Early start for new Malaysia Airlines CEO
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The new managing director & CEO of Malaysia Airlines, Christoph Mueller, will take up his new role ahead of schedule on 1 May 2015, the national carrier’s parent company has confirmed.
Khazanah Nasional Bhd revealed on Friday that incumbent CEO, Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, will step down from his position on 30 April 2015, although he will continue as a non-executive director until 31 December 2015. Mueller, the German national who currently heads Irish national carrier Aer Lingus, will move into his new role on 1 May, becoming the first non-Malaysian to have held the position.
The transition will occur two months prior to the formation of the new Malaysia Airlines Bhd company (NewCo), which is due to start operating on 1 July 2015.
Khazanah said the “accelerated leadership transition will enable Mueller to be in a position to lead the overall MAS restructuring effort as it enters one of its most critical phases”.
“I am honoured by the trust placed in me. MAS is not just the national carrier of Malaysia, it is a symbol of national pride, and loyalty and affection towards the airline runs deep among Malaysians. I look forward to working on the restructuring hand-in-hand with our employees, unions, management and the board to restore the airline’s profitability,” said Mueller.
But he faces a significant challenge; MAS has not posted a full-year profit since 2010 and is still suffering from the tragic loss of flights MH370 and MH17 in 2014. Mueller also faces a potential backlash from some parties who believe Khazanah should have hired a Malaysian CEO.
But the new CEO has experience dealing with difficult situations; he previously headed up Belgian carrier Sabena, which went bankrupt in 2001.
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