Flybe has appointed of Philip de Klerk as chief financial officer. 

Philip will join the group no later than November 1st 2014 but it is hoped that he may be in a position to do so as early as August 2014.

Philip brings extensive experience of strategic financial development, change management and operational delivery in rapidly evolving businesses.

He joins Flybe from SABMiller, where he was global head of financial planning and analysis and finance director of the Business Capabilities Programme.

Prior to this, he was chief financial officer of Ineos Olefins & Polymers Europe, a division with $10bn annual turnover.

Before joining Ineos, Philip spent 16 years at Unilever, where he held a variety of roles, including vice president of Investor Relations, chief financial officer of Unilever Switzerland and finally chief financial officer of Unilever Benelux, which had annual turnover of €1.8bn.

Philip’s appointment follows Andrew Knuckey’s decision, announced in August 2013, to leave Flybe in order to pursue other opportunities. 

Andrew will remain with the business until August 2nd 2014.

Saad Hammad, chief executive of Flybe, commented: “On behalf of everyone at Flybe, I’d like to thank Andrew Knuckey for his considerable efforts on behalf of the Group over the past nine years: in particular, he has played a significant role in implementing our turnaround plan and setting us on the path to profitable growth.

“Andrew is held in great affection by his colleagues at Flybe for his humanity, passion and sense of fun and he leaves with everyone’s very best wishes for the future.

“We are absolutely delighted to have attracted someone of Philip de Klerk’s calibre and welcome him on board. 

“He has a blue-chip finance and management pedigree and he will bring a wealth of relevant experience, especially from his time at consumer focused companies and in international markets.

“Philip’s arrival will significantly strengthen and broaden the senior management team as we implement our strategy to deliver and grow a sustainably profitable business and I know he shares our ambition and excitement for the future.”