Kenya Airways begins search for new chief operating officer

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JamboJet operates flights between Mombasa, Eldoret, Nairobi and Mombasa. PHOTO | FILE  

By MUGAMBI MUTEGI

In Summary

• The smooth implementing of this succession plan is significant as the airline battles to get back to profitability while faced with several challenges, which a new team at the top will have to surmount.
• The COO will assist Mr Ngunze in attempting to bring KQ back to profitability after two consecutive years in the red.

Kenya Airways has begun the process of recruiting a chief operating officer (COO) a month after the incumbent, Mbuvi Ngunze, was picked as the incoming CEO of the airline.

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The national carrier has engaged consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers to hire a replacement for Mr Ngunze, who will take over as CEO beginning December after the retirement of long-serving boss Titus Naikuni.

READ: KQ announces new CEO as Naikuni retires

The smooth implementing of this succession plan is significant as the airline battles to get back to profitability while faced with several challenges, which a new team at the top will have to surmount.

“The successful candidate will also be expected to have excellent people management and communication skills, strategic aptitude and the ability to plan and implement strategy for the enhancement of the airline’s business,” says the job notice.

The new COO will join KQ at a time the airline is implementing an ambitious 10-year expansion strategy that includes fleet and route additions, with grand plans to fly to every African country by 2016. The airline is investing Sh87 billion in the current financial year to acquire more aircraft.

The COO will assist Mr Ngunze in attempting to bring KQ back to profitability after two consecutive years in the red.

KQ has recently faced a number of setbacks, including travel warnings that the US and some European countries have issued to their citizens in the wake of rising insecurity in the country.

Rising revenue and falling costs saw the airline cut its losses before tax by 56.8 per cent for the full-year ended March 2014 to post Sh3.38 billion loss compared to the previous year’s Sh7.84 billion.

READ: KQ narrows full-year pre-tax loss to Sh4.86b

The airline’s revenue increased by 7.2 per cent to Sh106 billion from the previous year’s Sh98.6 billion, helped by higher yields from its passenger business.
KQ is also having to battle escalating fuel prices and increased competition from rivals.

The latest problem to befall the airline in the past few weeks is the potential losses it is facing after it cancelled flights to Ebola-hit countries in West Africa, one of its most lucrative routes in the continent.

“The COO is responsible for managing the airline’s day-to-day operations with a focus on strategic, tactical and short term operations management,” the job notice states.