Karl Sandlund appointed new member of SAS Group Management

SAS President appoints a Chief Strategy Officer to Group Management. Karl Sandlund becomes Executive Vice President Strategic Initiatives, with responsibility for a new department focusing on strategy development.

The appointment of Karl Sandlund to Group Management reflects SAS’s determination to continue to increase the efficiency and flexibility of the company and to invest aggressively in the development of SAS.

Karl Sandlund is currently Vice President Network & Partners, with strategic responsibility for the SAS network, in other words where SAS should fly, when, and using which aircraft. Karl was recruited to SAS in 2004 from McKinsey and has worked on strategy issues for SAS in a variety of managerial positions. Karl Sandlund is 36 years old and has a degree in Industrial Economics from Linköping University.

“SAS has a history of driving the industry forward, and in Karl Sandlund we have a sharp analyst with great strategic ability who, together with his team, will ensure that we continue to renew, improve and strengthen SAS,” says Rickard Gustafson, President and CEO of SAS.

Karl Sandlund will be responsible for a new department within SAS called Strategic Initiatives. In addition to strategy development at group level, the department will be responsible for driving cross-organizational projects, and for the continued streamlining of the company through the implementation of LEAN, among other initiatives.

“The airline industry is dynamic and that gives me great motivation. Challenging market conditions and major changes mean that we must constantly improve in order to remain at the forefront. I’m really looking forward to being fully focused on strengthening SAS’s future competitiveness,” says Karl Sandlund.

Karl Sandlund takes up his new role on February 1, 2014.

For more information please contact:
Henrik Edström
Head of Press Relations Sweden, SAS
Phone: +46 70 997 25 42
E-mail: henrik.edstrom@sas.se

SAS is Scandinavia's leading airline with daily flights to destinations in Europe, USA and Asia. SAS is a member of Star Alliance™ (http://www.staralliance.com/en/) and, together with 27 partners, we offer over 1300 destinations worldwide in 195 countries. For more information, visit www.flysas.com

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