Etihad makes bold changes to organisational structure to address impact of COVID-19 pandemic

• Decisive steps taken to implement new operating model for Etihad as mid-sized carrier
• New streamlined structure is leaner, flatter and scaleable to support organic growth as air travel resumes
• Continued focus on safety, security and service and industry-leading Etihad Wellness programme

Etihad announced a new organisational structure that will position the business to deliver on its mandate in the wake of COVID-19 and meet the challenges of the global downturn in aviation head on.

The restructuring sees the airline continuing its transformation into a mid-sized, full-service carrier concentrating on its fleet of widebody aircraft, with a leaner, flatter and scaleable organisational structure that supports organic growth as the world returns to flying.

By embedding the new structure, the airline will strengthen its focus on its core offering of safety, security, service; continue developing its industry-leading health and hygiene programme Etihad Wellness, and prioritise innovation and sustainability, which are essential to the future of the airline.

Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “After our best-ever Q1 performance, none of us could have predicted the challenges that lay ahead in the remainder of this year. I’m extremely proud of the way my leadership team and the whole Etihad family have navigated the COVID-19 crisis so far, and I must express my gratitude to each member of the team for continually proving our adaptability to the most unexpected of circumstances.

“As a responsible business, we can no longer continue to incrementally adapt to a marketplace that we believe has changed for the foreseeable future. That is why we are taking definitive and decisive action to adjust our business and position ourselves proudly as a mid-sized carrier. The first stage of this is an operational model change that will see us restructure our senior leadership team and our organisation to allow us to continue delivering on our mandate,

ensuring long-term sustainability, and contributing to the growth and prominence of Abu Dhabi.”

The new operational model will result in a number of changes to the executive leadership team to streamline the organisational structure.

Robin Kamark, Chief Commercial Officer, has decided to leave the business, and following his departure, the business units within Commercial will be separated and transferred under the leadership of Mohammad Al Bulooki, Chief Operating Officer, Adam Boukadida, Chief Financial Officer, and Terry Daly, who will assume the role of Executive Director Guest Experience, Brand & Marketing.

Mohammad will assume responsibility for Network Planning, Sales, Revenue Management, Cargo & Logistics, Commercial Strategy Planning, and Alliances, in addition to his existing portfolio.

Duncan Bureau, Senior Vice President Sales & Distribution, will also be leaving Etihad. Reporting directly to Mohammad, Martin Drew will take on Duncan’s portfolio alongside his current responsibilities as Managing Director for Cargo & Logistics.

As part of his new role, Terry will lead the Marketing, Brand & Partnerships department, and Etihad Guest, the airline’s loyalty programme, while continuing to oversee the Customer Experience & Service Delivery department.

Following the departure of Akram Alami, Chief Transformation Officer, the Procurement and Supply Chain department and Transformation Office will move under the leadership of Adam Boukadida. Adam will also assume responsibility for the Analytics department, which previously sat within the Commercial division. Ibrahim Nassir, Chief Human Resources & Organisational Development Officer, will have an additional responsibility for the Asset Management department.

Finally, Mutaz Saleh will be leaving his position as Chief Risk & Compliance Officer, after which Henning zur Hausen, General Counsel, will take on additional responsibility for Ethics & Compliance, while Risk and Performance reporting will move under Adam Boukadida, forming part of a new Corporate Strategy team. Business Continuity will transfer to Ahmed Al Qubaisi, Senior Vice President Government, International & Communications.

Chief Digital Officer, Frank Meyer, Chief Engineering Officer, Abdul Khaliq Saeed, and Chief Investments Officer, Andrew Macfarlane continue in their respective positions, also reporting to the Group Chief Executive Officer.