NEWS FLASH
Air Serbia has announced that Duncan Naysmith has decided to step down from his post as the company's Chief Commercial Officer after four years and will pursue a new career opportunity with another airline. He will be replaced from January 1, 2022 by the airline’s current General Manager for Commercial and Strategy Jiri Marek (pictured). Mr Marek brings more than twenty years of airline management experience. During the last thirteen years he has held senior roles within multiple carriers. The Chairman of the Air Serbia Supervisory Board, Branislav Pejčić, said, “On behalf of the Supervisory Board, I extend my personal thanks to Duncan Naysmith, who had been navigating the company through a successful transformation program enabling Air Serbia's growth in 2019. Unfortunately, this outstanding direction had been disrupted by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. I appreciate his dedication, effort and leadership during the current pandemic, steering Air Serbia through unprecedented turbulent times”. He added, “Jiri Marek had been leading network expansion and commercial transformation, delivering record breaking results at the end of 2019, which included the handling of 2.8 million passengers, continued by double digit growth during the first two months of 2020. Air Serbia has been continuously outperforming aviation industry averages ever since the pandemic hit and has promptly reacted to new market opportunities. He is an experienced leader and has the complete confidence of the Board to lead the business throughout its recovery and development phase”. Mr Marek becomes Air Serbia’s third CEO since the airline's relaunch in 2013, following Dane Kondić and Duncan Naysmith.
Entirely expected.
ReplyDeleteEasy to say that after the fact.
DeleteThe writing was on the wall with all the PR exposure he got over the previous few months.
DeleteSo out of tens (if not hundreds) of internationally experienced and trained senior Serbian airline professionals working for large global companies, not one could be found to manage the national airline?
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't really matter who is at the helm when the big decisions behind the airline are made and managed by others within Govt circles
Delete^ Actually not true at all
DeleteThe CEO should be the best available candidate, given the pay and conditions offered, regardless of nationality.
DeleteCongratulations and all the best in the new role. History will remember CEOs that grew the airline and expanded long haul.
ReplyDelete"Mr Marek brings more than twenty years of airline management experience. During the last thirteen years he has held senior roles within multiple carriers" of which Alitalia and Malev do not exist and collapsed during leadership of Mr. Marek while CSA is on respirators. Well done Air Serbia
ReplyDeleteImagine blaming Marek for the collapse of Alitalia, Malev and CSA haha
Deleteif I read into the earlier comment, I think he/she means that he comes into the role of CEO without having a solid record of successful airlines behind him. Unfortunately (for him), all of the airlines in which he worked in went into bankrupcy and that was pre-covid !
DeleteAs a govt owned airline - in other words, a publicly owned enterprise - wasn't the Govt supposed to run a "konkurs" for this position ? If so, I didn't see one ... unless Air Serbia is exempt from having to do so. Does anyone know ?
Delete@Vlad MR. Marek was in top managerial positions in those companies, sales director, CCO, vice president in final years. So, I can agree with you he is not only responsible for that situation, but as you can see pattern exists.
DeleteKonkurs? Are you still working in OOUR? Take a look at the calendar, it's 2021.
DeleteHe means a public call for a new CEO. It's a legit point.
DeleteMaybe he will be something called VD or whatever it's called but yes there should have been a public call.
DeleteI was hoping for someone truly capable and experienced. I wished Serbia would cash out and get a competent foreigner like that Mueller guy that transformed Aer Lingus into what it is today.
He is not VD he is CEO. Air Serbia is not a javno preduzece, the CEO is selected by the Supervisory board which is made up of state and Etihad representatives.
DeleteAlso term is 4 years. Kondic from 2013- January 1 2018, Naysmith 2018 - January 1 2022, Marek from January 1 2022.
DeleteWhy is he so hated by some anons here? Guess it's one or two guys that are obsessed with him.
ReplyDeleteSeems to be more than just two guys from what I can see. I think he's disliked because he presents the situation much better than it really is.
DeleteHaving worked with Mr Marek for some time, I can say that he is a very good choice to succeed Mr Naysmith as CEO.
ReplyDeleteHe has been very progressive with his initiatives in JU and has handled this crisis period well.
I like and respect Mr Naysmith too, but sometimes it's good to change things up a bit and try a new approach.
To all you commenters out there trying to tie this to an opportunity to expand longhaul:
You can't have both of these things
1) Have JU operate as a private company would and reduce or remove any government support
2) Expand the highly risky, and usually highly unprofitable, flying of longhaul routes in this part of the world.
You have to pick a side!
Good luck to JU.
Onwards and upwards!
Either stop JFK route or expand long haul. No room for hypocrisy.
DeleteMarek seems able to act quickly and understand opportunities and advantages for Air Serbia. We have seen him talk about some really good JU moves in the past year/two.
DeleteI have no doubt he will realize A321XLR lease rates in 2024/5 will be much higher than current A330-200 lease rates and will add more A330 for long haul as pandemic winds down in 2022.
"1) Have JU operate as a private company would and reduce or remove any government support"
DeleteThat's very naïve for someone who works at Air Serbia. Hub and spoke airlines of similar size in the wider region have no option but to have some form of support. Only once you get close to Aegean's size you can talk about independence.
I am not throwing stones, really I am not, but it is peculiar that so far Dancan Neysmith has been:
ReplyDelete1. CFO Alitalia - Finances in Alitalia... "Mamma Mia!"
2. Etihad Airways - VP Financial Reporting... would they be in such a mess if Financial Reporting was impeccable.
Since I have no input into what the guy actually did for Air Serbia, I can only wish him well and cyberwave at him while he is going on his merry way.
Whoever this Jiri may be, I have a hunch that he has a fighting spirit. If he becomes CEO manager of yet another doomed copany, his personal valie will dimish significantly in the business circles. He has to fight. Hard. So, the King is dead, long live the King.
*value
DeleteNo Serbian CEOs. Sadly, this shows that the new Air Serbia of 2013 is now managed by foreigners. oh well, good luck to Jiri
ReplyDeleteBecause all the Setbian CEOs of Jat Airways did such a phenomenal job.
DeleteYou don't bring those back. There are hundreds of competent Serbs working abroad in well known companies.
DeletePitty K. Kucko didn't apply for AS CEO position- companies he helmed are still in business and it would would be great source of many debates and laughs on this forum ;-)
ReplyDeleteor, taking another view, pity that OU didn't headhunt Mr Marek prior to him securing the JU CEO role. He would have made such a HUGE difference to OU. Anyone would be better than who they have at the moment
DeleteChoosing Marek is what many big companies would have done: hire from within. That said, I am certain Air Serbia will prosper under his leadership because at some point covid must end and Air Serbia must grow due to market demand.
ReplyDelete