Business | Aviation
Gulf Air appoints new CEO
Samer Majali, former CEO of Royal Jordanian, will take over at Gulf Air within the next few months from current CEO Bjorn Naf.
- By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
- Published: 22:48 July 2, 2009
Manama: Gulf Air, Bahrain's national carrier, on Thursday appointed a new chief executive officer to lead the airline.
Samer Majali, former CEO of Royal Jordanian, will take over at Gulf Air within the next few months from current CEO Björn Näf.
Until then, Talal Al Zain, Gulf Air's chairman, will manage the business in the temporary position of executive chairman, Gulf Air said.
Gulf Air did not dwell on the reasons for the change, simply saying that, "Näf, is leaving the business to pursue other interests, having served the airline for two and a half years.
"During this time he was instrumental in implementing several key initiatives towards Gulf Air's ambitious realignment programme."
According to Al Zain, "Samer is the right leader to take the airline forward as we move into the next phase of our strategy to rebuild the business."
"I'm delighted to welcome Samer to the team as he brings an exceptional track record of successfully managing a leading Middle Eastern carrier. His skills will help us to build towards a strong future for Gulf Air," he said.
The Gulf Air statement said that "under Samer's leadership, Royal Jordan-ian has been transformed into a highly successful and profitable business."
"The carrier's transformation has been driven by a comprehensive strategy to modernise the airline's fleet and the reshaping of its network. His achievements include bringing Royal Jordanian into "Oneworld" in 2007, making it the first Middle Eastern airline to join a major global alliance.
In addition, he managed the successful privatization of Royal Jordanian, a first in the region. He has also served as President of the Arab Air Carriers Organisation and served as Chairman of the International Air Transport Association board of governors until June 2009.
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