SAA has appointed Thomas Kgokolo as the interim CEO of the state-owned airline. As CEO he will be in charge of moving the organization from a nearly 16-month long business rescue to market re-entry. He is SAA’s fifth CEO in five years.
Aviation analyst Guy Leitch shared his views on his appointment on Kaya Biz with Gugulethu Mfuphi and touched on how his appointment will be a challenge, considering his lack of knowledge of the intricacies of the airline business.
Listen to the full conversation here:
“He is a very highly respected businessman, from an aviation point of view he is a big problem because he doesn’t have airline experience. Being an airline executive isn’t a job you can just step into unless you know the ins and outs of the business.”
Leitch spoke about how the new CEO has a mountain to climb in his new position, adding that his predecessor took close to six months to get up to speed with the relevant information around the business.
The business rescue was meant to be completed on 31 March 2021, but the rescue practitioners are still battling with SAA pilots, over outstanding salary payments and conditions of their retrenchment.
The SAA board has also appointed three interim executives including Fikile Mhlontlo (interim CFO), Mpho Letlape (interim human resources executive), and Sakhile Reiling (executive for operations).
Who is Thomas Kgokolo?
Thomas is a Chartered Accountant with an MBA from the Gordon Institute of Business Science. He also teaches corporate finance, financial, and management accounting for the Gordon Institute of Business Science’s MBA and PDBA programs.
He has also worked on the boards of Mineworkers Provident Fund, Air Traffic Navigation Services, and Sizwe Medical Fund. Before joining GIBS, Thomas held positions in policy, administration, and finance.
He was the CFO of the South African Competition Commission and was recently the CEO of Air Traffic Navigation Services.
Image: @ATNSSA
