Menzies Aviation bolsters leadership in Portugal following acquisition of majority stake in Groundforce

New appointments made as Menzies prepares to take over operations at five airports across Portugal

Menzies Aviation, the leading service partner to the world’s airports and airlines, has announced a series of high-level appointments to support the expansion of its commercial and operational footprint in Southern Europe.

In Portugal, Rui Gomes has been appointed as Vice President Portugal, joining from Samsic Portugal where he held the position of COO, overseeing a workforce of more than 9,000. Prior to joining Samsic, Rui was with ISS for 17 years, holding various roles including Regional Finance Manager LATAM, CFO Chile and Country Manager Portugal. Prior to this, he held the role of Audit Manager for KPMG Portugal.

As VP Portugal, Rui will assume overall management responsibilities for operations in Portugal and the proposed recovery plan for Groundforce Portugal.

Supporting Rui and Menzies’ Portuguese operations, Michael Stratman has been appointed COO Portugal. Michael returns to Menzies having previously held positions including VP Italy, VP Operations South Africa & Namibia, and GM Operations Spain & France. Prior to his time with Menzies, Michael was Operations Manager for EasyJet Handling in Spain.

Today’s announcement follows earlier structural changes, which saw Juanlo Vidal appointed to Senior Vice President South Europe, assuming responsibilities for Portugal, Spain, France, Cyprus and Italy. Kristian Muntaner has also been appointed Operations Director South Europe, overseeing planning, GSE, risk and environment.

Miguel Gomez Sjunnesson, Executive Vice President Europe, said: “We are delighted to welcome Rui to the Menzies team and announce Michael’s return ahead of our expansion into the Portuguese market. I am confident that with Rui and Michael onboard, we have the right team to support and build our presence in Southern Europe. It is the next step towards the recovery of Groundforce, reinforcing our commitment to deliver industry leading services to airline and airport customers across the region.”