The leading group in terms of intercontinental traffic on departure from Europe, Air France-KLM is a major global air transport player. Its main businesses are passenger transportation, cargo transportation and aeronautical maintenance.

Aviation & Aerospace

Air France KLM

Born on December 18, 1953, Mr. Van den Berg is a graduate of Groningen State University (Netherlands), of the École Nationale d’Administration (Paris), and of the Academie voor Bank en Verzekeringen (Amsterdam).

He began his career as a Research Assistant in the Faculty of Economics (Groningen State University). He joined the Ministry of Economic Affairs (Netherlands) in 1980 where he was appointed Policy Advisor on macroeconomics before becoming the Head of the Medium Term Bureau of the Macro Economic Policy Directorate and “Director Industrial Policy in the Directorate General for Industry” at the Ministry of Economic Affairs from 1987 to 1989. During those two years, he was also Director of the “BOFEB” (Netherlands), a one - year professional training program for young economists, aspiring for government jobs.

 

In 1989 he was appointed as Deputy Director General for Foreign Economic relations at the Ministry of Economic Affairs (Netherlands), in 1992 he was appointed as Deputy Director General for Industry at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and from 1992 to 2001 he was appointed as Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

From 2001 until 2005, he was the Permanent Representative of the Netherlands to the [United Nations](/org/united-nations) in New York. From 2005 to 2008, he was Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the People’s Republic of China and Mongolia, before becoming President of the Executive Board of [Delft University of Technology](/org/delft-university-of-technology) (Netherlands) in 2008.

From 2015 until 2020 he was Chairman Executive Board Sanquin Blood Supply.

Since 2020, Mr. Van den Berg is the President of the Association of Health Insurance Companies in the Netherlands (ZN, Zorgverzekeraars Nederland).

Dirk Van Den Berg

Born on August 18 1973, Jian Wang graduated from [Shanghai Jiao Tong University](/org/shanghai-jiao-tong-university) and obtained a Bachelor of Engineering, Master of Business Administration postgraduate degree from East China University of Science and Technology and then an Executive Master of Business Administration degree from [Tsinghua University](/org/tsinghua-university).

Jian Wang began his career in aviation industry in 1995, and has rich experience in corporate governance, strategic investment, capitalization and management. He designed and facilitated a number of capital and strategic projects in China Eastern.

Beginning April 2012, Jian Wang was appointed as corporate secretary and president of Eastern Airlines Industry Investment Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of China Eastern Air Holding Company Limited.

Now Jian Wang is corporate secretary, chairman of Eastern Airlines Industry Investment Co., Ltd and director of Eastern Air Logistics Co., Ltd., a controlling subsidiary of China Eastern Air Holding Company Limited.

Jian Wang

A graduate of the Mines Paris Tech, Anne Rigail joined Air Inter in 1991. In 1996, she was appointed in charge of Air France customer services at Paris-Orly. In 1999, she became director of passenger and baggage connections at the Paris-Charles de Gaulle hub, and subsequently head of customer and baggage products for Ground Operations. In 2005, she was appointed to create the Paris-CDG hub operations control centre. She became VP Ground Operations at Paris-Charles de Gaulle in 2009 . In 2013 she became EVP In-flight Services, in charge of Cabin Crew and in 2017 was appointed EVP Customer.

Anne Rigail was appointed CEO of Air France on December 12, 2018. 

Anne Rigail

Anne Brachet holds a diploma in engineering, a post-graduate diploma in business management and another in management studies.

Anne Brachet began her career as quality manager at Delpeyrat. She then moved to Servair, an Air France group subsidiary specialized in catering and airport ground services, where between 1994 and 1998 she was successively Head of Operations and Head of Sales, Overseas Airlines. She subsequently worked for Orgaconseil as a Senior Manager in the Industry and Services sector, returning once more to work for the Air France Group in 2000. After heading up the Aircraft supply chain until May 2004, she was subsequently appointed to run the Le Bourget Maintenance Centre, where she was mostly involved with Through Life support for the French Air Force's fleet of AWACS surveillance aircraft, and with Special Fleets, and Aerostructures maintenance.

