Bombardier picks former Lufthansa exec to lead company’s supply chain

MONTRÉAL—Bombardier Inc. has announced Nico Buchholz, a former Lufthansa executive vice-president, will take the reins as the company’s chief procurement officer. Buchholz will be responsible for leading the company’s supply chain across all four of its business segments, managing relations with suppliers across the world. He will report directly to the company’s CEO, Alain Bellemare.

“Nico Buchholz is the perfect fit for the CPO role given his unique talent for strategic planning and execution as well as his deep understanding of aerospace and the industrial sector,” Bellemare, said. “His impressive track record as Lufthansa Group’s fleet manager shows that Nico has both the forward-looking vision and the operational and practical know-how that Bombardier needs to increase its competitiveness. Strategic sourcing is key to achieving best-in-class performance.”

Buchholz spent 14 years at Lufthansa, first as senior vice-president of Corporate Fleet and then executive vice president of Fleet Management, where he oversaw appromately 700 aircraft and was responsible for nearly the entire life-cycle of the company’s aircraft. Bombardier noted he led the purchase of a large fleet of wide-body aircraft in 2013, representing the biggest single private-sector investment in the history of German industry.

Meanwhile, Bombardier has scheduled the Toronto premier of its C-Series for Sept. 10 at its facility at Downsview Airport.