After 10 years at the controls of one of Europe’s low-cost pioneers, Ray Webster has stepped down as chief executive of easyJet. He has been succeeded by Andrew Harrison, deliberately selected for his experience outside the aviation business in the services sector.
The announcement of Webster’s departure coincided with the return of the carrier’s single largest shareholder, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, as a non-executive director.
Stelios recruited Webster in late 1995 after the New Zealander flew over to London at his own expense from his home country for the interview.
Webster, who has had one of the airline’s new Airbus A319s named after him, will remain as a consultant to easyJet and will begin considering other opportunities next year.
As Webster stepped down, easyJet announced that Rigas Doganis has joined its board as a non-executive director. A former chairman of Olympic Airways, Doganis is chairman of the Brussels-based European Aviation Club, a non-executive director of South African Airways and a director of India’s Hyderabad International Airport, as well as a judge for this magazine’s Airline Strategy Awards.
Commenting on the appointment of Doganis, easyJet chairman Colin Chandler says: “The breadth of his international experience in a range of aviation-related disciplines will be invaluable to easyJet in the current stage of its development.”
MARK PILLING/LONDON
Source: Airline Business
