“Following an extensive process, I am pleased to announce the appointment of 13 general managers who will constitute part of the second tier of the organisational structure of Air Malta. These general managers have all been recruited from within the company and will be working under the direction of their respective chief officers. This is the second step in aligning Air Malta’s structure to reflect the realities of today,” said Mr Ernst Funk, Air Malta’s chief executive officer.
Commenting on the dynamics of the selection process, Mr Funk said “The selection of the general managers was conducted in exactly the same, fair and rigorous manner as that of the chief officers which was held last year. The final selection board was made up of myself, a non-executive director and two chief officers”.
“I have no doubt that in the same way that the chief officers have taken ownership of their vast responsibilities, are ensuring that we keep moving forward and have formed a strong team to meet the competitive challenges we are facing, the general managers will do likewise.”
As had been announced last year, the appointment of the general managers will lead to the creation of new units, the redesign of others, the elimination of some as well as the physical relocation of staff. This process is now expected to move ahead at a quick pace.
The company has also decided to review two general manager positions, that of general manager ground handling services and of general manager retail and product, previously advertised internally. In the interest of greater efficiency and effectiveness, the responsibilities will be sub-divided between four yet to be appointed general managers. An internal call for applications to fill the posts of general manager ground handling services, general manager passenger and cargo services, general manager e-business and retail and general manager corporate sales and product, was issued yesterday. This move has also been reflected in the organisational structure and reporting lines of both the commercial and the operations and maintenance divisions.
Four general manager positions have not been filled internally and a recent external call for applications was made in the local media. The short listing process is currently underway and the initial interviews will be held in the coming weeks. This process, which will be as transparent as all the other internal and external recruitment exercises carried out recently, should be concluded in around three months.
The general managers appointed are:
Paul Paris, general manager industry affairs, who will report to chief officer international and legal affairs.
Joseph Bugeja, general manager network and fleet assets; Tonio Farrugia, general manager business planning and Brian Tortell, general manager marketing and PR who will report to chief officer strategic planning.
Anthony Tanti, general manager revenue accounting and Martin Azzopardi, general manager fuel and insurance, who will report to chief officer finance.
Stephanie Farrugia, general manager information systems and Michael Buttigieg, general manager corporate services, who will report to chief officer HR and corporate services.
Capt. Joe Agius, general manager flight operations and Andrew Costa, general manager operations support, who will report to chief officer operations and maintenance.
Joe Cauchi, general manager passenger sales; Aldo Borg, general manager pricing, revenue and capacity management and Mark Camilleri, general manager charters, who will report to chief officer commercial.