Etihad Aviation Group has announced a new organisational structure and operating model that will see the group reorganised into seven business divisions, led by a new executive leadership team.

The new structure, effective immediately, will see Tony Douglas, chief executive officer of Etihad Aviation Group, assume responsibility for Etihad Airways.

“As we approach our 15-year anniversary, the reorganisation and restructure of the group and leadership team will help us lay the foundations for Etihad to optimise its value as a world-leading group, streamline operations, and capitalise on opportunities, allowing the business to focus on improving its core operating performance," said Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei, chairman of Etihad Aviation Group.

“We recorded an improvement in our operating results for 2017 and are confident that we are back on track this year, strengthening our position group-wide after a period of consolidation, bolstering our presence in key global markets, and continuing to support Abu Dhabi's growth in the aviation, trade and tourism sectors,” he added.

Peter Baumgartner, who has been the airline's CEO since 2016, will now serve as the senior strategic advisor to Douglas. Baumgartner will advise at group level on global partnerships and innovation.

The restructuring will also see the group reorganised into seven business divisions – Operations, Commercial, Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO), Human Resources, Finance, Support Services and Transformation.

Other leadership changes include: Mohammad Al Bulooki, Etihad Airways executive vice president commercial, who has been promoted to chief operating officer; Robin Kamark, appointed as chief commercial officer; Ray Gammell, who will assume responsibility for airline equity partners; and Ibrahim Nassir, who has been appointed chief human resources and organisational development officer.

The new group organisational structure also sees Abdul Khaliq Saeed become chief engineering officer (MRO); Mark Powers, chief financial officer; Mana Al Mulla, chief support services officer; and Akram Alami, chief transformation officer.

General counsel and company secretary, Henning zur Hausen; senior vice president government and international affairs, Ahmed Al Qubaisi; and vice president corporate affairs, Amina Taher, continue in their respective positions, also reporting to the Group CEO.

Douglas said: “We are now well equipped to deliver our plans as a reinvigorated innovator brand, with an optimised and profitable network, technologically advanced fleet, and a strengthened position as the global airline of choice, run by a seasoned team of talented professionals. The fact that almost half of our leadership team are UAE nationals reflects our strong succession planning efforts and commitment to developing Emirati talent.

Etihad’s transformation programme has delivered measurable results to date, with the core airline division recently reporting a 22 per cent improvement in core operating performance for 2017, driven by improved revenues of $6.1 billion and a 7.3 per cent reduction in unit costs, the airline said in a statement. -TradeArabia News Service