Willie Walsh, who stepped down as CEO of International
Airlines Group (IAG) earlier this month, is set to join car rental and mobility
solutions provider CarTrawler as deputy chair from 30 September.
In addition, David Barger, co-founder and former CEO of
Jetblue, and Conor Kehoe, a former senior partner at McKinsey & Company,
will join as non-executive directors as Bobby Healy steps down from the board
after 16 years.
Walsh recently stepped down as chief executive of IAG after
more than nine years, having delayed his retirement to see the group through
the worst of the Covid-19 crisis. He started his aviation career as a pilot at Aer
Lingus in 1979 and subsequently held various management roles before being
appointed CEO in 2001 following a brief stint at Futura, a Spanish airline owned
by Aer Lingus, and then became chief executive at British Airways in 2005,
going on to be a part of the formation of IAG in 2011.
CarTrawler chair Patrick Kennedy said Walsh, Barger and
Kehoe bring “a wealth of extensive global experience in the aviation and
technology industries that will add significant value as the world recovers”.
Kennedy added: “I would also like to give our sincere thanks
to Bobby Healy as he steps down from the board on his outstanding contribution
and dedication over the past 16 years. Bobby has been an exceptional part of
the growth of CarTrawler and we wish him the very best in the future.”
The news comes after CarTrawler announced a controlling
equity investment in excess of €100 million from TowerBrook Capital Partners in
May. The company said it will use the investment to drive its next stage of
growth as the company begins to benefit from the easing of travel restrictions.
CEO Cormac Barry commented: “Car rental is more relevant
than ever in a Covid-19 world. We are seeing demand for car rental recovering
quicker than other modes of transport as consumers see car as the safest way to
travel. Despite the Covid-19 crisis, the business has had a number of material
new partner wins in the last 12 months, most notably Easyjet, SAP Concur and
Hopper.”