Italian carrier Alitalia has appointed Cramer Ball as its new chief executive.
He will start the role early March 2016.
Ball will replace Silvano Cassano, who resigned in September.
Alitalia said since September, the nomination and remuneration committee interviewed many potential candidates in collaboration with international head-hunters.
It said Ball’s expertise in the air transport industry, managerial skills and change management drive were the deciding factors for the appointment.
Ball joins from Jet Airways of India where he was CEO and prior to that he was CEO at Air Seychelles. Both airlines he led transformation programmes.
Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, Alitalia’s Chairman, said: “I believe Cramer is the right person to continue leading the development and implementation of our industrial plan which is now well in motion, with a target to make the company profitable in 2017. His proven abilities with transforming companies to success made him, among the many excellent candidates, the right choice for us.”