CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Mesfin Tasew Bekele

• The appointment of Mesfin Tasew Bekele as the new CEO of Ethiopian Airlines took effect on March 23rd, 2022.
• He has nearly four decades of cognate experience in airline management.
• While accepting the appointment, Bekele said he was honoured and would continue to advance the growth of the company.

Ethiopian Airlines has announced the appointment of Mesfin Tasew Bekele as its new Chief Executive Officer. He will succeed former CEO Tewolde Gebremariam, who resigned earlier this week due to health reasons.

In a press statement issued yesterday, the leading airline explained that Bekele's appointment took effect on March 23rd, 2022.

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Mr Bekele has nearly four decades worth of cognate experience in airline management and operations. Specifically, he has been with Ethiopian Airlines for 38 years since he joined the company in 1984. Among his areas of expertise are aircraft maintenance, procurement, capacity building, corporate strategic development and corporate leadership amongst others.

He is an alumnus of Addis Ababa University, having obtained both a BSc. and an MSc. in Electrical Engineering from the school. He also holds an MBA from the UK's Open University.

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It is now expected of him to put his experience to good use towards advancing the growth of the leading airline.

“I am honored and humbled to be appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines Group which I have been serving for nearly four decades in various positions. My new role gives me the opportunity to carry on with the fast and profitable growth of our beloved airline and take it to the next level. I call on all my colleagues at Ethiopian to join hands and forge ahead for further success,” Mr Bekele was quoted to have said.

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Prior to his latest appointment, Mr Bekele has held other key leadership positions. He served as the Chief Operating Officer of Ethiopian Airlines between 2010 and 2021. He was also Vice President of Maintenance and Engineering between 2006 and 2010.

Recall that Business Insider Africa reported that Bekele's predecessor, Tewolde Gebremariam, took an early retirement to focus on his health. He is currently receiving treatment at a US hospital for an undisclosed ailment.

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