Change of Head at EADS

The president of Airbus, Noel Forgeard, will take over next year as joint head of the Franco-German defense and aeronautics company EADS, the consortium’s main French share-holder Arnaud Lagardere said Friday. The announcement comes after weeks of divisive rumors had split German and French partners. Forgeard is expected to take up his functions alongside Thomas Enders, the current head of EADS’ armaments division who has also been named as the likely successor to the German co-presidency. The previous German president, Rainer Hertrich, had resigned earlier in December reportedly in anger at French efforts to install Forgeard at the head of the consortium.