ACU March 2022-LR

EXECUTIVE MOMENTS
Ilker Ayci is Air India’s new CEO & Managing Director from April 2022
MUMBAI, India: Tata Group, the new owner of Air India headquartered
in Mumbai, has announced the appointment of Ilker Ayci, the former
Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of
Turkish Airlines, Turkey’s national carrier, as the new CEO and Managing
Director of Air India from 01 April 2022.
Tata Sons Pvt Ltd Chairman N. Chandrasekaran made the surprise
announcement on 14 February during their board meeting. Tata Sons is
the principal investment holding company and promoter of Tata Group
which is made up of 30 companies across 10 verticals and operates in
more than 100 countries across six continents. The companies’
combined income in 2020-21 reached $103 billion. The Tatas recently
wholly Dr. Nadia acquired Bastaki Air India, the debt-ridden national airline of India, for
$2.4 billion.
A close ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Ayci served as
the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Turkish Airlines from 2015
until his resignation in February 2022.
“Ilker is an aviation industry leader who led Turkish Airlines to its current
success during his tenure there. We are delighted to welcome Ilker to
the Tata Group where he would lead Air India into the new era,” said
Chandrasekaran.
Ayci was born in Istanbul in 1971. He graduated from Bilkent University’s
Department of Political Science and Public Administration in 1994. After
a research stay in political science at Leeds University in the UK in 1995,
he completed a Master’s Degree in International Relations at the
Marmara University in Istanbul in 1997.
“I am delighted and honored to accept the privilege of leading an iconic
airline and to join the Tata group. Working closely with my colleagues at
Air India and the leadership of the Tata group, we will utilize the strong
heritage of Air India to make it one of the best airlines in the world with a
uniquely superior flying experience that reflects Indian warmth and
hospitality,” said the incoming CEO and MD of Air India.
Ilker Ayci
ISTANBUL, Turkey: A USe
d u c a t e d i n d u s t r i a l
e n g i n e e r a n d
international academician
has been named as the
new Chairman of the
Board of Directors and
Executive Committee of
Turkish Airlines, the
national carrier of Turkey.
Prof. Dr. Ahmet Bolat
Prof. Dr. Ahmet Bolat
replaced Ilker Ayci who
resigned from his post in
February to take on the
challenge of leading the now privately-owned Air India after the Indian
government sold the debt-ridden airline to Tata Group.
Born in Konya in 1959, Prof. Dr. Bolat graduated from Istanbul Technical
University in 1981 as an Industrial Engineer. In 1984, he graduated from
M.Sc. Operations Research program at Stanford University and in 1988,
he obtained his Ph.D. in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the
University of Michigan.
Prof. Dr. Bolat started his career in 1981 as a Design and Production
Engineer at Yıldız Kalıp Şirketi. Between 1985 and 1988, he held a various
Prof. Dr. Ahmet Bolat is
the new Chairman of the
Board of Directors of
Turkish Airlines
of roles at the University of Michigan including as
teaching assistant, research assistant and assistant
professor. From 1988 to 2005, he worked as assistant
professor, associate professor and professor at Industrial
Engineering Department of King Saud University, Riyadh.
He was assigned as Senior Vice President of Investment
Management at Turkish Airlines Inc. in 2005 and served as
Chief Investment and Technology Officer between 2012
and 2022.
During his tenure, Prof. Dr. Bolat managed strategic
growth plan for Turkish Airlines and led the team in
procuring around 550 aircraft to grow Turkish Airlines
fleet. Responsible for international relations and alliances,
he has managed government affairs issues and
commercial agreements with airline partners, ensuring
partnership and network development with enhanced
bilateral relations. He also led the feasibility study of
alliance selection project for Turkish Airlines.
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