Lufthansa Technik has named Lufthansa Group chief technology officer Grazia Vittadini as its new supervisory board chairperson.
She takes over the role from Detlef Kayser, whose term had ended, the company said on 12 September. Lufthansa Technik is the airline group’s engineering unit.
“This new role is a privilege for me, and I am grateful for the trust,” Vittadini says. “We have big plans for Lufthansa Technik, and I am very much looking forward to working with the executive board and the many thousands of employees to support implementing the ‘Ambition 2030’ growth strategy and continue the company’s success.”
Vittadini, a dual German-Italian national, took over the role of chief technology officer of Lufthansa Group on 1 July. Her role includes responsibility for the company’s technology, IT and innovation division as well as sustainability.
She is a former Airbus and Rolls-Royce executive with an engineering degree from Polytechnic University of Milan and an honourary doctorate from the UK’s Cranfield University.
Earlier this year, Lufthansa Technik said it planned to invest €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion) in the next four years to support its ’Ambition 2030’ strategic growth initiative after parent Lufthansa last November scrapped plans to divest a partial stake of the company. It is positioning itself to grow both organically, including building a new facility in Europe, as well as through acquisitions.
‘Ambition 2030’ calls for the company to almost double its revenue to more than €10 billion and profit to more than €1 billion by the end of this decade. To do that, LHT chief executive Soeren Stark said at the time that the company would focus on its core business, and expand its international presence and its digital business models.
In August the company announced it had taken an 80% stake in US-based ETP Thermal Dynamics, which specialises in MRO services for heat exchangers, oil and fuel coolers. The acquisition marked “a significant step in the expansion of its aircraft component services portfolio in the Americas”. It did not quantify the investment.
