KLM wasted no time in finding a successor for Pieter Elbers, whose departure we recently announced. He will be replaced by Marjan Rintel as of July 1.
Who is Marjan Rintel
Marjan Rintel is the current president of the Dutch Railways (NS), where she has held office since 2017.
But she’s no stranger to KLM, where she previously worked for 15 years, including a number of positions within Air France-KLM.
Marjan Rintel a good choice for KLM?
As we explained in our article on Pieter Elbers’ departure, this choice is as much strategic as it is political.
Strategic because its primary mission is to prepare the future of KLM in the current economic, health, geopolitical and ecological context.
It should also help to develop synergies between Air France and KLM, so as to create a genuine group rather than the disparate pairing that has resulted from a failed marriage up to now.
Political, because it was necessary to pledge to staff that KLM would remain independent and not become a mere vassal of Air France. Hence the fact, which we had anticipated, that the position could only go to a Dutchwoman.
From this perspective Marjan Rintel ticks all the boxes : as a former employee of the company, she knows both the business and the sector; as a former employee of Dutch Railways, she will be expected to develop synergies with rail to help KLM achieve its environmental objectives; as a Dutch national, she will defend KLM’s interests within Air France KLM.
What’s more, she is a woman, which means that with Anne Rigail, the group’s two airlines are headed by women. Anne-Marie Couderc is also non-executive Chairman of Air France KLM.
On the tightrope?
This will be no easy task for KLM’s new president. Precisely for the reasons we’ve just outlined.
Its roadmap is clear: promote synergies with Air France while maintaining a certain level of independence.
She will have to give pledges to Ben Smith on the one hand, and to KLM staff (and even the Dutch government) on the other. Her room for manoeuvre is therefore very limited, because it’s hard to imagine staff not reacting to what would be tantamount to an excessive dilution of KLM within Air France-KLM, just as it’s hard to imagine Ben Smith allowing an Elbers bis to take hold.
The worst thing would be to paralyze the company’s action by trying to please both.
Bottom line
A new president has just been appointed at the head of KLM. While her CV provides guarantees in many areas, her political room for manoeuvre is extremely limited.
The future of the Air France-KLM group depends in part on its ability to make the best use of its limited room for manoeuvre.
Image credit : KLM
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