Airbus has appointed Eric Schulz, 54, EVP, Chief of Sales, Marketing & Contracts for the company’s Commercial Aircraft business. In this function, he will join Airbus at the end of January 2018 and will report to Chief Executive Officer Tom Enders.

Schulz comes from Rolls-Royce where he has been serving as President – Civil Aerospace since January 2016. At Airbus, he will succeed John Leahy, 67, who has been at the helm of the Commercial Aircraft’s Sales organisation since 1994.

Schulz started his career at Aerospatiale/Airbus. In 1989, he joined UTA French Airlines where he worked in several positions in maintenance and operations. In 1996, he became President of Air Liberte Industries, part of British Airways Group. In 2000, Eric moved to the US where he worked for EADS as President of EADS Aeroframe, which was a joint venture between EADS and Northrop Grumman.

In 2003 Eric was appointed by Goodrich as President of Aviation Technical Services based in Seattle before becoming President of Goodrich Actuation Systems three years later, where he worked until he joined Rolls-Royce.

He holds a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Geneva Engineering School and in Aeronautical Engineering from Paris’ ESTA Engineering and Technology School.

Leahy has been at Airbus since 1985, when he arrived from Piper Aircraft in the U.S., and will retire after 33 years of service. More than 16,000 aircraft have been sold under his leadership, which accounts for 90% of all Airbus aircraft sold.

Leahy leaves to the sound of glowing tributes from Tom Enders: “His contribution to Airbus’ commercial aircraft business is epic. His relentless efforts, his vision and his dedication were key factors in propelling the company from an industry underdog to a world leader.”