In the aftermath of the collapse of the deal with the Takatso Consortium as strategic equity partners, South African Airways (SAA) is embarking on the search for permanent executive leadership, marking a significant transition after being held by an interim board for the past three years.
Over the weekend, SAA announced the advertisement of five interim executive management positions, including Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Commercial Officer, Chief Human Capital Officer, South African Airways Technical CEO, and CEO of its catering service subsidiary, Airchefs.
Derek Hanekom, chairperson of the interim board of directors, emphasized the importance of filling these critical roles as a positive step towards organizational stability and the realization of growth and expansion plans currently underway.
In the wake of the airline’s placement under business rescue in December 2019, SAA has navigated a turbulent journey under the guidance of an interim executive management team, tasked with steering the airline through a period of restructuring and repositioning. However, the anticipated Strategic Equity Partner agreement with Takatso Consortium failed to materialize, necessitating a renewed focus on securing permanent leadership.
John Lamola assumed the role of interim CEO in May 2022, succeeding Thomas Kgokolo, who had departed from the airline the previous month. Kgokolo’s tenure as interim CEO followed SAA’s emergence from business rescue in April 2021.
Hanekom acknowledged the commendable efforts of the interim executive management team in rebuilding the airline post-business rescue, noting that their positions were always intended to be temporary until a new controlling shareholder appointed its management team.
Applications for the interim executive management positions at SAA are open until Friday, April 26, 2024
