Earlier today, the Lufthansa Group announced the appointment of a new Chief Executive Officer for Brussels Airlines, Dorothea von Boxberg.

New leadership in town

In January, Condor Airlines announced the hiring of then-CEO of Brussels Airlines, Peter Gerber. Following the announcement of Gerber's departure, the Belgian airline announced that Christina Foerster would step in as interim CEO. Today, after a few months of discussions and interviews, the Lufthansa Group, which owns Brussels airlines, announced the appointment of Dorothea von Boxberg as CEO.

The transition will take place next month, on the 15th of April, and von Boxberg will also take on the role of Representative of the Executive Board to the European Commission. von Boxberg is the current chairperson of Lufthansa Cargo AG's Executive Board and has held numerous positions at the Lufthansa Group. Moving to the group in 2007, von Boxberg held multiple management roles before moving to Lufthansa Airline in 2012 to become lead of Customer Experience Design.

Lufthansa Cargo AG has been home to von Boxberg since 2015, where she has been in charge of Global Sales Management, appointed to the executive board, and has been chairperson for the last two years. According to the Lufthansa Group, a replacement for von Boxberg will be announced as soon as possible.

Current Interim CEO, Christina Foerster. said,

"I am very pleased that Dorothea von Boxberg, an experienced and skilled airline manager from within Lufthansa Group, is assuming the leadership position at Brussels Airlines. With her extensive knowledge and broad understanding of cargo and passenger airlines, she will continue to drive the successful transformation of Brussels Airlines, Belgium's national airline, in the coming years."

Where did Brussels Airlines' previous CEO go?

Brussels Airlines' previous CEO, Peter Gerber, decided to make a move to German carrier Condor after Condor's previous CEO, Ralf Teckentrup's departure after more than two decades in the role.

"We are very pleased to have found Peter Gerber as the CEO for Condor that we were looking for in an extensive selection process: He is not only an extremely experienced aviation manager but also the leader who will successfully take Condor further into the future." - Friedrich Andreae, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Condor Airlines

It took Brussels Airlines only a short time to name an interim CEO, as Foerster was more than qualified for the role. Foerster previously held the positions of COO and CEO at Brussels Airlines, stepping down as CEO in 2020. Though Foerster left Brussels Airlines, she did not leave the Lufthansa Group, also serving as Chief Customer Officer.

Gerber also had a long track record with the Luthansa Group, 58 years. Gerber held roles in Human Resources, IT & Services for the executive board of Lufthansa Airlines, and for the past eight years, was the chairman of the executive board of Lufthansa Cargo. His departure from Brussels Airlines saw the airline in a solid financial position, having earned a record 20-year high in earnings. Last year, the carrier faced challenges like cabin crew strikes but was able to pull itself up in the fall and close the year well.