CHARLES GURASSA, Chairman of TUI Northern Europe, and the former chief executive of the Thomson Travel Group is to depart the German owned company as part of an agreement made when the then Preussag AG took over the once Canadian owned leisure group in January 2001. Gurassa joined Thomas Cook Group in 1978 as a trainee, departing ten years later as general manager retail. Joining British Airways in 1989 he was by 1996 director of passenger business and also responsible for cargo. Gurassa became chief executive of Thomson Travel Group in December 1999. He is due to speak to the Aviation Club of Great Britain in September. http://www.tui.com/en/ir/corporate_governance/management_board/charles_gurassa.html