In June 2005, Anne Brachet was appointed Head of the Air France Industries Engine Overhaul Division and has helped oversee major industrial development projects such as the integration of new generation products (GE90 and GP7200) and the construction of new maintenance facilities, including the Constellation engine shop at Orly, and Zephyr, the new engine test cell, at Roissy-CDG.

In December 2012, she was appointed SVP Engineering and Airframe for AFI, before taking the helm at Air France Industries in 2013. 

In November 2016, she was appointed Executive Vice President Air France-KLM Engineering & Maintenance.

Anne Brachet

Marjan E. F. Rintel (1967) - President and CEO - has a strong track record in civil aviation. After her studies, Rintel worked in various roles at Schiphol. In 1999, she moved to KLM and held a number of different positions. She got to know the company from the inside: operationally and commercially. In 2014, Rintel exchanged KLM for NS (Dutch Railways). For six years she held the position of Operational Director in the Executive Board. In 2020, she was appointed Chairman of the Board. On July 1st 2022, she returned to KLM as President and CEO. Rintel is responsible for the overall strategy and performance of KLM, in which setting strategic priorities to strengthen KLM's market position is an important aspect. In addition, she is committed to helping KLM further recover from the Covid crisis while making KLM even more sustainable. It is very important that this vision and the role of innovation in it are further developed. She is also responsible for maintaining and strengthening a customer-focused and efficient organisation. The focus is on developing and improving collaborations, partnerships and strengthening KLM's social position. Rintel believes that the bond between KLM and society should be strengthened with a focus on mutual understanding. In her role as President of KLM, Rintel is a member of the Executive Committee of the Air France KLM Group and the CEO Committee. She also holds various other additional positions. Rintel studied Business Administration at the [University of Groningen](/org/university-of-groningen).


Marjan Rintel

Born August 30, 1963, Michel Delli-Zotti graduated as a professional pilot in 1987.
After a period in business aviation and then in regional transportation, he joined Air France in 1989 as an Airline Pilot Officer. He initially flew B727s before moving to the B747-400. Promoted to Captain on the A320 in 2003, he has been operating long-haul flights on the B777 since 2007

Michel Delli-Zotti

Born on November 16, 1979, Ms. Avice-Huet is a graduate of the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan (agrégation in physics and chemistry), an engineer of the Corps des Ponts et Chaussées and a graduate of the École Polytechnique (DEA in molecular chemistry).

She began her career in 2006 with the Saint-Gobain Group in the United States, as a project manager in the field of energy, before working as an analyst at the [World Bank](/org/world-bank-group) in Washington D.C., where she co-published a book dedicated to urban infrastructure.

From 2007 to 2010, she started working in the administration, first at the General Secretariat for European Affairs (Prime Minister’s department) and then as an advisor in various ministerial cabinets where she took part in international climate negotiations.

In 2010, she joined the [Engie Group](/org/engie) (formerly GDF-Suez), where she was to hold the position of Director of European and Regulatory Affairs and advised the Group’s General Management until 2015. In 2016, she was appointed CEO of [Engie](/org/engie-app) France Renouvelables and contributed to the industrial transformation that will position [Engie](/org/engie-app) as the leader in wind and solar energy in France.

As of 2019, she held the positions of Deputy CEO of the [Engie Group](/org/engie) in charge of renewable energies and CEO of [Engie](/org/engie-app) North America (Houston, USA), and was a member of the [Engie Group](/org/engie) Executive Committee.

In March 2021, she joined the Schneider Electric Group (Boston, USA), where she heads strategic projects for the company on energy transition.

Gwenaëlle Avice-Huet is a Young Global Leader of the [World Economic Forum](/org/world-economic-forum).

Ms. Avice-Huet is a Knight of the National Order of Merit.

