Cargolux CEO Reich to resign due to ‘personal reasons’

Richard Forson, current chief financial officer of the all-cargo airline, will succeed Dirk Reich as president and chief executive officer effective Aug. 1, according to a statement from the company.    Cargolux Chief Executive Officer Dirk Reich is resigning from his position and asking the board of directors to terminate his contract early due to “personal reasons,” according to a statement from the company.
   Richard Forson, current chief financial officer of the Luxembourg-based all-cargo airline, will succeed Reich as president and CEO, effective Aug. 1. Forson joined Cargolux in February 2012.
   Vice-President of Corporate Development Maxim Strauss, a Cargolux employee since January 2006, has been promoted to the position of executive vice-President and CFO to replace Forson.
   “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to express my heartfelt thanks to Dirk for his significant contribution to the success and development of Cargolux, especially in China, but also elsewhere,” Board Chairman Paul Helminger said of Reich’s departure. “His passion and dedication contributed largely to setting us on a path of growth to become a truly global player. His enthusiasm and vision have opened up a new world for Cargolux, a world in which we aspire to be ‘the Global Cargo Carrier of Choice.’
   “I am personally sad to see Dirk leaving us, but I respect his decision that is based on personal reasons beyond the air cargo business and the Cargolux family,” he added. “I wish Dirk all the best for his professional and personal future and I am sure that he will remain a valued friend of the Cargolux. At the same time, I welcome Richard Forson as the new President and CEO and Maxim Strauss as new CFO, both experienced within Cargolux and the industry.”
   Cargolux in May reported its net profits after tax surged to $49 million for the full year in 2015, compared with just $3 million in 2014, thanks primarily to a 7.4 percent year-over-year increase in cargo volumes.