Former Air France-KLM chairman and CEO Alexandre de Juniac officially took up his new role as director-general and CEO of IATA on Thursday after being confirmed in the post by the 72nd IATA annual general meeting in June. He succeeds Tony Tyler, who had served as IATA DG and CEO since 2011 and had announced his retirement.
De Juniac has almost three decades of experience in the private and public sectors, including senior positions in the airline and aerospace industries and the French government.
He was the head of Air France from 2011-2013 before taking up the position with the combined Air France-KLM and also served for 14 years at French multi-role aerospace and transport company Thales, and its predecessor companies Thompson-CSF and Thompson SA (1995-2009).
Of his new job, he said: “IATA touches almost every aspect of the air transport industry and interacts with a wide range of stakeholders – especially governments. I will call on all my experience to ensure that IATA meets the needs of our members and plays a leading role in responding to the challenges that the industry faces.”
He also emphasised the need for industry stakeholders, especially governments, to recognise the value that aviation creates, “supporting 63m jobs and some $2.7trn in economic activity”.
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