Gwenaëlle Avice-Huet

Born March 10, 1977, Stéphanie Besnier is a former student of the Ecole Polytechnique (1997), and an engineer of the Corps des Ponts et Chaussées and holds a postgraduate degree (DEA) in Economic Policy and Analysis. She is certified IFA since 2015. Stéphanie Besnier began her professional career in 2001 as an analyst at BNP Paribas London, then in 2003 at the Treasury Department (Ministry of Economy and Finance) as assistant to the head of the Multilateral Affairs Office. In 2004, she became assistant to the head of Transport Office at the Agence des Participations de l’Etat (APE). In 2007, she joined the investment holding company Wendel as business manager in the investment team. In 2018, she was appointed Associate Director, co-head of Wendel’s investment activity in French-speaking Europe and in charge of the development of Wendel Lab. In April 2021, she was appointed Deputy Chief Executive of the APE. She has been the interim director of the APE since June 1, 2022.

Stéphanie Besnier

Jacques Saadé

Rodolphe Saadé

Terence Tilgenkamp

Steven Zaat holds a degree in economics and business studies from the Erasmus University and a Certified Controller post-graduate diploma from the Amsterdam Vrije University Controllers Institute.

After occupying various financial positions at AKZO Nobel, a company specializing in chemical and pharmaceutical products, Steven Zaat joined KLM in 2000 where he occupied various positions within the Engineering and Maintenance division and subsequently within Alliances and Auditing.

In 2014, he joined the Air France-KLM group, as VP Finance & Control Air France-KLM Engineering & Maintenance.

In 2015, he became Senior Vice President Corporate Control Air France-KLM, in charge of shared financial services, Corporate Control and joint ventures. He was part of the teams involved in negotiating the joint venture between Air France-KLM, Delta and [Virgin Atlantic](/org/virgin-atlantic).

In July 2019, Steven Zaat became EVP Finance at Air France.

Since July 1st 2021, he has been appointed Chief Financial Officer at Air France-KLM Group.

Steven Zaat

Born June 14, 1961, Alain Bellemare is the permanent representative on Air France – KLM’s Board of Directors of Delta Air Lines, Inc., a corporation formed under the laws of the State of Delaware having its registered office at 1030 Delta Bld. Atlanta. GA USA 30354. 

Alain Bellemare is a transformative business leader and board member with extensive experience in strategy, business development and operational roles. He serves as Executive Vice-President and President-International at Delta Air Lines Inc.* since January 2021.  

In 2020, Mr. Bellemare was an Operating Executive with [The Carlyle Group](/org/the-carlyle-group)*, focused on the aerospace, defense and government services sectors. Prior to joining [The Carlyle Group](/org/the-carlyle-group), he served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Board member of [Bombardier](/org/bombardier) Inc.* from 2015 to 2020.  

Before joining [Bombardier](/org/bombardier), Mr. Bellemare spent 18 years with United Technologies Corporation, serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of UTC Propulsion & Aerospace Systems from 2011 to 2015. 

Alain Bellemare

Henri de Peyrelongue graduated from l’Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées. Following an experience at UTA, he joined Air France in 1992 and contributed to the creation of the hub at Paris Charles-de-Gaulle. After managing Air France network scheduling, he led the airline Revenue Management team from 2000 to 2007. In 2008, he was appointed Air France-KLM Senior Vice President in charge of Network Planning until 2012. In 2013, he joined the sales organization as Senior Vice President, Europe-North Africa.In 2016, he has been Senior Vice President, Commercial Planning. Since July 2020, he is appointed Executive Vice President Commercial Sales Air France-KLM.

Henri de Peyrelongue

Jean-Christophe Lalanne, a Telecom Paris engineer and an IAE Paris-Sorbonne graduate, has devoted his entire career to the world of information technologies.

He has led numerous assignments in the field of information systems architecture and technologies within the Alcatel group, [Sema](/org/sema) group and subsequently at Ernst & Young consultants. At the time of Ernst & Young’s merger with Cap Gemini in 2000, he occupied several executive functions within Cap Gemini France. 

In 2004, he joined Air France-KLM as assistant to the Group’s general manager of information systems. He oversaw IT strategy and contributed to the integration of the Air France and KLM information systems. 

