Schiphol Group Announces Appointment of Pieter van Oord as new Chief Amid Challenges in Aviation Sector

Royal Schiphol Group revealed it has named Peter van Oord as its new chief executive officer. The company owns and operates several airports, including the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Lelystad Airport, and Rotterdam The Hague Airport.

Van Oord's appointment by the Royal Schiphol Group comes amid the growing challenges in the aviation industry. The company said on Sunday, Nov. 26, that its new CEO will lead the group for four years starting Jun. 1, 2024, as per Reuters.

Finding the Permanent Leader

It was reported that Van Oord is set to replace Ruud Sondag, who has been serving as Royal Schiphol's interim chief since November 2022. Sondag is expected to stay in the office until Mar. 1, 2024, to help with the transition. On the other hand, Roberty Carsouw, the company's current chief financial officer, will step in as interim CEO until Van Oord officially takes over on Jun. 1.

The Royal Schiphol Group has been in search of its next permanent leader for a year already, and finally, Pieter van Oord has been selected after a long process. Prior to his appointment as CEO, Van Oord had been managing a family-run maritime business. He has been the head of Van Oord company since 2008, and now he is leaving to move to the Dutch airport management firm.

Challenges Facing the New CEO

Bloomberg reported that the previous CEO, Dick Benschop, stepped down in the Summer of 2022 at a time when the company was struggling to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. There were staff shortages, issues with environmental concerns such as noise pollution and CO2 emissions, and other operational problems involving logistics and asset management.

Van Oord will now have to face these problems once he takes the helm next year. He is also expected to play a crucial role in bringing back the confidence of both the global community and the company's own workforce to help the company achieve higher sales once again.

"We are very pleased that Pieter van Oord will fill the position of CEO at Royal Schiphol Group. Pieter's experience and capabilities are impressive," Jaap Winter, Royal Schiphol Group's Supervisory Board's chairman, said in a press release. "He is a highly experienced and internationally oriented CEO of a successful company who has extensive experience in the field of logistics operations and asset management, two areas in which there will be significant challenges for Schiphol in the coming years."

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