MANAMA, 26 September 2007 — Gulf Air is streamlining its management structure under its recovery campaign to include “some very seasoned people” in the team, a top airline official said.
“We are well under way in implementing our plans as we continue building a successful team to see Bahrain’s flag carrier soar to new heights,” said acting president and chief executive Björn Näf.
“It is important to have the right team in place for our plans to succeed and we are making the necessary alignments as we continue on our way forward,” he said. “We have some very seasoned people joining us both locally and from outside Bahrain to take over certain crucial areas of the business.”
Renowned Bahraini lawyer Nabeel Mohammed Saeed has joined the airline as executive vice-president legal and corporate affairs.
Another Bahraini, Ahmed Al-Banna is leaving his current post as Labor Ministry assistant undersecretary for training to become Gulf Air’s vice-president for human resources.
Two key figures — Christopher Cain from Emirates and Paolo Fitze from Etihad — are also being recruited as vice-president for flight operations and vice-president for safety, respectively. Executive vice-president for marketing Lee Shave meanwhile, has left the airline.
In another key development, a Canadian aviation expert has launched a bid to become the president and chief executive of Gulf Air, pledging to make Bahrain’s national carrier “the people’s airline”.
James Hultquist-Morrissey, executive co-chairman of Toronto-based private equity company Globe Span Capital Corp, has come up with a plan called Project Akbar, which he said will turn the ailing carrier profitable and ready to be listed on the Bahrain Stock Exchange as a public company within four years.
Hultquist-Morrissey has already begun assembling a team of aviation experts, including low-cost airline expert and former American Airlines manager Michael Rodyniuk, and has submitted a comprehensive presentation of his proposals to members of the Gulf Air board.
Gulf Air said that it welcomed all candidates who feel they can make a contribution to the airline to get in touch.
“We are happy to accept all applications, and candidates can e-mail our chairman or our board of directors,” said the airline’s spokesman Hisham Abu Fateh.
“The search for the new chief executive still continues, and nothing has been finalized yet.”
