Ethiopian Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer, Tewolde GebreMariam has stepped down as the airline chief due to health reason after spending just over a decade running the airline.
Tewolde Gebremariam said on Wednesday he had resigned from his post, which he held for 11 years, to focus on his medical treatment. He has been at the airline for 37 years
“I am retiring early due to health issues,” he told Reuters in a text message.
The carrier’s Chief Commercial Officer [CCO] Esayas Woldemariam will now take over as the acting CEO as the company’s board of management gets ready to announce the successor to Tewolde GebreMariam.
GebreMariam’s early retirement as CEO of the largest African airline is the latest in a leadership change at the continent’s largest carrier, and the new executives are tasked with driving their recovery from the Covid pandemic.
GebreMariam led the Airline for just over a decade with remarkable success reflected in its exceptional performance in all parameters including but not limited to exponential growth from one Billion USD annual turn-over to 4.5 Billion, from 33 airplanes to 130 airplanes and from 3 million passengers to 12 million passengers [pre-COVID].
Under his leadership, the airline group has grown by four fold in all measurements building more than USD 700 million worth of vital infrastructure like Africa’s biggest hotel, Cargo terminal, MRO hangars and shops, Aviation Academy and Full Flight Simulators.
His career saw him win a number of accolades including “African CEO of the Year” and “Best African Business Leader.”
Meanwhile, the carrier’s former CEO Girma Wake, was recently appointed as the new Chairman of the Board of Management of Ethiopian Airlines Group by the Ethiopian Public Enterprises Holding & Administration Agency.
The highly experienced business leader and a well-known figure in the aviation industry previously led Ethiopian Airlines for 7 years in a CEO capacity and laid the foundation for the fast and profitable growth of the airline.
By Our Reporter