TAP CEO to leave post at beginning of April
"Our aim is that when the current CEO leaves, the new CEO takes over," said Galamba, pointing to "the beginning of April" as the date for the change of leadership at TAP.
Portugal’s minister for infrastructure, João Galamba, has pointed to the beginning of April for the departure of TAP’s chief executive, Christine Ourmières-Widener, when the new holder of the post will take up duties at the airline.
“These issues have legal deadlines and legal procedures that have to be met. Yesterday [Tuesday] the deadline for the pronouncement of the still CEO [executive president] of TAP ended and, as has already been said, at the end of this process, the new CEO will take office, which should be at the beginning of April, first week of April,” he specified.
The minister, who was speaking to journalists on Wednesday on the sidelines of a visit to Terminal XXI, in the port of Sines, Setúbal district, together with the minister of the economy and maritime affairs, António Costa e Silva, said that the intention is that the future chief executive of TAP will take office as soon as Christine Ourmières-Widener leaves the chair of the airline.
“Our aim is that when the current CEO leaves, the new CEO takes over,” said Galamba, pointing to “the beginning of April” as the date for the change of leadership at TAP, but declining to specify “an exact day” for this change.
Questioned by Lusa news agency about whether the government would activate a contractual clause to pay Christine Ourmières-Widener €18,000 per month, in the first four months after the end of her mandate, so that she would not work in companies competing with TAP, the minister of infrastructures rejected this possibility.
“We are not considering activating this clause, it is not necessary and therefore it will not be triggered. The moment that [Christine Ourmières-Widener] ceases to be CEO of TAP she will stop being paid by TAP,” he stressed.
According to today’s edition of Correio da Manhã newspaper, TAP will have to pay Christine Ourmières-Widener €18,000 per month, for the first four months after the end of her mandate, if it wants the French manager not to go and work for a competing airline.
At the end of the working visit to the port of Sines, as part of the Closer Government initiative, the minister of infrastructures highlighted the expansion works at Terminal XXI, under the responsibility of concessionaire PSA, which will “double container capacity at the port of Sines,” considering it to be “a major investment.”
“We are also, from the point of view of road and rail infrastructures, providing this area with the capacity to accommodate this expansion. The port of Sines is already central and strategic for the country and with this expansion it will obviously become even more so,” he said.
The ministers visited the different works underway at the port of Sines, without being accompanied by journalists, whose bus that transported them only went to Terminal XXI where the ministers got to know the expansion project and made statements.
