After 36 years in various leadership positions within the Lufthansa Group, Heike Birlenbach will leave SWISS and conclude her career within the Group as planned at the end of September 2026. She will then pursue new professional opportunities outside the Lufthansa Group. Since the beginning of 2024, Heike Birlenbach has served as Chief Commercial Officer of SWISS, overseeing the airline’s commercial divisions. In this role, she has further strengthened SWISS’s premium positioning and driven forward key strategic initiatives.
After 36 years in various leadership positions within the Lufthansa Group, Heike Birlenbach will conclude her career within the Group as planned at the end of September 2026 and will then pursue new professional opportunities outside the Lufthansa Group. Since early 2024, she has been responsible for the airline’s commercial divisions as Chief Commercial Officer. During this time, she has further strengthened SWISS’s premium positioning and set important directions for the future.
Under her leadership, SWISS introduced its new long-haul travel experience, SWISS Senses, further developed its customer strategy and strengthened partnerships in Switzerland. She also championed the digitalisation and modernisation of customer services and provided fresh momentum for an even stronger focus on the needs of customers. In addition, the repositioning of SWISS WorldCargo was initiated during her tenure. Through these efforts, Heike Birlenbach made a significant contribution to the progress SWISS has achieved in recent years in enhancing the customer experience and further strengthening its premium positioning.
Consistent customer focus
Prior to joining SWISS, Heike Birlenbach held various leadership positions within the Lufthansa Group for many years in London, Amsterdam, Milan, Munich and at the Group headquarters in Frankfurt. Among other responsibilities, she shaped the global sales organisation, promoted the digitalisation of customer channels and supported the development of new products and service concepts, always with a strong focus on customers and high-quality standards.
Jens Fehlinger, CEO of SWISS, says: “Heike Birlenbach has made a significant contribution to SWISS. She has represented our premium ambition with great passion, driven important future topics such as SWISS Senses and the further development of our customer experience, and consistently brought in the perspective of our customers. At the same time, she has been a valued sparring partner and leader for many across the company. For that, I thank her personally and on behalf of SWISS from the bottom of my heart.”
As part of the further development of leadership structures within the Lufthansa Group, the Chief Commercial Officer function at airline level will no longer continue in the future. Topics relating to the customer experience at SWISS will be overseen directly by CEO Jens Fehlinger, while SWISS WorldCargo will be assigned to the Finance division. The coming months will be used to further align the organisation for the long term and ensure a seamless transition.
After leaving the Group, Heike Birlenbach will remain active and pursue new opportunities outside the Group.
