The chairman of Lufthansa Technik’s executive board, Dr Johannes Bussmann, has decided to leave the group, later in 2022. Soeren Stark, chief operations officer (COO), is to take over leadership of the company.
Stark has been a member of the Lufthansa Technik executive board since 2019. He previously held a number of other executive functions at Lufthansa Cargo and Lufthansa Technik. Subject to the approval of the supervisory board, he will assume his new role on 1 July 2022.
Bussmann’s move comes after more than seven years in his current role and 10 years on the executive board. He assumed leadership of Lufthansa Technik in 2015 after overseeing human resources on the executive board for three years. After leaving he will become CEO of a major German technology company.
“I look back with great gratitude on my years as chairman of the executive board and my 23-year career at Lufthansa Technik,” said Bussmann. “We have achieved great things during this time. I am really proud to have been a part of this success story and to have had the opportunity to lead this company over the past seven years. The time has come for me to take on new responsibilities outside the aviation industry. It is a challenge that I am looking forward to tackling.”
“I would like to thank Johannes Bussmann for his outstanding work at Lufthansa Technik,” said Dr Detlef Kayser, chairman of Lufthansa Technik’s supervisory board. “He and his team have led the company safely through the crisis. Above all, he played a special role in the success and growth story that Lufthansa Technik has written in recent years. I therefore wish him all the best for the future.”
Bussmann, who holds a doctorate in engineering, began his career at Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg, Germany, in 1999 as a development engineer. After serving in various marketing and sales positions, he became head of the Component Supply business unit in 2007 and then of the Engine Services business unit in 2011. He was appointed to Lufthansa Technik’s executive board in 2012. Bussmann implemented the company’s growth and investment strategy. He also drove the digitalisation of the company and the development of digital products, most notably the Aviatar digital platform for optimising flight operations.
His appointed successor, Stark, joined the executive board as COO in January 2019. In this role, he is responsible for Technical Operations and Logistics. Previously, Stark headed the executive board department Operations at Lufthansa Cargo for three years. He began his career at Lufthansa Technik in 2004 as managing director of Lufthansa Technik Logistik in Hamburg. From 2011 to 2016, the industrial engineer headed the aircraft overhaul business at Lufthansa Technik.
“Soeren Stark has distinguished himself in various positions in our group and achieved much,” said Kayser. “At Lufthansa Technik, he has demonstrated his abilities as an excellent manager as he developed our worldwide overhaul network and played a key role in the restructuring work performed during the corona crisis, among other areas. With his high level of expertise, experience and leadership, he will lead Lufthansa Technik successfully into the future.”
Kayser also said the early succession arrangement would ensure continuity at the top of Lufthansa Technik. It is a decision that will enable the company to defend and expand its position, he noted.
Image: Lufthansa Technik
