Emirates Group is adding “deputy president” to the job titles of two of its senior executives, suggesting potential succession options for long-serving Emirates Airline president Tim Clark.
Clark was due to retire from his role in mid-2020 but postponed that plan when Covid-19 hit. He is yet to name a new retirement date but acknowledged in November last year that he cannot stay “indefinitely”.
Emirates Airline chief operations officer Adel Al Redha and chief commercial officer Adnan Kazim will both have “deputy president” added to their titles from 1 March, Emirates Group said on 22 February, as it announced a string of new job titles for long-serving executives.
Al Redha joined Emirates in 1988 while Kazim joined in 1992, with both working under their current titles since 2019.
“Keeping pace with Dubai’s vision for growth and prosperity, the Emirates Group has also set clear and ambitious plans for fleet, network and business growth for the next 15 years,” says Emirates Group chief executive Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. “To effectively execute these plans, the group is strengthening its executive bench, together with internal business and operational alignment.”
Of the 19 executives named as having been “promoted”, Emirates notes that six are women and eight are UAE nationals.
Among the changes, Emirates Group chief financial officer Michael Doersam will become chief financial and group services officer, while most of the other changes involve executive vice-president and senior vice-president positions.
Dnata chief executive Steve Allen is listed among the promoted staff, although his job title appears to be unchanged.
Alongside Al Redha and Kazim, Flydubai chief executive Gaith Al-Gaith has previously been reported as a potential successor to Clark.
