London, England, United Kingdom, November 2025 – Chris Severson has been appointed as Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer at Swissport, effective Q1 2026. In this influential global leadership role, he will spearhead the company’s transformation agenda, elevating operational performance, driving digital innovation, and shaping the airport experience of the future for airlines, airports, and passengers worldwide.
Before joining Swissport, Chris spent close to three years as Operating Managing Director at Terra Firma Capital Partners in London, where he led value creation and complex transformation programs across a diverse private equity portfolio. His work blended strategic oversight with hands-on operational leadership, driving long-term performance improvements within asset-rich businesses across essential industries.
Prior to Terra Firma, Chris held significant roles at untypical, serving as Chairman, and contributed to governance and strategic oversight as Non-Executive Director at 4-CT and Annington Homes Limited. He also served briefly as Managing Director of Hopkins Homes Limited, guiding the organisation through an important phase of leadership transition and operational refinement.
Earlier in his career, he spent nearly five years at Philip Morris International in global leadership positions, including Head of People and Culture, PMI US, and Global Head of Internal Transformation Office. During this period, he helped accelerate PMI’s strategic shift toward a smoke-free future, guiding cultural transformation and complex multi-market change initiatives.
Chris’s foundational corporate experiences span multiple organisations, including impactful roles at IronClad Encryption, Digicel Group, Atlas Mara, and Barclays Investment Bank, where he led strategy, transformation, and risk management programs across multinational environments. His professional journey before entering the corporate world was defined by nearly two decades as a TOPGUN-trained F/A-18 pilot and United States Marine Corps Officer, where he developed the operational discipline, precision, and leadership approach that continue to shape his business career.
About Swissport
Swissport is the global leader in airport ground services and air cargo handling, trusted by airlines and airports worldwide to keep aviation moving safely and efficiently. With operations across hundreds of airports, Swissport delivers mission-critical services that enable seamless travel experiences for millions of passengers each year. As the aviation sector enters a new era of digital connectivity and service excellence, Swissport continues to strengthen its transformation, operational innovation, and customer-centric capabilities globally.
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