Wizz Air's finance head Jourik Hooghe to step down

(Reuters) -European budget carrier Wizz Air said on Monday its finance chief Jourik Hooghe will step down from his post to pursue opportunities outside the company.

The company also named Ian Malin as its next chief financial officer, who will be joining Wizz Air on Oct. 1.

Shares of the carrier were down 3.4% in early trade.

Hooghe, 45, joined the airline in February 2020, and had to navigate a turbulent time in the aviation industry due to COVID-19 related travel lockdowns.

Malin, who is currently the chief strategy and commercial officer at U.S.-based Unical Aviation, has 22 years of experience in the finance field, Wizz Air said in a statement.

Hooghe will be available during the transition period until Dec. 31, it added

(Reporting by Sinchita Mitra in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich)