Air France-KLM Is Close to Naming New CEO After Long Search
- Air Canada COO Smith has emerged as new frontrunner for post
- Franco-Dutch carrier has been without a chief since mid-May
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Air France-KLM Group is close to naming a CEO after a three-month search, with Ben Smith from Air Canada emerging as a leading candidate, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The board will meet later this week and could finalize a decision then, said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing a non-public matter. Smith, who is currently chief operating officer at the Canadian airline, stands to receive a pay package totaling 3.3 million euros ($3.74 million) a year, the person said, confirming a report in the French newspaper Liberation, which said earlier that the board is set to appoint Smith on Thursday.