New Leadership Team Announced (14/02/2006)

Today (14 February 2006), BA World Cargo announced its new leadership team as part of a restructure of the organisation. The restructure is an integral part of the drive by British Airways to reduce controllable costs and achieve a 10 per cent operating margin.

The following appointments to the BA World Cargo Leadership Team are effective from 1 April 2006:

• Gareth Kirkwood, managing director
• Baba Devani, vice president sales and international customer service
• Chris Bosworth, general manager commercial development
• Ed Searancke, general manager customer delivery
• Mark Gardiner, general manager London operations
• Les Howell, manager T5, Premium and programme office

• Sean Doyle, head of finance
• Jenni Edwards, manager people and organisation delivery

• Tony Nothman, manager international customer service
• Andy Warwick, manager Ascentis
• Michelle Lawrence, manager delivery planning

Gareth Kirkwood, managing director, said: "It is necessary for British Airways as a whole to cut costs. At BA World Cargo we are working hard to become the most profitable and highest regarded combination air carrier in the world. To be successful, we need to focus on establishing the most effective management structure. The changes we have made will reduce the complexity of our organisation, improve our time to market and speed up decision making, all of which will drive costs out of our business.

"Whilst these are difficult times for everyone in our organisation, the pressures on us and our industry mean that we cannot shy away from taking difficult decisions in areas we can control."

The British Airways management re-structure involves a 50 per cent reduction in senior managers and a proposed 30 per cent reduction in middle managers by March 2008. Full proposals and a timetable for achieving the planned target of a 30 per cent reduction in middle managers will be announced by 31 March 2006.