In 2012 he is appointed Executive Vice President IT [Air France KLM](/org/air-france-klm).

Jean-Christophe Lalanne

Anne-Sophie Le Lay holds a law degree from the Paris Bar and a Master's degree in Business Law and Real Estate Law.

She began her professional career in 1996 as a lawyer specializing in Business Law and Real Estate Law in Paris. She then moved to Toronto in Canada, where she worked as a consultant in a law firm.

In 2001, she joined the Legal Department of the [Renault Group](/org/renault), initially responsible for the legal assembly of the sale of land at the former Billancourt plant. In 2007, she took charge of the environmental law, energy and real estate division. A year later, she was in charge of the Euromed region. In this capacity, she was part of the negotiating team with the Kingdom of Morocco for the implementation of the Tangiers plant. At the same time, she led transversal topics related to the Group's international development.

From 2011 to February 2018 she was Legal Director of the [Renault Group](/org/renault) within the framework of the development of the Renault-Nissan Alliance.

Anne-Sophie Le Lay is also Vice-President of the Montesquieu Circle, Association of Legal Directors and within this framework is Pedagogical Director of the Executive Master General Counsel, in partnership with Science Po Paris.

Anne-Sophie Le Lay joined the Group on February 20, 2018 as General Secretary of Air France-KLM and Air France. 

Anne-Sophie Le Lay

Adriaan den Heijer is appointed Executive Vice President Air France-KLM Cargo. He will join the Air France-KLM Group Executive Committee.

He joined KLM in 1995 and gained commercial and operational experience working at various positions at KLM, Air France-KLM and its Cargo division. 

Adriaan was Director KLM Cargo North and West Europe from 2000-2004. He was appointed General Manager KLM for Greater China based in Hong Kong, in 2004. He subsequently assumed the position of Vice President Pricing & Revenue Management KLM Europe in 2007 before he became Vice President KLM Marketing & Brand in 2009.

In 2011 he was appointed as Senior Vice President KLM Ground Services leading the ground handling of passengers, luggage and aircraft at Schiphol Airport. Most recently, Adriaan den Heijer has been Senior Vice President Pricing & Revenue Management for Air France-KLM, responsible for the development and implementation of the pricing and revenue management strategies for the Air France-KLM Group.



Adriaan den Heijer

Oltion Carkaxhija has 13 years’ experience in the air transport industry. He holds a Master degree from Loyale College in Maryland (USA) with a specialization in International business.

Oltion Carkaxhija joined Air Canada in 2008 as an analyst in the Finance Department where he held several positions for 8 years.

In 2016, he became Director Strategy Network and fleet Planning within the Network Planning team.

In September 2018, Oltion joined AFKLM Group as VP Corporate Planning with particular focus on industrial relations then he became SVP Group Transformation.

Since October 1st 2020, he has been appointed Executive Vice President - Transformation to further strengthen the group competitiveness.

Oltion Carkaxhija

Pieter Bootsma

Anne-Marie Couderc

Karim Belabbas

Isabelle Bouillot

Jean-Dominique Comolli

Isabelle Parize

François Robardet

Alexander R. Wynaendts

Anne-Marie Idrac

Benjamin Smith is a senior airline industry veteran, having spent twenty years at [Air Canada](/org/air-canada) before joining Air France-KLM as Chief Executive Officer.

In 1990, while at university, he started part time as a Customer Service Agent at Air Ontario.  In 1992 he followed an entrepreneurial path and established his own retail corporate travel agency, successfully running this business for eight years. In 2002 he joined [Air Canada](/org/air-canada), envisioning and subsequently leading its Tango subsidiary.

Benjamin later became Vice President, Network Planning, followed by Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer in 2007, and subsequently President, Airlines (Air Canada, Rouge, Express, Cargo) and Chief Operating Officer in 2014. He assumed overall responsibility for commercial, operations, and customer service functions, and spearheaded their commercial growth strategy, resulting in impressive financial performance.

In August 2018 Benjamin Smith was appointed CEO of Air France-KLM, and in December, a member of the Air France-KLM Board of Directors.

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