Iberia names Marco Sansavini as president
Marco Sansavini, President, Iberia
Iberia has announced that Marco Sansavini will take over from Fernando Candela as president.
“Fernando Candela had to deal with very important issues, and he handled them with great success, along with the entire team. This has allowed Iberia to achieve the best results in its history in 2023,” said Sansavini.
The company announced record results of €940 million ($1.02 billion) last year and consolidated its operational excellence, both in the customer satisfaction index (NPS) and in terms of punctuality, the April 3rd press release said.
For Sansavini, this demonstrates that “the transformation that began with Luis Gallego more than ten years ago is bearing fruit.”
As he becomes Iberia’s president, Sansavini said he faces the challenge “to elevate Madrid to the level of the hubs of northern Europe, getting Spain and Iberia to be part of the Champions’ League of aviation. This can only be achieved by a strong airline that can connect Spain with many more destinations, hence the vital importance of the Air Europa purchase operation.”
Sansavini also said that International Airlines Group (IAG) and Iberia have made “a very ambitious offer to guarantee competition on the routes where we operate and we trust that the European Commission will approve the operation, which is key for the connectivity of the Madrid hub, for consumers, employment and tourism, and the Spanish economy.”
Sansavini announced the new Iberia Management Committee, where he made changes to better face the company's next challenges. The new committee is made up of:
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Rafael Jiménez Hoyos: Production Director
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María Jesús López Solás: Commercial, Network Development, Alliances and Clients Director
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Gabriel Perdiguero: Finance, Transformation and Technology Director
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Juan Cierco: Corporate Director
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José Luis de Luna: Labour Relations, Legal and Human Resources Management Director
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Maria Bello: People and Diversity Director
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Enrique Robledo: Maintenance Director
The committee’s previous Financial Director, Elena Baillo, was appointed to cover Fernando Candela's tenure and returns, bringing experience from her previous position as Financial Director of Iberia Express.
The incoming Iberia president also said in the press release that he believes Iberia will overcome all its challenges thanks to the professionalism and spirit of the company's team and all those who make it up.
“This cohesive action,” Sansavini said, “has been the key to Iberia's success in recent years. That is why I want to make it clear from my first day at the head of the company that Iberia will always rigorously comply with the agreements reached with the representatives of its workers, in all sectors, and will make every effort to consolidate social peace through common sense, a fundamental pillar of its transformation in the last eleven years.”
Marco Sansavini previously held the position of Commercial Director at Iberia from 2012 and 2020. He was part of the team that, led by Luis Gallego, designed and carried out the successful transformation of the company.
In 2020 he was appointed CEO of Vueling, another of the IAG Group airlines. Marco Sansavini's career in the aviation sector began in 1995, at KLM. He has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Bologna and a master’s degree in business administration from the IMD in Lausanne.
