• Van der Werff has more than 19 years of experience in companies such as Air France-KLM, Qatar and Aeromexico.
• The new CEO will arrive on July 15th

Bogota, June 17, 2019. Anko van der Werff, appointed by the Board of Directors of Avianca Holdings as the new president of the Company, is an expert in the airline industry, with extensive international and executive experience in companies such as Qatar and Aeromexico. His last position was with the Aeromexico Group, as Executive Commercial Vice President for the past 5 years. He has also led key industry processes with Qatar Airways and Air France-KLM, one of the first commercial airlines in the world.

Regarding Van der Werff’s appointment as new CEO for the company, Roberto Kriete, President of the Board of Directors of Avianca Holdings, mentioned: “Anko will join our team to help us lead these challenging times in the industry. His ample experience in world-class airlines will not only help us continue with our transformation, but will also help us strengthen the loyalty of our customers, rekindling the commitment of our employees and reinforce our company’s competitiveness and financial situation”.

On his part, Van der Werff commented about his appointment: “It is an honor for me to be the new captain of this crew of 21 thousand collaborators, who are heroes for dedicating their time in such a challenging and passionate industry. Avianca is a symbol of world aviation history, a company that has connected Latin America with the world for over 100 years. We will work swiftly to make the operation profitable, with a strong hand to offer confidence to investors and we will improve our competitive position with a trustworthy and kind service and the youngest fleet in the region. I expect to lead this great company towards the next 100 years, with a dedicated team, passionate about service and providing our travelers with a timely and safe journey to their final destination”.

Anko van der Werff and his career:

Anko van der Werff has had an outstanding global career in the airline industry. In his last position with Aeromexico as Executive and Commercial Vice President for five years he led the company’s Corporate Strategy, Network and Itinerary Planning, Alliances, Pricing & Revenue Management, Sales, Corporate Strategy, Distribution and E-commerce and Marketing.
He held the position of Senior Vice President of Pricing & Revenue Management and Global Sales & Distribution with Qatar Airways prior to joining Aeromexico. He also led Air France-KLM’s Commercial Strategy in the United Kingdom and Ireland, as well as in the Nordic countries. He also worked for Northwest Airlines and Air France during the first years of his professional career.

Van der Werff holds a Law Degree from Leiden University in the Netherlands, and a graduate degree from Harvard Business School in the United States. He speaks English, Dutch and Spanish fluently. He has also been a guest professor at various international universities including Cranfield in the United Kingdom, Bad Honnef in Germany and Texas A&M University in Qatar.

With Anko van der Werff’s arrival, attorney Renato Covelo Frutos, who assumed the position of acting President, returns to his position as Secretary General and Legal Vice President of the Holding.