Thomas Cook Group has announced this morning that Harriet Green will succeed Sam Weihagen as Group chief executive.
She will join the Group and the board on July 20 when Weihagen will step down. He will remain with the group until September 30 “to ensure a seamless transition”.
Green is currently chief executive of Premier Farnell plc and a non-executive director of BAE Systems plc and the Fortune 200 company, Emerson Electric Co.
Her appointment ends a long search for a successor to Manny Fontenla-Novoa who left Cook last year as the group’s financial woes started to become apparent.
In a statement Cook said she has extensive experience of driving business transformation and change programmes globally.
“At Premier Farnell she has overseen a period of significant strategic change, driving industry leading returns and creating a cost-effective multi-channel operation where the majority of business is now transacted through ecommerce channels.
“Having lived and worked internationally throughout her career, Harriet believes in building strong, high performance teams and has sustained a focus on execution, operational excellence, employee engagement and innovation,” the statement said.
Cook chairman Frank Meysman said: “I am delighted to be able to announce the appointment of such an exceptional group chief executive.
“Harriet is an extremely successful executive with the right combination of international, business transformation and ecommerce experience that we need to take the Group forward, and build on our strong reputation and brand.
“I am confident that she will be an excellent leader for the Group management team as we continue our transformation. The Board is incredibly grateful to Sam Weihagen for stepping into the role in August last year and providing the Group with the benefit of his experience through a difficult period, putting the Group on a firmer footing. He retires with our very best wishes for the future.”
Green added: “Thomas Cook is an iconic brand in the leisure travel industry. I am very excited to be joining the team at this time, to lead the business forward as we rebuild shareholder value through innovation and a sustained focus on the needs of our customers, suppliers and employees.”