Finance
Virgin Atlantic names Koster as new CEO as Weiss to step down
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on October 13, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Global Banking and Finance Review
Company
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on October 13, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Virgin Atlantic promotes Corneel Koster to CEO, succeeding Shai Weiss in January 2026, marking a significant leadership change.
LONDON (Reuters) -Virgin Atlantic named Corneel Koster as its new chief executive on Monday, promoting the current chief operating officer to the top job from next January as incumbent Shai Weiss will step down after seven years at the helm of the UK airline.
The company said Weiss had decided to step down but did not give a reason.
Koster rejoined Virgin Atlantic as chief commercial officer in 2019 after a stint with Delta Air Lines and Aeromexico. He had served as Virgin Atlantic's director of operations and security between 2010 and 2013.
"It's an incredible privilege to take up the role of CEO," Koster said in a statement.
Koster will become CEO on January 1, 2026.
Weiss, who will leave the company, has worked in the broader Virgin group since 2001, when he joined as a managing director for Virgin Media, according to his LinkedIn account. Before taking over as CEO of Virgin Atlantic in 2019, Weiss served as Virgin Atlantic's chief financial officer, then the chief commercial officer.
(Reporting by Sarah Young and Joanna Plucinska; Editing by Catarina Demony and Susan Fenton)
Leadership in a corporate context involves guiding and influencing employees to achieve organizational goals, fostering a positive work environment, and making strategic decisions that align with the company's vision.
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