EADS CEO Rainer Hertrich will lead the EADS Aeronautics Division in the future. The EADS Board of Directors has accepted the resignation of Dietrich Russell (62), who has decided to retire for personal reasons. In addition to his current position as EADS CEO, Rainer Hertrich (54) will take up the responsibility with effect from 1 April 2004.
The Aeronautics Division groups together a portfolio of civil and military aviation-related businesses including helicopters (Eurocopter), regional aircraft (ATR), general aviation aircraft (Socata) as well as aircraft maintenance and conversion, repair and overhaul and aerostructures (Sogerma/EADS EFW).
The CEOs of EADS, Philippe Camus and Rainer Hertrich, expressed their appreciation of Dietrich Russell’s contribution to the success of EADS and Airbus and their predecessor companies in the past nine years: “Dietrich Russell has played a major role in the integration of the European aerospace industry, and especially in the development of EADS. His Division has always strongly contributed to our business success. His accomplishments in the first four years of EADS have been outstanding: Eurocopter is now the global number one in helicopters and has established an outstanding global network of cooperation and regional presence. The integration of ATR and the successful management of Sogerma, Socata and EFW are also a concrete result of Dietrich Russell’s leadership. He also played a crucial role in last year’s creation of the EADS Defence and Security Systems Division, strongly supporting Tom Enders’ line in transferring the Military Aircraft Business Unit from the Aeronautics Division to the DS Division. We are extremely grateful for all he has achieved for EADS and wish him all the best for the future.”
Prior to his tenure at EADS, Dietrich Russell was Chief Operating Officer of Airbus (1998 – 2000). He had joined Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG (Dasa) in 1995 as the Member of the Board of Management responsible for Aeronautics. Dietrich Russell came from the Mannesmann Group, where he started his career in 1972 and was first appointed a Member of the Board of Mannesmann Anlagenbau AG in 1984.
In a statement, Dietrich Russell said: “I joined Dasa in 1995 to help Manfred Bischoff and his team to achieve the European integration of the aerospace and defence industry. After nine years with Dasa, Airbus and EADS, I’m proud to say: Mission accomplished.”
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2002, EADS generated revenues of € 29.9 billion and employed a workforce of more than 100,000. The EADS Group includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world's largest helicopter supplier Eurocopter and the joint venture MBDA, the second largest missile producer in the global market. EADS is the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium, is the prime contractor for the Ariane launcher, develops the A400M military transport aircraft and is the largest industrial partner for the European satellite navigation system Galileo.
