Air Canada announced the appointment of Anko Van der Werff as its new president and CEO. Van der Werff, currently serving as the president and CEO of Scandinavian Airlines, is set to assume his new position by January. Expressing his gratitude, Van der Werff stated, “It is an honor to be selected to lead this renowned Canadian company as it pursues its goals and strategies.”
Prior to his current role, Van der Werff held the position of CEO at Avianca, a South American airline, and had notable roles at Aeromexico, Qatar Airways, and KLM. He has also been involved in various international aviation and business organizations.
Van der Werff succeeds Michael Rousseau, who retired earlier this year after 19 years with Air Canada. Rousseau’s retirement followed a controversial incident involving an English-only condolence statement regarding a fatal crash at New York’s LaGuardia airport.
The appointment of Van der Werff followed a thorough global search by Air Canada, considering various performance criteria, including proficiency in French. Hailing from the Netherlands, Van der Werff is fluent in Dutch and has the ability to communicate in French, in addition to being proficient in English, Spanish, Italian, and Swedish.
Regarding the importance of bilingual service, Van der Werff emphasized the airline’s responsibility to serve Canadians in both official languages, as highlighted in a statement available in both English and French versions on Air Canada’s website.