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Portugal’s French owned airports operator, ANA, has announced that it has a new chairman.
José Luís Arnaut takes the top job at Aeroportos de Portugal, replacing Jorge Ponce de Leão who already has a comfy new job as president of Portugal’s air traffic control service, Navegação Aérea de Portugal.
José Luis Arnaut, a lawyer who was chairman of ANA’s general assembly, will replace Jorge Ponce de Leão, who was named as president of air traffic control, NAV, last December.
The new chairmanship of ANA was signed off on Thursday with Arnaut admitting that he has a long relationship with France’s Vinci Group, which owns ANA, as he was involved in Vinci’s bid for ANA.
The sale of ANA to the French group was announced on 27 December 2012. Vinci paid a over €3 billion for the contract to manage Portugal’s airports.
Jorge Ponce de Leão commented that Arnault’s is a “natural succession”, adding that “He is a person who knows the company well and who has a longstanding relationship with the shareholder.”
Arnault said “It’s a natural transition from chairman of the general assembly, to chairman. It does not change my relationship at all, either with Goldman Sachs or with the law firm.”
His reference to Goldman Sachs is due to his place on the Goldman Sachs International Advisory Board.