Swiss has appointed Christoph Franz, a Deutsche Bahn and former Lufthansa manager, as its new chief executive to replace Andre Dosé. Franz, aged 43 and a German national, was selected from a shortlist of six candidates in a recruitment process headed by board chairman Pieter Bouw.
The holder of a doctorate in business administration, Franz has spent the past nine years in senior roles with the German national railway, most recently in charge of passenger sales. From 1990 to 1994 he was with Lufthansa. During that time he was part of the team that planned the airline's financial turnaround after the Gulf War reporting to Jürgen Weber.
During his time with Deutsche Bahn, Franz was in charge of restructuring its City Night Line division. Swiss says his experience in turnaround projects, as well as in transport, were a deciding factor in his favour.
Franz joins Swiss in May for a transitional period before officially assuming the role of chief executive in July.
MARK PILLING LONDON
Source: Airline Business
