Virgin Atlantic Airways today announced two new appointments. Matthew Lee will take over the position of Flight Operations Director responsible for the day to day operations of the airline and Robin Cox will become General Manager Flying.
Matthew brings with him a wealth of experience in both the airline industry and within Virgin Atlantic itself after acting in a consulting capacity for the past year. Matthew formerly held positions with Ansett Australia in Information Technology, Flight Operations Crewing and Business Turnaround and more recently has been running his own consultancy company. Matthew will take over from Malcolm Wagstaff, who will be retiring in June, and will join the company on 3 June.
Robin Cox has been promoted to General Manager Flying. He has been with Virgin Atlantic for nearly twelve years initially as a Captain and most recently as Fleet Captain responsible for the Airbus A340 fleet. Robin will begin his new role on 20 May and will replace Tony Ling who has been Virgin Atlantic's Chief Pilot for the past 10 years. Tony has decided to return to the line and will also be the project pilot on the A380 team.
Lyell Strambi, Chief Operating Officer for Virgin Atlantic, welcomed the appointment:
"We're delighted to announce Matthew's appointment as the Flight Operations Director - I'm sure Matthew will be able to ensure the continuity of Virgin's excellent Flight Operations record. Matthew has worked with us over the past year and understands both the company and the challenges ahead.
"We will be very sad to say goodbye to Malcolm Wagstaff who is retiring after a long career in aviation. I would like to thank Malcolm for his wonderful contribution to the airline and wish him the best of luck for the future.
"I would also like to wish Robin good luck - I am confident that with his vast experience as a Captain and Fleet Manager he will be very successful in his new role. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Tony for all his hard work over the past 10 years.
"In appointing Robin we expect to maintain and improve upon our excellent record in flight operations and together with Matthew provide a balance of both flight technical and business skills to help take the airline forward."
Matthew Lee commented on his new role:
"Having recently worked with Virgin Atlantic in a consulting capacity, I am aware of the challenges that lie ahead for the airline and the industry in general. However I am also well aware of the high quality Flight Operations team and famed "Virgin Spirit" of which I am about to become a part. So I look forward to the future at Virgin Atlantic with much excitement and great anticipation as our airline moves into a new phase of its evolution."
Robin Cox, commented on his new role:
"We now have an opportunity to progress and continue to move forward out of the challenging times of the past seven months. There promises to be exciting times ahead with the introduction of the A340-600 for which we are launch customer." |
