Marie-Joseph Malé appointed MD of SkyTeam’s Management and Support Organization

SkyTeam has announced new initiatives that include a new alliance organization, a new managing director, a new fare pass, a timeline for the opening of its co-located facility at London Heathrow Terminal 4, and the debut of the first plane with the new alliance livery.

The alliance released the news in conjunction with a press briefing in Milan by the SkyTeam Steering Committee following its quarterly meeting. The SkyTeam alliance has a large presence in Milan, with service offered by Alitalia, the only airline to serve all three airports in Milan; Aeroflot; Air France; Czech Airlines; Delta Air Lines; KLM Royal Dutch Airlines; and Korean Air.

Centralized Management

Leo van Wijk, chairman of the SkyTeam Governing Board, announced that SkyTeam is moving toward a centralized SkyTeam management entity. The new organization will be based in Amsterdam. Some of the functions that will be handled by the central organization include: marketing, sales, airport synergies and transfer product, cargo, advertising and brand, alliance operations, finance, corporate communications and alliance administration.

“In SkyTeam, we have always prided ourselves on our collaborative nature; however, given the changing landscape and the increased number of alliance members, we decided to adopt an organizational structure that allows us to navigate market realities more effectively,” said Mr. van Wijk. “Given the opportunity for maximizing synergies and providing passengers seamless benefits, SkyTeam is positioning itself for today, as well as looking toward the future.”

Mr. van Wijk also revealed that Marie-Joseph Malé has been appointed the managing director of SkyTeam’s newly created management and support organization. Mr. Malé, who has extensive experience with Air France in the Commercial and International areas, will be responsible for finalizing the organizational structure of SkyTeam, including the appointment of a management team.

In liaison with the Governing Board and the Steering Committee, Mr. Malé’s primary duties will include refining the organization and procedures for the new central structure, as well as the interaction between the central structure and existing SkyTeam experts within each member carrier; developing a plan to recruit staff; and establishing plans to support alliance development. The goal is to have the structure and management team in place by late 2009.

“Since its founding almost nine years ago, SkyTeam has evolved tremendously – in terms of members, network, and product and service offerings,” Mr. Malé said. “My main objective is to maintain the level of collaboration that helped the alliance achieve so much, but also ensure that the alliance is nimble and ready to act on future opportunities.”

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