Andreas Schmid Appointed Vice Chairman of Gate Gourmet; Other Appointments

Andreas Schmid, currently a board director at Gate Gourmet, is appointed Vice Chairman and lead independent director, which moves the company toward a board structure recognized as a best practice in governance terms. He is, among other things, Chairman of Flughafen Zürich AG and Vice Chairman of Barry Callebaut AG, a leading manufacturer of cocoa and chocolate products.

“We are extremely pleased to be able to benefit from Andreas’ wealth of experience as a Swiss company director and to strengthen the group’s corporate governance by appointing a lead independent director to augment the combined Chairman and CEO role, said David Siegel, Chairman and CEO of Gate Gourmet.

Guy Dubois is appointed to the new position of President. Dubois is currently Group Executive Vice President Finance and Administration and Chief Administrative Officer. He will retain the position of Chief Financial Officer of the Gate Gourmet Group while a search is conducted to fill the role.

In this new role, Dubois will also oversee the Central Europe region in addition to his existing responsibilities for the Finance, IT, Commercial and Legal functions; the Asia Pacific, Turkey, Middle East and South Africa regions; and the newly acquired businesses.

“This move recognizes both Guy's contribution over the last year and his breadth of responsibilities,” Siegel said. “The change also better reflects the support Guy gives me in leading Gate Gourmet through this exciting stage in our development and puts in place plans for continuity of leadership going forward.”

Senior Vice President Philippe Op de Beeck will take responsibility for the Middle East in addition to his existing region covering Central and Northern Europe and Africa, and he will report to Dubois. His new title is Group SVP & President - Central Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA). In addition, Jean Luc Gaignard, Director Sales and Business Development Middle East, who is located in Dubai, will now report to Op de Beeck. These changes will help maximize the business development opportunities that exist in rapidly growing markets.

With the shift of Middle East responsibility, Asia Pacific Region President Mark Wall will be able to focus on the significant opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region, especially in India and China. He will continue to be responsible for company activities in Turkey.

These changes will be effective Jan. 1, 2008. GATE GOURMET

Comments

[Travel Guy]

I think this is a good move that will benefit the airlines.