MBUVI NGUNZE TO STAY TILL BOARD DECIDES ON NEW CEO
(Posted 28th April 2017)
The search for a new Chief Executive at Kenya Airways clearly took longer than both Chairman and the Board per se had in mind, as news emerged that four candidate had been shortlisted after an extensive global search.
Outgoing CEO Mbuvi Ngunze, who was initially expected to leave Kenya Airways at the end of quarter one of 2017, has now confirmed that he is staying on until such time that the board has made a final decision, his current task of debt restructuring is complete and the new CEO can then be formally presented to the public.
The airline has undergone a financial austerity programme over the past almost two years but retained its market standing with notably former Marketing Director Chris Diaz, who left KQ too in mid March, capturing the award for global best marketer at a recent Las Vegas marketing convention.
This affirms what this correspondent has always said, that Chris Diaz was an exceptional asset to Kenya Airways vis a vis the airline’s visibility and marketing acumen and his shoes will be hard to fill, as will those of Mbuvi Ngunze when he leaves in a few weeks time.
Mbuvi is seen as the force behind the turnaround accomplished by the airline after he inherited a deeply indebted airline as he started his term of office and then vigorously cut costs in the face of strong opposition by Kenya’s aviation unions.
Details of the financial performance of the full financial year which ended on the 31st of March are expected out soon and while it is anticipated that the airline may still show bottom line losses has it been learned that operations profits are on the upswing again.
Watch this space for upcoming announcements on the new CEO, as and when the news can be released.
