Going Places – industry appointment highlights for Apr-2022

The travel, tourism and aviation industries in the across the globe witness policy and upper level changes on a daily basis. It is important to not only keep tabs of these organisations direction, but to also monitor changes in executive branches to see the wider picture of the travel market. CTC – Corporate Travel Community aims to keep you informed of these movements each month, with a full wrap of the key changes across regional markets, while also featuring key appointments announced for the month.

Here are the key executive changes for Apr-2022:

Asia Pacific

• IndiGo chief commercial officer Willy Boulter announced plans to retire from the role in four months.
• T'way Air reappointed Jeong Hong-geun as CEO for an additional term.
• AirAsia X announced the resignation of Nadda Buranasiri as AirAsia X Group CEO, effective 01-Apr-2022.
• FLC Group announced Dang Tat Thang will serve as chairman of the board of management of FLC Group and Bamboo Airways.
• IndiGo appointed Mahesh Malik as chief commercial officer of 'CarGo', the LCC's cargo division.
• Juneyao Air appointed Liu Kaiyu as VP and Zheng Xiaoming as chief engineer.
• Pelita Air Service appointed Dendy Kurniawan as president director.
• Go First appointed Girish Advani as chief commercial officer.
• Evergreen Group appointed Chang Kuo-wei as UNI Air chairman.
• Asiana Airlines announced the promotion of Jae-hoon Ryu to MD.
• Thai AirAsia X appointed Patima Jeerapaet as CEO.
• Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced CEO Arshad Mahmood Malik retired from the role.
• Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) COO Jawad Zafar passed away on 26-Apr-2022.
• Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) appointed Khurram Mushtaq as chief projects officer.
• Bonza appointed Michael Young as COO.
• IndiGo appointed Venkataramani Sumantran as chairman of the board.

Europe, Middle East & Africa

• Air France-KLM extended the mandate of CEO Benjamin Smith for an additional term of five years, until May-2027.
• Pegasus Airlines appointed chief commercial officer Güliz Öztürk as CEO, to succeed Mehmet Nane in this role effective 01-May-2022.
• Eurowings announced Brussels Airlines COO Edi Wolfensberger joined Eurowings' executive board as COO on 01-Apr-2022.
• SAS announced EVP and chief commercial officer Karl Sandlund resigned his position and will leave both roles by Oct-2022.
• Smartavia's board appointed Anatoly Semenyuk as director general.
• Air Montenegro appointed Dragana Frantov Nikolić as acting executive director.
• Bluebird Nordic appointed Audrone Keinyte as CEO.
• El Al appointed VP commercial and industry affairs Dina Ganancia as CEO, effective 01-Jun-2022.
• El Al appointed Omry Cohen as deputy CEO and chief operating officer.
• Lufthansa Group appointed VP ground operations hub airlines Frankfurt Tilman Reinshagen as Brussels Airlines COO, effective 01-Jul-2022.
• Aeroflot's board appointed Sergey Aleksandrovsky as director general and management board chairman.
• Burkina Faso's Council of Ministers announced it decided to relieve Air Burkina MD Blaise Sanou of his duties, effective immediately.
• South African Airways appointed John Lamola as executive chairman and CEO.
• KLM announced its shareholders approved the the reappointment of Erik Swelheim as MD and CFO for a two year period.
• KLM announced its shareholders approved the appointment of Marjan Rintel as president and CEO, effective 01-Jul-2022.

Americas

• WestJet appointed Kirsten de Brujin as EVP Cargo, effective late Apr-2022.
• WestJet appointed Bob Cummings as Swoop president.
• Breeze Airways appointed Tom Doxey as president and Natalie Atwood as chief people officer.