HONG KONG (AP) – When the owners of embattled Malaysia Airlines went looking for a new CEO to lead its restructuring, they chose a German turnaround specialist known as “The Terminator” to take on what’s been dubbed the toughest job in aviation.
Christoph Mueller, 52, comes to the post fresh from a stint reviving Ireland’s Aer Lingus. He’ll be the first foreigner to head the Malaysian state-owned company. Analysts say he’s an industry veteran “battle-hardened” from his work carrying out corporate restructurings at other state-owned airlines, including failed Belgian carrier Sabena.
Mueller will be facing his biggest challenge yet at Malaysia Airlines. The company was pushed to the brink of bankruptcy by the disappearance of Flight 370 on March 8 with 239 people on board and the shooting down mere months later of Flight 17 over Ukraine, killing all 298 passengers and crew.
Khazanah, the sovereign investment fund that owns Malaysia Airlines, declined an interview request for Mueller, who started his job on Sunday. But clues about his management philosophy can be found in a video interview he gave to Cambridge University’s business school last year.
“The first year of a restructuring is really like a war situation,” Mueller told his interviewer, exuding a polite, polished and firm manner that is in stark contrast with the brash charisma of the bosses at his former and present discount rivals: Michael O’Leary of Ryanair and AirAsia’s Tony Fernandes.