Air Canada names Anko Van der Werff as new president and CEO

Air Canada names Anko Van der Werff as new president and CEO

Current CEO of Scandinavian Airlines will move to Air Canada by January 2027

Air Canada on Wednesday named Anko Van der Werff as its next president and CEO.

Van der Werff, currently president and chief executive officer at Scandinavian Airlines and will take on the new role by January 2027.

"It is an honour to be chosen to lead this iconic Canadian company as it advances its ambitions and strategy," Van der Werff said in a news release.

Before his current post, Van der Werff served as CEO of the South American airline Avianca, and worked in other high-up roles including Aeromexico, Qatar Airways and KLM, according to his LinkedIn. He's also served on the boards of international organizations in the aviation and business sectors.

Van der Werff succeeds Michael Rousseau, who announced his retirement from Air Canada earlier this year after making an English-only condolence announcement following the deadly crash at New York's LaGuardia Airport.

His retirement is effective Aug. 31, and the airline's executive committee will report to the board of directors during the transition period, the release noted.

Air Canada CEO to retire after collision statement controversy

Choosing Van der Werff was the result of a "comprehensive global search" with a number of performance criteria according to Air Canada — including the ability to speak in French.

As a native of the Netherlands, Van der Werff speaks Dutch, but is "able to communicate in French" according to Air Canada. He also speaks English and has learned Spanish, Italian and Swedish throughout his career.

Abby Hughes is a writer with CBC News based in Toronto. Originally from Orillia, Ont., she studied journalism at Toronto Metropolitan University. She covers news from the worlds of business, entertainment, health, science and education, and her favourite stories focus on the real people in those areas — the customers, fans, patients, citizens and students. You can reach her with story ideas at abby.hughes@cbc.ca.