Yvonne Manzi
Makolo Becomes First Woman to Chair IATA Board of Governors
(06/06/23)
Yvonne Manzi
Makolo, CEO of RwandAir, has become Chair of the IATA Board of
Governors for a one-year term.
Yvonne is the 81st chair of the IATA Board of
Governors and the
first woman to take on this role. She has served on the board since
November 2020 and succeeds Pegasus Airlines Chairperson of the
Board, Mehmet Tevfik Nane.
“I am honored and pleased to take on this
important role. IATA plays a critical role for all airlines - big
and small, various business models, and in all corners of the
world. Leading a medium-sized airline in Africa gives me an unique
perspective on issues that airlines hold in common,” Yvonne said.
“At the top of
the agenda are decarbonization, improving safety, the
transformation to modern airline retailing, and ensuring we have
cost-efficient infrastructure. I am particularly pleased to be
taking on this role as IATA launches Focus Africa with the aim of
unifying the continent’s stakeholders so that together we can
strengthen the contribution of aviation to Africa’s social and
economic development,”
Yvonne started her aviation career in 2017 when
she was appointed as RwandAir’s Deputy CEO in Charge of Corporate
Affairs, before being named CEO in April 2018.
Yvonne brought 11 years
of commercial expertise to her current role, having joined
telecommunications company MTN Rwanda in 2006, rising to the
positions of Chief Marketing Officer and Acting CEO.
Under her
leadership, RwandAir has become one of Africa’s fastest growing
airlines with a fleet of 13 aircraft. She has led cultural
change at the airline with a focus on inclusion and diversity and
growing the number of women in under-represented roles.
“I look forward to working with Yvonne as we
tackle the important challenges of sustainability, rebuilding the
aviation workforce while growing diversity and reinforcing the
global standards that are so critical for efficient connectivity,”
said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General. “I want to thank Mehmet for his strong support and leadership over
the past year as the industry emerged from the COVID-19 and in
particular, his encouragement in working for greater gender
diversity.”
Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo,
will serve as Chair of the Board of Governors from June 2024, following
Yvonne’s
term.
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