Big news from Madrid, Spain, with confirmation that current chief executive and president of Amadeus, David Jones, is to move aside in early-2011.
Jones will be replaced in January next year by current chief financial officer - and the new deputy CEO - Luis Maroto.
The switch at the top of the travel tech giant is part of a wider senior management reshuffle to take into account Jones's departure.
More likely the changes will further fuel speculation that Amadeus is gearing up for an IPO in 2010 and Jones's widely rumoured remit as the man to take Amadeus to the public markets will be completed by the end of the year, paving the way for an executive with a strong financial background to take over.
Maroto, like Jones before him, is an Amadeus veteran having joined the company in 1999 as director for marketing finance. He was promoted to CFO in 2003 and previously worked in a number of senior exec roles at Bertelsman.
He will be replaced as CFO by Ana de Pro, a former Arthur Andersen, Metrovacesa and Sacyr Vallehermoso executive from Spain. De Pro starts in February 2010.
Sabine Hansen Peck is being brought in from Citigroup as vice president for human resources. She was previously head of HR for the bank's global consumer group in the EMEA region.
Jones became CEO of Amadeus in January 2009 following 17 years in the business in a variety of roles including general manager of marketing and senior vice president of global travel distribution. Until getting his hands on the top job, Jones was executive vice president for commercial.
He took over from the legendary president and CEO Jose Antonio Tazon after he semi-retired for the Amadeus chairmanship and a number of non-exec board positions including Expedia Inc.
The new senior line-up until January 2011 is as follows:
David Jones, president and CEO
Luis Maroto, Deputy CEO
Philippe Chérèque, executive vice president, commercial
Jean-Paul Hamon, executive vice president, development
Eberhard Haag, executive vice president, global operations
Tomás López Fernebrand, vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary
Sabine Hansen Peck, vice president, human resources
Ana de Pro, chief financial officer
- David Jones, president and CEO
- Luis Maroto, Deputy CEO
- Philippe Chérèque, executive vice president, commercial
- Jean-Paul Hamon, executive vice president, development
- Eberhard Haag, executive vice president, global operations
- Tomás López Fernebrand, vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary
- Sabine Hansen Peck, vice president, human resources
- Ana de Pro, chief financial officer
It is unclear at this stage what Jones intends to do after he steps down as CEO, although officials have confirmed he will be leaving the organisation.