Guardian group chief to take over at Easy Jet

GUARDIAN group chief executive Carolyn McCall is to become the new boss at no-frills airline easyJet, it was confirmed today.

EasyJet said Ms McCall, who has held various positions at GMG since 1986, has a proven track record "in a fast-changing, online consumer facing business".

Ms McCall will replace the outgoing head Andy Harrison, who is set to join hotel and restaurant group Whitbread later this year.

Her joining date will be announced in due course.

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Ms McCall said: "The Guardian has been my second family for a quarter of a century and I feel incredibly privileged to be part of such a wonderful and unique organisation."

But she added the chance to take the controls at easyJet is "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity".

"I will leave GMG knowing that our journalism has never been more influential or widely read and with complete confidence that its financial position is secure," she said.

She said the priority on taking up her new position would be to build on the airline's strengths.

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"As a customer of easyJet I know that they have outstanding people who deliver a fantastic customer experience and I'm looking forward to working with the whole team to take the business forward," she said.

EasyJet chairman Sir Michael Rake said the decision to appoint Ms McCall, who has no airline experience, was unanimous.

He said she has strategic and operational skills and "passion to drive easyJet through the next stage of its development".

Ms McCall has been chief executive of GMG since 2006 and has recently overseen a restructuring of the group as it responds to the economic downturn.

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Before that, she was chief executive at Guardian News and Media (GNM) for six years and other positions included advertising director, commercial director and managing director.

During her tenure at GMG, Ms McCall oversaw the launch of the Guardian's website, the move to its Berliner format and the diversification of the group's portfolio.

This included the partial sale of Auto Trader publisher Trader Media Group for around 700m, investment in media group Emap and the establishment of an investment portfolio worth more than 200 million.

In 2008 she was made an OBE for services to women in business and was also named Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year.

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Alan Rusbridger, GNM editor-in-chief, said she had been an "inspired and visionary leader".

"She has unwaveringly supported our journalists and, with GMG, worked tirelessly to develop a highly successful media company to protect and nourish our editorial output and aims," he said.

"She is a digital pioneer, a lovely colleague and a good friend. We're going to miss her a great deal."