Air Canada completes executive reshuffle
Air Canada and its parent, ACE Aviation Holdings, have completed their separation by filling all senior posts in each organisation. When ACE was formed a number of senior Air Canada people moved to it, starting with chief executive Robert Milton. Now Air Canada has filled the vacancies left by those moves.
Rob Reid is the first of three new executive vice-presidents who will report directly to Air Canada’s chief executive, Montie Brewer. Formerly senior vice-president for operations, Reid has moved up to become chief operating officer. He is the only appointee from within Air Canada’s ranks. He joined the carrier in 1976. Most recently he assumed the post of president of Air Canada Technical Services.
During July Sean Menke became chief commercial officer. Menke held a similar post at Frontier Airlines, an airline he joined in 1999 as director of marketing and planning. Menke was promoted to the post of chief operating officer at Frontier in July 2004 where he took on day-to-day operational responsibility. Before that he was a schedule planner at United Airlines and planning director at now-defunct Western Pacific Airlines. His US experience with two low-cost carriers may give Air Canada more insight into rival WestJet.
Joshua Koshy has been appointed as the carrier’s new chief financial officer. He arrives from Dubai-based Emirates where he was responsible for financial services before becoming senior vice-president for information technology.
Besides these three executive vice-presidents, Air Canada has appointed David Tait as senior vice-president of customer service starting in September. Tait led the start-up of Virgin Atlantic in the USA and was then responsible for its North American operations. Both Koshy and Tait add an invaluable international perspective as Air Canada expands its overseas presence.
David Knibb Seattle
Source: Airline Business
