Air Canada Appoints Anko Van Der Werff as CEO & President

Air Canada on Wednesday officially announced the appointment of Anko Van Der Werff as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President. He is currently serving as the CEO of Scandinavian Airlines.

Van Der Werff will succeed Michael Rousseau, who announced his retirement in March after facing criticism earlier this year. As he spoke in English in a video statement on the collision of an Air India regional jet and a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport, which killed two pilots. Rousseau's retirement will take effect on August 31.

Van Der Werff, a native of the Netherlands, speaks English, Dutch, and French. To highlight his language skills, the carrier released videos of Anko introducing himself in English and French.

Vagn Sørensen, chair of the board of directors of Air Canada, praised Van der Werff, calling him, "exceptional breadth of international aviation experience." He further said, "We are confident he will drive further value-creating growth and transformation while maintaining our commitment to disciplined capital allocation." 

Before joining Air India, Anko held various key leadership roles, including CEO at Avianca, Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer at Aeromexico, Senior Vice President Pricing & Revenue Management at Qatar Airways, Commercial Director, United Kingdom & Ireland at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and Chairman at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce in Sweden.

With an impressive academic background, he earned a Master’s degree in Law from the prestigious Leiden University and a Bachelor’s degree in General Management from the renowned Harvard Business School.

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He is expected to bring a fresh perspective and innovative strategies to Air Canada, with a focus on enhancing the customer experience and improving operational efficiency. Van Der Werff aims to leverage his extensive international aviation background to strengthen the airline’s market position and drive sustainable growth.

Anko said, "I understand the importance of communicating in French at Air Canada (and) of talking directly to employees, clients, and partners."

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