New Delhi: The country’s largest airline IndiGo on Wednesday said it has appointed Pieter Elbers as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) effective October 1, 2022 Elbers will succeed Ronojoy Dutta who has remained at the helm of the airline for almost four years and now decided to retire. In a regulatory filing, the airline said that the company board at its meeting held on May 18 approved the appointment of Pieter Elbers as the CEO and Whole Time Director subject to necessary regulatory and shareholders’ approvals. “His appointment as the Chief Executive Officer is expected to be effective from October 01, 2022,” it said. Since 2014, Elbers (52) has served as the President & Chief Executive Officer of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Air France-KLM Group. Elbers started his career at KLM in 1992 at their Schiphol hub and over time held several managerial positions in both The Netherlands and overseas in Japan, Greece and Italy. After he returned to The Netherlands, he was appointed as the Senior Vice President of Network & Alliances, before he was promoted in 2011 as the Chief Operating Officer. Elbers was born in Schiedam, The Netherlands. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Logistics Management and a Master’s Degree in Business Economics. “We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Mr. Pieter Elbers as the Chief Executive Officer of the Company. India promises to be the last bastion of ginormous growth globally and given Mr. Elbers’ deep understanding of the business, his legendary leadership qualities coupled with his energy and passion, we are ever so confident that under his stewardship, IndiGo will play a pivotal role in this growth opportunity,” said Rahul Bhatia, IndiGo Co-founder and Managing Director. Responding to his appointment, Elbers said, “What IndiGo’s employees and leadership have jointly built, since its start 16 years ago, is, by any standard, truly impressive. I am very honored and do look forward to build upon this, working together with the entire IndiGo team. I am delighted to become a part of the next stage of IndiGo’s incredible journey, further fulfilling the vision of what the airline can do and will be for its customers and for India.” Seeking strong foothold in the international market, IndiGo has been strengthening its top management. It recently appointed former IAS officer and Joint Secretary in Aviation Ministry RK Singh as Advisor to the Managing Director. (UNI)
