SITA today announced the appointment of Francesco Violante as CEO-designate of SITA as part of an overall transformation of the world's leading provider of information and communications solutions for the air transport industry which had 2004 revenues of $1.582 billion (€ 1.170 billion).
Violante, (55), an Italian national, takes on the role, effective July 1, following three successful years as Managing Director of SITA INC (Information, Networking, Computing), which focuses on IT solutions and applications for airports, airlines, flight communications and air cargo.
In June, SITA’s Annual General Assembly will consider a Board recommendation to combine SITA INC with SITA SC, which was founded in 1949 to create a shared communications platform for the world’s airlines. This strategic move positions the company uniquely in the marketplace to deliver end-to-end IT and communications solutions and services that will help the industry reduce costs, manage complexity and improve the passenger experience. Importantly the proposed changes will improve global customer service through one integrated customer facing organization.
Since Violante took over SITA INC, the company has witnessed unprecedented growth including the generation of new contracts worth $1 billion over the last two years.
Mr. Violante said: "I feel privileged to have been chosen by the SITA Board to head the new organization at such an exciting juncture in its history. I look forward to leading SITA into the future, building on the joint achievements of the current management team, and developing SITA’s unique position and potential at the heart of the air transport industry.”
Paul Coby, Chairman of SITA said, "I am delighted that Francesco will be the CEO of SITA. The SITA Board chose him because of his successful leadership of SITA INC over the last few years. He has broadened SITA’s portfolio of solutions and has grown the business through new subsidiaries, OnAir and Champ Cargosystems and scored a notable industry first through the recent completion of a ten-year IT outsourcing deal with Dusseldorf Airport. During his time at SITA INC he has achieved his financial and operational targets year-on-year.”
“In concert with Francesco, Hans-Peter Kohlhammer, SITA SC Director General and Peter Buecking, SITA President, have delivered excellent results which have enabled SITA and our customers to meet the cost pressures of the industry we serve. Their work has ensured that we have a solid foundation for the next stage of SITA’s development”.
Completing their three-year contracts at the end of June, Kohlhammer and Buecking will both support the transition to the new organizational structure before moving on to new personal and professional projects.
Mr. Coby concluded “The Board is confident that Francesco will provide the strong and inspirational leadership that SITA needs to keep it at the heart of the air transport industry”.
Prior to joining SITA, Violante held executive positions in EDS, Telecom Italia and Digital Equipment Corporation. He is Chairman of the Board of both CHAMP Cargosystems and OnAir. He is also a non-executive member of the Board of Directors of IONA, a middleware software company based in Ireland and listed on NASDAQ.
About SITA
SITA is the world's leading service provider of IT business solutions and communications services to the air transport industry. SITA manages complex communication solutions for its air transport, government and GDS customers over the world’s most extensive communication network, complemented by consultancy in the design, deployment and integration of communication services. Its extensive range of airline and airport applications and services includes airport operations and integrated baggage services, common use and desktop services, flight operations and air-to-ground communications and end-to-end airline distribution and fares services.
SITA has two main subsidiaries: OnAir, which is leading the race to bring in-flight mobile telephony to the market, and CHAMP Cargosystems, the world's only IT company solely dedicated to air cargo. SITA also operates two joint ventures providing services to the air transport community: Aviareto for aircraft asset management and CertiPath for secure electronic identity management.
SITA covers 220 countries and territories and the head office is in Geneva, Switzerland. SITA had revenues of US$ 1.582 billion in 2004 (€ 1170 billion[1]). [1] USD = 0.74 € (Dec 30, 2004)
Further information can be found at www.sita.aero
