Elie Bruyninckx, CEO of the Western Region at TUI and member of the Group Executive Committee, has decided to leave TUI Group to take on new challenges outside the company.
Sebastian Ebel, CEO of TUI Group, stated: “Elie Bruyninckx was the driving force behind TUI in the Western Region. Today, we have a strong position in the Netherlands and Belgium with our tour operators and airlines. In France, too, we are now seeing positive results after years of challenges. I would like to personally thank Elie for his tireless commitment to the growth of TUI and the development of its employees. His strategic vision and personal contribution to the success in Belgium, the Netherlands and France have been invaluable. We wish him every success in his future professional and personal ventures.”
Elie Bruyninckx started his career at TUI in September 2000 when he joined the Belgian tour operator Jetair.
In May 2003, he introduced the hybrid tour operator model, which combines package holidays with the sale of individual airline tickets.
Later that year, he became the founding chairman of the Belgian airline Jetairfly.
Since 2015, Elie has been a member of the Group Executive Committee and holds the position of CEO Western Region, responsible for the Dutch, Belgian and French markets.
During his time at TUI, Elie has played a pivotal role in shaping and developing the tour operator and aviation business in these three markets.
Under his leadership, the companies in the Netherlands and Belgium have grown together and largely merged under one management.
Together with its strong teams, Elie was able to exploit synergies and drive innovation and growth in the Western Region.
The Belgian and Dutch markets have become pioneers for future IT platforms.
In addition, Elie managed to restructure TUI’s operations in France, including the sale of Corsair.
After a number of difficult years, TUI France is now performing well again.
With Elie’s departure, the markets in the Western Region will fall directly under the responsibility of David Schelp, TUI’s CEO Markets and Airline.
Arjan Kers, Managing Director TUI BeNe, and Christophe Fuss, Managing Director TUI France, will report to him.
Elie Bruyninckx will leave TUI on 1 October and will remain available until then to ensure a smooth transfer of his responsibilities.
In the next phase of his career, Elie Bruyninckx will focus on setting up and supporting new business initiatives, a passion in which he can develop his creative entrepreneurial ideas.
