Could fit in with the rumour Walsh has been earmarked for FR....
Today in the press
Monday, 12 May 2008 08:56
BA STARTS SEARCH FOR POTENTIAL SUCCESSOR TO CEO WALSH -
The London Independent says that British Airways has appointed the recruitment consultants Whitehead Mann to find a new chief operating officer and possible successor for its embattled chief executive Willie Walsh. The successful candidate will a fill a newly created role, which was devised after the recent Heathrow Terminal 5 fiasco.
Both BA's director of operations, Gareth Kirkwood, and head of customer service, David Noyes, parted company with the group last month. The two roles will now be combined to create the position of chief operating officer. The airline, which will publish its full-year results on Monday, is believed to have instructed Whitehead Mann to find a senior level candidate who could be considered for a position on the board within two years, and could also be a potential replacement for Mr Walsh within five years.
Mr Walsh may well not make it through another five years in the job, however. Both he and his board colleagues have come under fire over the past few weeks, over their handling of BA's switch-over to Terminal 5 at Heathrow. Having failed to adequately train their staff and test the new facilities, thousands of customers found their flights cancelled or delayed when the terminal opened at the end of March. The airline also managed to lose some 20,000 pieces of luggage.