Air Canada has appointed Anko Van der Werff as the next president and CEO, set to assume the role by January. Van der Werff, the current president and CEO of Scandinavian Airlines, expressed his honor in leading the esteemed Canadian company towards its goals and strategies. Prior to his current position, Van der Werff held the CEO role at Avianca in South America and served in executive capacities at Aeromexico, Qatar Airways, and KLM. He also contributed to various international aviation and business boards.
Van der Werff succeeds Michael Rousseau, who announced his retirement earlier this year after 19 years with Air Canada. Rousseau’s decision came following a controversial incident where an English-only condolence message was released after a fatal crash involving an Air Canada Express flight at New York’s LaGuardia airport, resulting in the loss of both pilots and injuries to passengers.
Rousseau faced criticism for his lack of French fluency, with his English video message causing a backlash among French-speaking Canadians. The official languages committee in Parliament summoned Rousseau to Ottawa for questioning. Rousseau’s previous language-related issues had also drawn attention, with calls for improvement in his French proficiency.
Expressing regret over the language distraction during the tragedy, Rousseau acknowledged his ongoing efforts to enhance his French skills but admitted his limitations. Van der Werff’s selection followed a thorough global search by Air Canada, considering various performance criteria including French-speaking abilities.
Van der Werff, a native of the Netherlands, is fluent in Dutch and possesses communication skills in French, English, Spanish, Italian, and Swedish. Air Canada highlighted the importance of bilingualism in serving Canadians, as emphasized by Van der Werff in a greeting available in both English and French versions on the airline’s website.
