Christoph Franz (born 2 May 1960 in Frankfurt) is a German engineer and manager who was chief executive officer of Lufthansa from 2011 until 2014.
Early life and education Franz studied industrial engineering at the Technical University of Darmstadt and completed his studies with a Ph.D. in economic sciences at the same university. He also studied at the École centrale de Lyon and conducted post-doctorate research at the University of California, Berkeley.Member of the Board of Directors: Christoph Franz Zurich Insurance Group.
Career Franz joined Lufthansa in 1990. During that time, he was involved in Lufthansa's turnround following the Gulf War, when he worked in the office of Jürgen Weber, the then chief executive.Andrew Parker and Ralph Atkins (May 15, 2012), Lufthansa loss brings change in the air Financial Times.
In 1994 Franz moved to German railway operator Deutsche Bahn. From 2004 until 2009 he was CEO of Swiss International Air Lines.
From 1 January 2011 until 30 April 2014 he was CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG as successor of Wolfgang Mayrhuber. During his time in office, he sought to fight back against the budget airlines by eliminating duplication between Lufthansa's point-to-point short-haul services and Germanwings.Andrew Parker and Ralph Atkins (May 15, 2012), Lufthansa loss brings change in the air Financial Times. Also under his leadership, Lufthansa completed the sale of its UK subsidiary British Midland International to International Airlines Group.Andrew Parker and Ralph Atkins (May 3, 2012), Lufthansa to cut 3,500 jobs Financial Times.
In 2011, Franz accompanied Chancellor Angela Merkel on an official trip to Kenya, Angola, and Nigeria.Sebastian Fischer (July 12, 2011), Kanzlerin auf Reisen: Merkels afrikanischer Marathon Der Spiegel.
In 2013, Franz stepped down as chief executive of Lufthansa midway through the airline's restructuring programme to become chairman of the Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche the following year.James Shotter and Michael Stehen (September 16, 2013), Roche poaches Lufthansa chief executive Christoph Franz Financial Times. He had been a member of Roche's board since 2011.Caroline Copley (September 15, 2013), Lufthansa boss in line for Roche chairman job - paper Reuters.
Other activities Corporate boards Deutsche Bahn, Chair of the Supervisory Board (since 2026)Thiemo Heeg and Timo Kotowski (4 February 2026), Das große Stühlerücken im Aufsichtsrat der Bahn Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS), Member of the Advisory Board Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Member of the Board of Directors (since 2017)Board of Directors Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Zurich Insurance Group, Member of the Board of Directors (since 2014)Member of the Board of Directors: Christoph Franz Zurich Insurance Group.Silke Koltrowitz (March 6, 2014), Zurich nominates Roche chairman Franz as board member Reuters. Stadler Rail, Member of the Board of Directors (since 2011)Board of Directors Stadler Rail. Swiss International Air Lines, Member of the Board of Directors (2009-2016) JetBlue, Member of the Board of Directors (2008-2011)JetBlue Airways Appoints Christoph Franz, CEO of Swiss International Air Lines, to Its Board of Directors JetBlue, press release of February 8, 2019.
Non-profit organizations Avenir Suisse, Member of the Board of TrusteesBoard of Trustees Avenir Suisse. Baden-Badener Unternehmer-Gespräche (BBUG), Member of the BoardBoard Baden-Badener Unternehmer-Gespräche (BBUG). European Round Table of Industrialists (ERT), MemberMembers European Round Table of Industrialists. Lucerne Festival, Member of the Board of TrusteesBoard of Trustees Lucerne Festival. University of Zurich, Swiss Institute of International Studies (SIAF), Member of the Board of TrusteesBoard of Trustees University of Zurich, Swiss Institute of International Studies (SIAF). University of Zurich, Department of Economics, Member of the Advisory BoardAdvisory Board University of Zurich Department of Economics. University of St. Gallen, Member of the advisory board (since 2018)Advisory Board University of St. Gallen. International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Member of the Assembly (since 2017)
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