Coleman Andrews has stood down as chief executive of South African Airways as part of a management reshuffle ahead of next year's planned flotation of the carrier. Andrews is succeeded as CEO by Andre Viljoen, currently chief financial officer, while Don Ncube becomes chairman, making the post, previously held by Transnet executive director Bheki Sibiya, independent of government.
Viljoen says SAA will complete its "best year ever at the end of March", and that the management changes will deliver stability ahead of the flotation. American Andrews, CEO since June 1998 and credited by Sibiya with rescuing SAA from "a steep downward spiral", will continue to act as an advisor to the airline, while taking a position with a US venture capital firm. "I'll keep a base in South Africa and I intend to continue shuttling there from the USA," he tells Flight International.
Viljoen becomes CEO from 1 April, and will oversee the launch of a new product and service offering, plus "major shifts in SAA's international strategy to improve profit performance".
Source: Flight International
