Air Canada announced the appointment of Anko Van der Werff as the incoming president and CEO. Van der Werff, currently holding the same positions at Scandinavian Airlines, is set to assume his new roles by January. Expressing his gratitude for the opportunity, Van der Werff stated that leading the renowned Canadian airline as it pursues its goals and strategies is an honor for him.
Prior to his current role, Van der Werff served as the CEO of Avianca, a South American airline, and held key positions at Aeromexico, Qatar Airways, and KLM, as indicated on his LinkedIn profile. He has also been involved in various international aviation and business organizations.
Van der Werff succeeds Michael Rousseau, who announced his retirement earlier this year after 19 years with Air Canada. Rousseau’s retirement followed a controversy over his English-only condolence message relating to a tragic incident at New York’s LaGuardia airport.
The regrettable incident involved a collision between a fire truck and Air Canada Express Flight 8646, resulting in the loss of both pilots, one of whom was from Quebec. Rousseau’s video message, predominantly in English with French subtitles, sparked criticism from French-speaking Canadians, leading to an appearance before the official languages committee in Ottawa.
Rousseau had faced previous criticism for his lack of proficiency in French. Despite his attempts to improve, he acknowledged that his language skills remained inadequate. Expressing regret over the distraction caused by the language issue, Rousseau emphasized his ongoing efforts to enhance his French proficiency.
Van der Werff’s selection followed an extensive global search process, with proficiency in French being a key criterion set by Air Canada. A native of the Netherlands, Van der Werff is fluent in Dutch and possesses communication skills in French, in addition to English, Spanish, Italian, and Swedish. Air Canada’s website offers greetings from Van der Werff in both English and French versions, underscoring his commitment to bilingual service for Canadians, a fundamental aspect of the airline’s responsibility.