Opodo Chief Appointed IATO CEO
The IATA Board of Governors, have unanimously approved the appointment of Giovanni Bisignani as its new Director General and Chief Executive Officer, at a special meeting.
Mr Bisignani will join IATA
on 13 May, 2002 as Director General-designate. He will officially take over from the incumbent, Pierre Jeanniot, immediately after the IATA Annual General Meeting to be held June 3-4 in Shanghai, China - subject to the approval of that Meeting.
For the past 15 months, Mr. Bisignani has served as President & CEO of Opodo
, the airline-owned European travel portal.
“We are delighted that Giovanni will be our next Director General. He is a true global citizen with proven experience working seamlessly across borders. Giovanni is no stranger to IATA, having served on its Executive Committee while serving as Alitalia CEO. He has also been Chairman of Galileo International
and the Association of European Airlines and is highly skilled at leading across multiple constituencies. He has the total support of the international airline industry” declared Leo Mullin
, immediate past Chairman of IATA and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Delta Air Lines
.
Giovanni Bisignani
said, “I am deeply honoured to have been asked to join IATA at such a key time. Having been in the travel industry for nearly 20 years I have watched the pivotal and influential role that IATA plays within international aviation and the travel sector in general. Pierre Jeanniot has done an incredible job in transforming the organisation and I shall build on the infrastructure he has put in place.”
“As the aviation industry develops, accommodating new technology and increased competition, so the market place is changing” he added, “I look forward to leading IATA through these changing times and to supporting a vibrant and thriving airline industry.”
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Related stories on ITN:
(30/11/2001) Opodo Launches In Europe`s Leading Travel Market.
(24/01/2002) Opodo Serves as a threat to online travel sites
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