Dive Brief:
- Singapore Airlines announced on Monday it had appointed its first ever female CFO, JoAnn Tan, who will succeed current finance head Tan Kai Ping as he moves to the role of chief operating officer, according to a Reuters report.
- Tan has been with the airline since 2021, starting out under the role of vice president of loyalty marketing before transitioning to her most recent position of divisional vice president of business transformation, according to her LinkedIn profile.
- The airline is the latest in the industry to announce a finance chief change. United Airlines’ longtime CFO Gerald Laderman announced his resignation on May 31, and just last week, WestJet appointed industry veteran Mike Scott to the role of CFO effective June 13.
Dive Insight:
Tan — an insider at Singapore Airlines — was responsible for leading the airline’s “efforts to restore its network connectivity and capacity after international borders reopened since the pandemic,” the airline said, according to the Reuters report.
The company recently announced that all passengers, including those in premium economy classes and economy classes, would be able to access free unlimited Wi-Fi, effective July 1.
In addition to the CFO move, the company is experiencing another switch up in its C-suite as its former finance chief takes over the role of COO from Mak Swee Wah, who is retiring, according to a report from Business Times.
CEO Goh Choon Phong said that Wah’s retirement is “well deserved”, saying that he has personally benefited much from his “valuable counsel” over the years, the report said.
Outgoing CFO Ping was influential in moving the needle with the merger of Air India and Visatra, which raised concern from some opponents, according to a report.
The merger — which was announced back in November of 2022 — was set to create India's leading airline group upon completion.
“The merger would bolster SIA’s presence in India, strengthen its multi-hub strategy, and allow it to continue participating directly in a large and fast-growing aviation market,” the company statement said at the time. The merger is expected to be completed by March of 2024.
