The 43-year-old is making a big leap up the Lufthansa hierarchy. There have never been many female bosses of an airline in the airline group. Currently there is only one: Dorothea von Boxberg runs the freight subsidiary LH Cargo. Lufthansa board member Christina Foerster, Mann’s line manager, was CEO of Brussels Airlines for a while. And Heike Birlenbach, currently the head of the “Customer Experience Lufthansa Group Airlines” department, was in charge of Lufthansa Italia, which was quickly evaporated again.
But that was about it. All the more, man is likely to be under the observation of the corporate headquarters in her future job. Women are still underrepresented in the management of Europe’s largest airline group. In addition: AUA is a challenging task. The previous AUA boss Alexis von Hoensbroech, who is now changing as CEO to the Canadian Westjet, had to find out.
Vienna, AUA’s home airport, is a distinctly cheap location. Above all, Ryanair and the Hungarian Wizz Air are fighting each other with permanent low prices. For an airline like AUA, whose roots lie in the premium segment, this is a difficult situation because the costs do not match the realizable ticket prices.
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Von Hoensbroech did a lot of preparatory work, reduced the workforce and negotiated new collective agreements. But the competition with the cheap homes will continue in Vienna. Ryanair and Wizz Air have announced that they want to significantly expand their offer.
The sailor and diver is committed to protecting the seas
Perhaps there will still be some time to talk to your predecessor – also about another topic that both worries: climate protection. It was not without reason that Mann was given responsibility for sustainability twelve months ago.
The sailor and diver is privately involved in marine research. She is a member of “Ocean Care” and supports “The Ocean Conservatory”, both organizations that care about the protection of the sea and its inhabitants. Von Hoensbroech, who has a doctorate in physics, also speaks up on the subject of climate protection, for example on social media.
Mann joined Lufthansa in 2003. The 43-year-old has a so-called “Executive MBA” from Kellogg-WHU, a preparation for tasks in top management. At “Hansa” she worked in various positions in sales and strategy.
Among other things, she helped to develop First Class, as can be found today in the airline group’s wide-body jets. She was also responsible for the newly created Premium Economy Class. In addition, Mann was a member of the corporate crisis team, which among other things redesigned the processes and procedures so that they meet the requirements of the pandemic.
The Lufthansa subsidiary sees itself exposed to very strong competition from low-cost providers in Vienna.
(Photo: dpa)
These are all skills that the manager can really use in her new job. Because AUA is in a situation that is often referred to as a “sandwich position”. On the one hand, the Austrian airline is still associated with a certain premium status. The former state airline has its own long-haul network. Von Hoensbroech has announced a quality offensive for the summer of next year in order to underpin its claim as a premium carrier. A task that he will now leave to his successor, Mann.
On the other hand, it will have to deal with increasing pressure from low-cost providers. “The dumping prices of the low-cost airlines generate artificial growth far beyond the real market needs”, Austrian Sales Director Michael Trestl warned a few weeks ago: “Competition yes, but not when it becomes irrational.”
Nevertheless, Lufthansa board member Foerster, who also heads the supervisory board at AUA, is convinced that the right manager is going to Vienna with her husband. “Thanks to her many years of experience and the successful management of many group-wide projects, Annette Mann brings a broad knowledge and a strong network with her,” she said: “Especially in her current role as Head of Corporate Responsibility, Annette Mann is responsible for one of the most important future topics of our group and proves it every day so that she can master the challenges of our time. “
More: Lufthansa is fighting for the green future – these are the three main risks