Rene de Groot
British Airways has appointed KLM’s Rene de Groot as its new chief operating officer (COO) as part of a shake-up of its operations.
De Groot, who will join BA on 1 October, is currently COO at the Dutch airline. He is due to leave KLM on 15 July.
“We're pleased to welcome Rene de Groot to our senior management committee team, who will be joining us as our chief operating officer,” said a BA spokesperson.
“As we navigate an extremely challenging period for our industry, we are completely focused on three priorities: our customers, supporting the biggest recruitment drive in our history and increasing our operational resilience to deliver the best possible experience for our customers.”
British Airways is splitting its current operations function into two areas, technical and operations. While de Groot will look after operations when he joins in the autumn, current COO Jason Mahoney will take on the role of chief technical officer.
De Groot, who first joined KLM as a pilot in 1990, was appointed COO in 2014 and has been a member of the airline’s statutory board of managing directors since 2015.
“After 32 fantastic years at KLM, I have decided to spread my wings and continue my career at British Airways as chief operating officer,” said de Groot.
“I realise that my departure comes at a turbulent time for KLM, but I leave the airline in the knowledge that the road to recovery has begun and that the organisation will be able to do so despite the continuing challenges.”