Robert Dalboth named as new managing director of En Route International

En Route International, the dnata-owned travel food solutions company, has appointed Robert Dalboth as global managing director.

Dalboth previously held the role of finance director and has been a key member of the En Route leadership team since 2010. He will drive the continued development of the company’s market-leading on-board food and service solutions across four continents.

A chartered accountant, he has forged a successful career in finance, gaining a breadth of knowledge across multiple industries. Before joining En Route, he was divisional vice president of finance at Global Tobacco Packaging, and has previously held senior roles with Alcan Packaging and East European Tobacco.

He said: “I am delighted to be leading En Route during what will be an incredibly exciting time for the business. We have always embraced innovation in everything we do and have an incredibly talented team which will ensure that we continue to remain at the forefront of developments in our sector. We are already looking at a number of unique initiatives which we will share with the industry very soon.”

Robin Padgett, divisional senior vice president of dnata, added: “Robert brings an extremely strong understanding of retailing, a passion for product design and development and, importantly, an awareness of the changing nature of retailing in aviation.

“Inflight retail is a key proposition for dnata and En Route, and to have someone of Robert’s calibre now leading our business is a huge positive for our customers and our business.”

Dalboth replaces En Route founder Alison Lessmann, who stepped down from her role at the end of 2017. Lessmann served as the company’s managing director from its inception in 2002.

He added: “We are all incredibly grateful to Alison for creating a business which placed innovation at the very core of its offer. Not only did she create a business which constantly challenged the status quo, she also helped to create a strong senior management team which is well placed to grow the business even further over the coming years.”