Effective 1 January 2015, René de Groot (45) is appointed chief operating officer of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. He succeeds Pieter Elbers, who is now president & CEO of KLM since 15 October 2014. De Groot will be in charge of KLM’s operational divisions.

“René de Groot will be an asset to the KLM leadership team. I have every faith that René will take on this challenging job with verve, thanks in part to his KLM-wide experience. I wish him the best of success,” said Elbers.

René de Groot joined KLM in 1990 and is currently senior vice president of operations at engineering & maintenance. Previously, he was captain aboard the A330 and B737.