Airbus announces new communications leadership team

December 13th 2019

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Maggie Bergsma has been promoted from ATR head of communications to Airbus head of communications commercial aircraft. Read More » She will join Yves Barille and Dirk Erat, heads of communications helicopters and communications space and defence, respectively, in a new four member communications leadership team.

The fourth member of the team is ex-Siemens communications boss, Philipp Encz, who will take on the newly created role of head creative core. He will lead the company’s creative content teams and oversee group-wide international and external communications activities. He will work closely with Bergsma, Barille and Erat “to ensure proximity and coordination with the company’s three main businesses”, Airbus said. All four communications leaders will report directly to executive vice president communications and corporate affairs and member of the Airbus executive committee, Julie Kitcher.

Airbus also named Guillaume Steuer as head of external communications, reporting to Encz. He will manage Airbus media relations, web and social media activities. Stefan Schaffrath is heading external communications commercial aircraft.

“In order to support its newly created communications corporate affairs function, which will go live on January 1, 2020,” Airbus said, “it has appointed a new communications leadership team who will work together to bring the next chapter of the company to life while ensuring business proximity, reinforcing audience centricity and growing digital, editorial and visual content capabilities.”

BOC Aviation names new vice chairman and deputy managing director

BOC Aviation has announced Zhang Xiaolu, 52, will succeed Wang Jian as executive director, vice chairman of the board, deputy managing director and strategy and budget committee member at the aircraft lessor on January 1, 2020.

Madam Zhang joined the Bank of China in July 1990 and rose to hold various senior positions in the Mainland bank, including deputy CEO and COO at the Bank of China (Suisse) S.A. and executive director of Bank Julius Baer H.O. in Zurich. From 2014 to this month, Madam Zhang was deputy general manager of the Bank of China Luxembourg branch and Bank of China (Luxembourg) S.A.