Summary
- Airbus has appointed Christian Scherer as the CEO of its Commercial Aircraft division as part of a wider shake-up of the company’s Executive Committee.
- Scherer has extensive experience at Airbus, having joined in 1984 and held various leadership positions, including Chief Commercial Officer.
- The appointment comes as commercial aviation stabilizes post-pandemic, allowing Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury to focus on guiding the company in a rapidly evolving global environment.
Airbus has taken an interesting step in the evolution of its management team by nominating Christian Scherer as the new Chief Executive Officer of the company’s Commercial Aircraft division. Scherer will report to Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury in this role, which is his latest in a string of positions at Airbus, having joined in 1984.
A new role
Airbus announced Scherer’s role change, which comes as part of a wider shake-up of the company’s Executive Committee, in a statement published earlier this morning. The manufacturer notes that it is hoping that its ‘new organizational set-up’ will go live in January 2024, with work to establish this being done in the coming months. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury welcomed Scherer’s appointment, stating:
“Since 2019, the leadership roles of Airbus and its Commercial Aircraft business have been combined, providing alignment and speed of execution during a period of multiple crises and change. (…) Empowering Christian in the Commercial Aircraft CEO role will enable us to reinforce focus on the success of our Commercial Aircraft business.”
Photo: Airbus
Faury’s comments reflect the fact that commercial aviation is now in a far more stable state than has been the case in recent years, with the industry now largely over the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. Scherer’s appointment will allow Faury to “dedicate [his] time to steering Airbus in a complex and fast-evolving global environment” with the goal of “[delivering] on Airbus’ ambitions.”
Scherer has considerable aviation pedigree
Scherer is no stranger to Airbus’ top brass, having first worked at the company 39 years ago. According to the European planemaker, he joined the team in 1984 as a Commercial Contracts Manager after graduating from the Paris Business School (ESCP). Three years later, he became the Vice President of Contracts at Airbus North America. Reflecting on his new role as Commercial Aircraft CEO, he stated:
“It is an honor and a thrill to be called upon to lead our Commercial Aircraft business at such a critical time for our industry. I’ll put my passion and that of Team Airbus at the service of our customers to meet our operational objectives as we work to consolidate our success, continuously improve, and prepare the future of our products and services.”
Photo: Airbus
Other roles that Scherer has held at Airbus include Vice Presidential positions in Leasing Markets and Contracts & Pricing, as well as Deputy Head of Commercial and Head of Strategy and Future Programs. Most recently, he has been serving as Airbus’ Chief Commercial Officer since September 2018, having also spent time at fellow European aircraft manufacturer ATR, where he was the CEO.
Not the only new job at Airbus
As it happens, the appointment of Scherer as the CEO of Commercial Aircraft isn’t the only news concerning recruitment at Airbus this week. Indeed, just yesterday, Simple Flying reported that the company had announced a plan to create some 1,100 new jobs in the UK, as it aims to expand its presence in the country.
What do you make of Scherer’s appointment? How well do you think Airbus is navigating the waters of the post-pandemic era? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
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Airbus
Stock Code:AIR
Business Type:Planemaker
Date Founded:1970-12-18
CEO:Guillaume Faury
Headquarters Location:Toulouse, France
Key Product Lines:Airbus A220, Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A340, Airbus A350, Airbus A380
