Change galore at bmi
The top ranks at the UK's bmi and its low-fare subsidiary bmibaby have both changed within weeks of each other.
At bmi, long-serving Austin Reid, 60, has retired early as the carrier's chief executive to be replaced by chief financial officer (CFO) Nigel Turner.
At bmibaby, the airline's managing director Tony Davis has been lured to Singapore, to take charge of new low-cost start-up Tiger Airways.
Bmi insists that Reid's departure is an amicable one and that he is retiring early for personal reasons. The carrier says he always planned to retire sometime during 2005 and that Turner was lined up to succeed him, with legal director of the bmi Group Tim Bye slotting into the newly created position of deputy chief executive.
The aim is to strengthen the top management of the carrier, enabling bmi chairman Sir Michael Bishop to concentrate on various opportunities to expand the business, according to the airline.
Turner's finance deputy Alan Bird will step up to the CFO position, while Alex Grant has been promoted from managing director of bmi regional to chief operations officer. Turner has been with bmi since 1987. He was promoted to finance director in 1994, joined the board in 1999 and was made CFO for the airline group in 2002.
Davis will take the reins at Tiger in January. A former British Airways manager, he joined bmi in 1997 after a stint with Gulf Air. He was part of the team that founded bmibaby in 2002. According to Tiger's chairman William Franke, Davis brings "accomplished, battle-tested and focused leadership" to the fledgling carrier as it expands in the competitive South-East Asian travel market.
Until a new managing director of bmibaby is announced, commercial director David Bryon will oversee the carrier's operations.
MARK PILLING LONDON
Source: Airline Business
