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Lufthansa veteran Thomas Klühr (53) vacates the CEO of the Swiss airline Swiss towards the end of the year. This was known since yesterday. Swiss allegedly planned the exit for a long time.
But the fact that the airline doesn’t have a successor yet speaks in favor of a quick shot. The rumor mill is boiling. Who is the Swiss hat taking off as a short-term successor?
The hottest favorite is a Swiss.
In many places, CFO Markus Binkert (48) is the favorite. What speaks for it? He is well known at the parent company Lufthansa, and is also a familiar face in Switzerland. Until recently, he was still Lufthansa Marketing Manager in Munich (D). Then the change in the middle of the crisis. The man from Zurich was supposed to assist Klühr in negotiations with the federal government.
He was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Switzerland and, together with the chief, successfully concluded the aid package for Switzerland worth around 1.5 billion francs. The Zürich would be the first Swiss to head Switzerland since André Dosé, who ran the airline until 2004.
Close to the action
But Binkert is not the only favorite. Some other candidates within the group have good chances. Tamur Goudarzi-Pour (50), Swiss commercial director, is also seen as a promising candidate.
Goudarzi-Pour has been with Lufthansa for 20 years and has been moving up the corporate ladder ever since. He bypassed several national units, worked in sales and marketing, and has now joined the Swiss management team. An important man next to Klühr. Like Binkert, he is very familiar with current crisis-related issues.
Is it from Lufthansa?
Other candidates negotiate intensively within the company. So former Swiss CFO Michael Niggemann (46) could move up. He has been Head of Human Resources and Legal Affairs on the Lufthansa Executive Board since the beginning of the year.
But it also means that the Germans feel very comfortable there. Next to the Lufthansa boss, Carsten Spohr (53), he has a good figure in the crisis. It is questionable that he would resign his newly acquired position so quickly.
The boss position is tempting
Former Nestlé manager Lorenzo Stoll (48) runs the Swiss business in Geneva, where he has worked very well. That’s why insiders claim that Stoll prefers to stay in French-speaking Switzerland.
It seems similar with Edelweiss boss Bernd Bauer (53). Although he would be a capable Swiss CEO, he is probably too happy to work with his little sister. The Swiss would be too large and confusing a number for him, they say. It has also made Edelweiss a major tourism brand. It might be a shame for him to leave that.
Low-cost carrier Lufthansa would also have a notable boss to offer: Eurowings CEO Jens Bischof (55) could position himself as his successor. But it would be a quick job change – Bishop only took the job a few months ago. On the other hand, as a Lufthansa veteran, in the group since 1990, he would be a good candidate to lead the suit of the parent company in Zurich.
Or is it someone from outside?
The fact that Swiss has yet to name a successor could also be for another reason. Perhaps the preferred candidate is from another company, where obligations prevent you from publishing the change now.
Klühr’s successor is definitely making great strides. The CEO has successfully run the airline since 2016. Swiss has consistently delivered above-average performance in recent years. The decision is likely to be made at the board meeting on November 18. Swiss is working at full speed on the election: “The selection process has already started,” he says.
