Lufthansa Group has announced that Heike Birlenbach will succeed Tamur Goudarzi Pour as Chief Commercial Officer at SWISS, while Tamur Goudarzi Pour will take over the Group’s Customer Experience function.
On Tuesday (December 12, 2023), Lufthansa Group announced several key management changes. Heike Birlenbach will become Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) for SWISS, succeeding Tamur Goudarzi Pour from January 1st, 2024. Mr. Goudarzi Pour will become responsible for the Group’s Customer Experience, and also for a newly established taskforce with a focus on sustainability, punctuality, customer service, customer communication and baggage processes.
In Tuesday’s announcement, Lufthansa Group Executive Board Member, Christina Foerster, said,
“I would like to thank Heike Birlenbach for her outstanding cooperation. In challenging times, she has played a key role in shaping product development and the offering for our guests. I look forward to working with Tamur Goudarzi Pour in the future. With his great expertise and many years of experience in commercial areas and his profound knowledge of the needs of our customers, he will decisively advance the product, quality and premium initiatives of Lufthansa Group Airlines.”
Also commenting on the management transition, SWISS’ CEO, Dieter Vranckx, said,
“I would like to thank Tamur Goudarzi Pour for his great commitment to SWISS. After the difficult Covid years, he played a major role in the rapid recovery of SWISS from the crisis and its emergence as one of Europe’s most profitable airlines. I am delighted to welcome Heike Birlenbach, a proven airline expert, on board at SWISS. With her broad expertise, particularly in the commercial areas, she is a very good fit for our team, both personally and professionally.”
Heike Birlenbach has served as Head of Customer Experience for the Group’s airlines since 2021. Previously, she was Chief Commercial Officer of Lufthansa Airlines, and was also responsible for sales for the hub airlines. Ms. Birlenbach joined Lufthansa in 1990, and has since held a rage of management roles, primary in the areas of sales and product development in London, Amsterdam, Milan, Munich, and Frankfurt. She holds a Master of Managements degree from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
Tamur Goudarzi Pour has been CCO at SWISS since 2019, and was previously responsible for dales in the Americas. Prior to moving to New York, he headed up sales for the Middle East & Africa from Dubai. Tamur Goudarzi Pour started his career with the Lufthansa Group in 2000, and holds a Master of Philosophy in International Relations from the University of Cambridge.
Source: Lufthansa Group