TUI Announces Major Leadership Restructure to Drive Operational Efficiency

TUI creates a new COO role, merges key divisions, and sees executive departures as it aims to streamline operations and boost competitiveness amid mixed booking and cruise performance.

TUI AG is implementing a significant reorganization of its executive leadership team, designed to consolidate operational control and streamline decision-making across the travel giant's diverse portfolio. The centerpiece of the overhaul is the creation of a new Chief Operating Officer (COO) role, effective May 2026, which will assume responsibility for the group's entire operational spectrum—encompassing tour operators, the airline division, hotel operations, and experiential offerings.

New COO to Unify Business Segments

The newly established COO position will be filled by Marco Ciomperlik, who will also join the group's executive board. Ciomperlik, 50, brings extensive travel and aviation industry expertise to the role, with a career that includes previous positions at Roland Berger and Air Berlin before he joined TUI in 2016. His appointment coincides with the merger of TUI’s previously separate ‘Holiday Experiences’ and ‘Markets + Airline’ divisions. Company leadership states this unified structure is intended to enhance competitiveness by unlocking synergies and accelerating processes.

Executive Departures and Realigned Responsibilities

The consolidation results in the departure of two senior executives. David Schelp and Peter Krueger, who previously led the now-merged segments, will leave the company on April 30. CEO Sebastian Ebel’s remit is being refocused to include direct oversight of hotel and cruise joint ventures, in addition to group strategy. Furthermore, the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) department will transition to report to Chief Financial Officer Mathias Kiep.

Mixed Performance Amid Strategic Shift

This strategic repositioning comes during a period of contrasting operational performance. On one hand, Bernstein analyst Richard Clarke recently noted that summer 2026 bookings are currently approximately two percent behind the prior year's level. TUI attributes this softness to a consumer shift toward last-minute bookings and unfavorable weather conditions in its core markets of Germany and the United Kingdom. Broader economic uncertainty, particularly surrounding transatlantic trade tensions, is also cited as a dampener on consumer sentiment.

Conversely, TUI's cruise business is demonstrating notable strength. For the first quarter of the 2025/26 fiscal year, the segment's adjusted EBIT hit a record €82.3 million, with vessel occupancy rates nearing 100%. In a supportive development for the group's financial standing, Moody's Investors Service recently revised its outlook on TUI to "positive," signaling confidence in the company's creditworthiness.

Despite the current booking headwinds, TUI has reaffirmed its full-year guidance. The group continues to project revenue growth of 2 to 4 percent, alongside an increase in adjusted EBIT of 7 to 10 percent. The interim report scheduled for release on May 13, 2026, will provide a clearer indication of whether these targets remain achievable.