A Lot on his plate

Piotr Siennicki was the clear favorite when it came time to choose a CEO for Lot Polish Airlines last week, after months of indecision. Lot's last CEO, Marek Mazur, was dismissed in March after having served just over a month and the post remained vacant for the first few weeks of April.

The Ministry of the Treasury singled out Siennicki because of his strong business background, in spite of his lack of experience in the airline sector. Treasury Minister Ireneusz Dàbrowski declared the decision "an enormous victory" and appears confident that Siennicki is up to the challenge of revitalizing the ailing carrier. Lot is in serious need of a swift strategic overhaul if it is to pick itself up in the rapidly-evolving airline industry, which expects to see marked changes in service and pricing once other international carriers implement plans to expand their flight networks. Lot is also preparing to receive its first shipment of Boeing's much-anticipated Dreamliner aircrafts in Q3 2008.

Siennicki holds various technical and business degrees, including an MBA from Gdańsk University's joint program with the Rotterdam School of Management. He served as board director for the Płock Energy plant and, most recently, as director responsible for restructuring the BOT mining and energy group. He also served as a member of the board of many companies in which the Treasury Ministry has a stake.

Karolina Stanisławska and Konrad Tyrajski were also appointed as members of the board during last week's meeting.