Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong will become chairman of the IATA board of governors (BoG) for a one-year term, effective from the conclusion of the 73rd IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Cancun, Mexico.
He succeeds Willie Walsh, CEO of International Airlines Group, who will continue to serve on the BoG and the chair committee.
As the 76th chair of the IATA BoG, Goh is the third CEO of Singapore Airlines to hold this position. He was president of the 68th IATA AGM, which was held in Singapore in 2011, and has served on the IATA BoG since then.
Following Goh’s term, IATA will appoint Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways, to serve for a one-year term as chairman of the IATA BoG from June 2018.
Meanwhile, Pekka Vauramo, CEO of Finnair, has been nominated by the oneworld’s governing board at its mid-year meeting in Cancun to serve as its chairman for the two years ahead.
He succeeds Ivan Chu, who has moved on from his role as chief executive of Cathay Pacific Airways to become chairman of John Swire & Sons (China), after leading the alliance for two years. Cathay Pacific’s new CEO, Rupert Hogg, has also taken Chu’a position on the one world governing board.
As chairman, Vauramo will lead oneworld’s board meetings, oversee alliance governance and work closely with oneworld CEO Rob Gurney and the central alliance team.
