Chairman of Virgin Australia Neil Chatfield is stepping down, opening the way for a possible move to head up a restructured Malaysian Airlines, according to local media reports.
A speculative report in Malaysia’s Rakyat Post suggests he could be the next CEO of MAS.
No timeline has been given for his departure as Chatfield said he will remain with Virgin to oversee the recruitment of a successor.
Chatfield began as a Virgin director in 2006 and was made chairman a year later.
He appointed former Qantas executive John Borghetti, as Virgin’s chief executive in 2010.
"I will remain chairman for as long as it takes to find a suitable replacement for the role and am committed to supporting the recruitment process," Chatfield said.
"I believe the board, CEO and executive team are in a strong position to successfully guide the company into the future," he said.
He will stand for re-election at the airline’s annual meeting in Brisbane in November ‘in order to ensure the stability of the board.
The carrier said Virgin independent director Sam Mostyn will head a committee to manage the selection of a new chairman.
