As stated in its 15 December 2017 announcement, the Airbus Board of Directors has launched a robust process to ensure an orderly top management succession and to accordingly secure full continuity with the strategy and objectives set in recent years.
This process, endorsed by the entire Board and managed by the fully independent Remuneration, Nomination and Governance Committee, is the continuation of annual management succession reviews made since several years. Since the beginning of last year the process has been further strengthened including by the appointment of an international independent reputable external consultant.
In this context the Airbus Board of Directors has sole responsibility for the selection of the next Chief Executive of Airbus, amongst both internal and external candidates. It has the single objective of choosing the individual best qualified to lead the enterprise into a promising future such choice to be made according to Airbus internal governance rules.
The process for achieving that objective will take place over the coming year, culminating in an announcement at year-end, with a view to submitting the choice to Airbus shareholders at the 2019 Annual General Meeting of shareholders. During this process Tom Enders will support and nurture the development of the new top management team members and Airbus will remain under his able executive leadership.
Until this announcement at year-end is made, the Board and the Company will not comment on any rumours of speculation about the process.