easyJet announces new appointments to its Management Board

LONDON, UK, 2018-May-22 — /Travel PR News/ — Johan Lundgren, easyJet’s CEO, today announced five changes to the airline’s management board.  Four of these are new AMB roles and the new structure and new team is designed to enable easyJet to better deliver its strategy and drive the new initiatives announced today to accelerate its use of data, expand its easyJet Holidays business, carry more business passengers and introduce a new reward and recognition loyalty programme.

Johan commented on the new directors:

“I am pleased to announce a number of new appointments to the Airline Management Board with a mix of internal promotions and new hires to easyJet.  This will give the airline the right balance of skills, experience and diversity to deliver our strategy and take easyJet from strength to strength.”

The first new role is that of CEO, easyJet Holidays which will be run by Garry Wilson.  Garry has twenty years’ experience in the holiday sector and is currently TUI Group’s MD for Group Product and Purchasing.  Garry leads procurement and commercial activity for all hotel partners and other suppliers.  Garry has deep experience of the holiday market across easyJet’s network.

Garry will set up and lead a dedicated unit within the easyJet group and will be responsible for accelerating the development of easyJet Holidays.  easyJet entered the holidays market a few years ago but hasn’t taken advantage of the opportunities it has in this area.  easyJet has Europe’s largest leisure network from primary airports to leisure destinations, a well-loved, trusted brand, a cost advantage over the leading competitors and a customer base with high spending power.  easyJet Holidays can use this platform and easyJet’s scale to capture a significant share of the market.

 

Speaking about his new appointment, Garry said:

“I’m very excited to become part of easyJet and look forward to working with such a highly regarded team and well respected brand.

Over the years I have watched the growth and expansion of easyJet and having the opportunity to be part of the next chapter in their success is a great honour”

The second newly established role is that of Chief Data Officer which will be held by Luca Zuccoli.  Luca will lead and coordinate the management of data across the airline.  easyJet is already digitally advanced in both its contact with customers and across its operations.  Luca will be responsible for the airline’s data strategy and will help give greater focus and weight to the airline’s use of this data to create insights which will improve the customer proposition, drive revenue and reduce cost.

Luca currently works for Experian plc and is their Head of Analytics and Data Lab for their Asia-Pacific region based in Singapore.  Italian by birth and educated in the US, Luca will bring world leading technical data expertise as well as the experience of successfully applying data management to drive value in a commercial context.  Following a Masters in Statistics from Carnegie Mellon University Luca has worked in house and as a consultant in financial services as well as logistics and maintenance.

Luca commented:

“I have always seen easyJet as the customer oriented airline, a great brand with an even greater promise. After meeting Johan and the team, I was struck by their passion, their vision for the future and I knew that this is the group I had to be part of.  I can’t wait to contribute to a great company, a great customer experience and a great team.”

The next appointment is that of Flic Howard-Allen to the position of Group Communications Officer to replace easyJet’s outgoing Communications Director.  Flic currently heads up external affairs at Associated British Foods, the global FTSE 30 company which owns Primark, Twinings and many other major brands.  Flic was previously Director of Communications and CR at Marks & Spencer where she led the creation of their sustainability campaign, Plan A and prior to that, she was a Director at Hill + Knowlton for a number of years where she ran consumer, corporate, crisis and internal communications teams.

Flic will be responsible for all easyJet’s media communications and public affairs across all its markets, as well as leading the airline’s internal communications and CSR activities.

 

Commenting on her appointment, Flic said:

“I have always admired easyJet and I am delighted to be joining the team at this very exciting time in the company’s development.”

 

The Chief Marketing Officer role was created as an AMB role in the airline’s management restructure announced in January.   Lis Blair, currently easyJet’s CRM and Insight Director, has been promoted into this role.  Lis has been with easyJet for six years and has experience spanning all marketing disciplines at several leading brands including Audi, Barclaycard and Barclays.

Lis will lead easyJet’s brand, marketing and digital strategy as well as the airline’s customer experience strategy together with its customer research, loyalty and CRM activities.  With a pan European remit and growing customer base, Lis will lead easyJet’s strategic positioning in the leisure and business traveller markets and be responsible for continuing to drive the strength of the easyJet brand and the loyalty of easyJet’s passengers.

 

Lis explained:

“After six years at easyJet I am hugely excited to have the opportunity to join Johan and his team as we embark on the next chapter of our growth. I’m looking forward to leading a talented team of marketers as we build upon the powerful brand and marketing activity from recent years.”

The final, newly created role in the structure is that of Group Markets Director.  This role will provide a clear voice for Europe at the AMB – representing over 60% of easyJet’s passengers who originate in Europe and some 4,000 of easyJet’s people who are based in European countries, as well as our UK market.  Thomas Haagensen has been appointed to this new role.  Thomas lives in Switzerland, has been with easyJet for ten years and is currently easyJet’s Country Director for Germany, Austria and Switzerland.  He is also Managing Director of easyJet Europe, the Austrian based airline which is responsible for all easyJet’s EU operations.

Thomas will lead easyJet’s Country Directors and Managers who are the face of easyJet and manage its reputation across mature, new and emerging markets. Thomas and his team will also drive easyJet’s performance in country by working with the centre on the delivery of product, proposition, channel, brand, communications and operations relevant to their country.

 

Thomas said:

“I’m delighted to bring my 10 years of experience at easyJet to this new role.

As easyJet continues to expand its footprint in Europe I am pleased to be able to represent the diverse nature of our customers and people in markets within the Airline Management Board.”

 

– ENDS –

For further information, please contact the easyJet Press Office on 01582 525252, log onto www.easyjet.com or follow @easyJet_Press

 

About easyJet:

easyJet is Europe’s leading airline offering a unique and winning combination of the best route network connecting Europe’s primary airports, with great value fares and friendly service.

easyJet flies on more of Europe’s most popular routes than any other airline. easyJet carries over 82 million passengers annually, of which more than 13 million are travelling on business. easyJet flies 298 aircraft on more than 980 routes to 156 airports across 33 countries. More than 300 million Europeans live within one hour’s drive of an easyJet airport.

easyJet aims to be a good corporate citizen, employing people on local contracts in seven countries across Europe in full compliance with national laws and recognising their trade unions. The airline supports a number of local charities and also has a corporate partnership with UNICEF which has raised over £10m for the most vulnerable children since it was established in 2012.

The airline takes sustainability seriously. easyJet invests in the latest technology, operates efficiently and fills most of its seats which means that an easyJet passenger’s carbon footprint is 22% less than a passenger on a traditional airline, flying the same aircraft on the same route.

Innovation is in easyJet’s DNA – from our launch over 20 years ago when we changed the way people fly to the present day where we lead the industry in digital, web, engineering and operational innovations to make travel more easy and affordable for our passengers.

SOURCE: EASYJET PLC

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