created position of chief digital officer, effective 01-Oct-2018. Wizz Air's chief corporate officer Owain Jones is appointed MD of Wizz Air UK, effective 01-Sep-2018. Head of legal Marion Geoffroy will be promoted to chief corporate officer, effective 01-Sep-2018.
  • Engine Lease Finance Corporation (ELF) announced president and CEO Jon Sharp plans to retire at the end of 2018. ELF COO Tom Barrett will succeed Mr Sharp as president and CEO. In addition, ELF chief commercial officer (CCO) Joe O'Brien will become deputy CEO in addition to his current role as CCO.
  • Finnair appointed Topi Manner as CEO, effective 01-Jan-2019. Mr Manner replaces Pekka Vauramo who resigned to join Metso Corporation as its new CEO, effective Nov-2018.