SkyTeam, the global airline alliance, has announced Walter Cho, chairman and CEO of Korean Air, as the new chairperson of its alliance board.
The appointment was endorsed last week at a meeting of the SkyTeam Alliance Board, which comprise CEOs of the 19 member airlines and oversees SkyTeam’s global strategy.
As a founding member, Korean Air has been instrumental in shaping SkyTeam over the last 20 years.
Walter Cho will replace the chairperson of the alliance board, Michael Wisbrun, who has held the position for more than three years.
Apart from steering a fleet modernisation programme and negotiating a Trans-Pacific joint venture with Delta Airlines, he is also recognised for his expertise and experience in the IT field. Cho successfully implemented key IT initiatives of the airline, including the advanced enterprise resource planning, the new passenger service and the next-generation cargo system (iCargo).
He also made a pioneering decision to migrate Korean Air’s IT system to Amazon Web Services cloud.
SkyTeam has also introduced an executive board to its governance structure.
Earlier this month, Dong Bo, chief marketing officer, China Eastern Airlines was appointed the chairperson of this board.
Created to support SkyTeam’s focus on customer experience enabled by technology, the executive board is made up of senior business leaders from each of the member airlines who will be actively involved in implementing the alliance’s strategy.
Since joining China Eastern Airlines in 1997, Dong Bo has been deputy general manager of the Human Resources department, general manager of the cabin crew service department, secretary (then general manager) of ground handling department, chief service officer, chief marketing officer and general manager of marketing & sales committee.
“SkyTeam is entering the next generation of its life, these two appointments reflect our members’ commitment and broader engagement in creating the leading alliance of the future, with a significant focus on digitally connecting airlines to create an effortless and seamless customer experience, enabled by proprietary technology,” said Kristin Colvile, SkyTeam’s CEO and managing director.
