LONDON – Qatar Airways Group CEO H.E. Mr Akbar Al Baker has been announced as the new governing board chairman for the one world alliance after Qantas CEO Mr Alan Joyce stepped down from the role that he has held since September 2018. H.E. Mr Al Baker is now the longest-serving CEO of a oneworld member airline to be appointed into this position, with him leading and Qatar Airways since its launch in 1997.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said: “As a founding member of oneworld, it has been an honour to serve as the Chairman of the alliance. Akbar is well placed to guide oneworld on its ongoing transformation and we look forward to working with him and member airlines to deliver even more value to oneworld customers.”
Since its launch and under his leadership, Qatar Airways has become one of the most luxurious and largest airlines in the world and one of the most highly awarded across its extensive global network. The carrier has been setting the standard for modern-day flying for not just customer comfort but also connectivity and quality, with it on track to serve a network of over 140 destinations by the end of July 2021, making it one of the only carriers to expand and grow during the COVID-19 pandemic.
oneworld CEO Rob Gurney said: “On behalf of the alliance, we want to thank Mr Joyce for his leadership of oneworld, including during a challenging period for the industry. Since Qatar Airways joined oneworld in 2013, it has been a leading contributor to the alliance and we are honoured to have His Excellency Mr Al Baker serve as our next Governing Board Chairman. We look forward to working with him to further strengthen and grow the alliance, as we position oneworld for industry recovery.”
Commenting on his new appointment H.E. Akbar Al Baker said: “I look forward to serving as Chairman of the Governing Board and working with our alliance partners, oneworld CEO Rob Gurney and the oneworld team to provide more global connectivity, a seamless travel experience and more valuable loyalty offerings for our passengers.”
Under his tenure as CEO of the Qatar Airways Group Mr Al baker has held prestigious positions across many governing boards, the most notable of which was his time on the International Air Transport Association (IATA) board of Governers in which of which he was the serving chairman from June 2018 to June 2019, he also served time as a member on the Executive Committee of the Arab Air Carrier Organisation and a non-executive Director of Heathrow Airport Holdings. In addition, he serves as Secretary-General of Qatar National Tourism Council.
