Flybe appoints new finance chief
Flybe has appointed a new chief financial officer to replace Andrew Knuckey, who is stepping down in August to pursue other opportunities.
Philip de Klerk join no later than November 1, said the airline, but added that it hoped 2014 he may be in a position to do so as early as August.
De Klerk was previously global head of financial planning and analysis at SABMiller. Prior to this, he was CFO 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, CFO of Unilever Switzerland and finally CFO of Unilever Benelux, which had annual turnover of €1.8 billion.
Flybe chief executive Saad Hammad said: "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.
"Philip is discussing an earlier exit date with SABMiller and we look forward to him joining us on the fastest timing possible but certainly no later than 1st November."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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