Departure: BA looks for Walsh's successor
British Airways has appointed a headhunter to find a potential replacement for Willie Walsh
British Airways has appointed a headhunter to find a successor to Willie Walsh, according to reports in both The Observer and the Independent on Sunday yesterday.
They said that the airline has appointed Whitehead Mann to fill the chief operating officer position and has been told that winning candidate should be considered as a possible successor to Mr Walsh.
Mr Walsh is the former chief executive of Aer Lingus. He left after the Government refused to sanction moves which would have led to an equity injection into the then semi-State company. The Government sanctioned privatisation shortly afterwards.
Mr Walsh's position as head of BA has won him many admirers, largely because of the tough line he has taken on the need to restructure the company. But the recent opening of Heathrow's Terminal 5 is undoubtedly the low point of his career. Mr Walsh was not slow to appear before the British media following the fiasco saying that if anyone was to be blamed it was him. The Observer quoted Carol Leonard, a partners at Whitehead Mann. She said: "BA hopes that this person could join the board in one or two years' time and be considered as a potential successor (to Mr Walsh).
The pressure on Mr Walsh to step down may accelerate later this week when BA issues its results. A profit warning is expected. After seven years in which no dividend has been paid, shareholders had been expecting the company might be in a position to make a payout this time around.
- Tom McEnaney
