{"id":17784,"date":"2026-07-18T08:13:46","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T08:13:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=17784"},"modified":"2026-07-18T08:13:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T08:13:46","slug":"anko-van-der-werff-air-canadas-new-chief-executive-signals-a-different-kind-of-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?p=17784","title":{"rendered":"Anko van der Werff: Air Canada\u2019s new chief executive signals a different kind of leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 300px 160px; gap: 2px; width: 460px; background: #eee; padding: 2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u6574\u884c\u5bbd\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876674\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column: 1\/-1; width: 460px; height: 90px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876676\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u5de6\u4fa7\u7ad6\u6392 -->\r\n  <div style=\"height: 250px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876672\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  <div style=\"height: 500px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876680\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u6469\u5929\u697c\uff08\u548c\u5de6\u4fa7\u5b8c\u5168\u5bf9\u9f50\uff09 -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row: 3\/5; height: 750px; background: #ccc; display: grid; place-items: center;\">\r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e2\" data-zoneid=\"5876678\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n  \r\n  <script async type=\"application\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/a.magsrv.com\/ad-provider.js\"><\/script> \r\n <ins class=\"eas6a97888e6\" data-zoneid=\"5876682\"><\/ins> \r\n <script>(AdProvider = window.AdProvider || []).push({\"serve\": {}});<\/script>\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-right:0;padding-left:0\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Air Canada has chosen a very different type of leader for its next chapter. The Montreal-based carrier has announced that <strong>Anko van der Werff<\/strong>, currently president and chief executive of <strong>Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)<\/strong>, will become Air Canada\u2019s next president and CEO and join its board by the end of January 2027. He succeeds <strong>Michael Rousseau<\/strong>, whose retirement takes effect on August 31, 2026, after 19 years with the airline and five years as CEO.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Van der Werff arrives with a broad international aviation r\u00e9sum\u00e9. A Dutch executive, he has held senior roles across Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, including CEO of Avianca, chief commercial officer at Aerom\u00e9xico, and senior positions at Qatar Airways and KLM\/Air France-KLM. SAS lists him as born in 1975, educated at Leiden University with a law degree and at Harvard Business School with an executive degree.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is not simply a change of name at the top of Air Canada. It looks more like a correction in tone, operating philosophy and public legitimacy. Rousseau\u2019s exit followed a bruising controversy over official languages after he delivered a condolence message largely in English following a fatal Air Canada Express crash at New York\u2019s LaGuardia Airport, in which two pilots died, one of them a French-speaking Quebecer. The message reportedly contained only \u201cbonjour\u201d and \u201cmerci\u201d in French, triggering criticism from Quebec politicians, the federal official languages sphere and Prime Minister Mark Carney, who called the decision a lack of judgment and compassion.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-what-might-be-different\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">What might be different?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Air Canada has framed Rousseau\u2019s departure as retirement and praised his contribution to the airline\u2019s position among global carriers. Yet the timing and wording of the succession are difficult to separate from the language controversy. Air Canada said its global search considered several criteria, \u201cincluding the ability to communicate in French,\u201d while Reuters reported that Carney had said it was \u201cabsolutely essential\u201d that the next CEO be fully bilingual.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Van der Werff\u2019s appointment therefore carries symbolic importance. Air Canada says he can communicate in French and English, while also speaking Dutch and having learned Spanish, Italian and Swedish to varying degrees during his career. In a prepared video to Air Canada employees, Reuters reported that he spoke in business-like French and said he likes \u201cto be close to the action, to listen, understand and work as part of a team.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That phrase may be the most revealing clue about how he intends to lead. Van der Werff has built a reputation as an operator who focuses on execution, punctuality and customer experience rather than corporate insulation. At SAS, he led through restructuring, alliance change and strategic repositioning, with the company saying that under his leadership it completed a comprehensive restructuring, strengthened its financial and operational position, joined SkyTeam, improved customer experience and became the most punctual airline in the world.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This emphasis on operational basics may matter greatly at Air Canada. Airlines do not win customer trust through slogans; they win it by getting aircraft away on time, resolving disruption, making loyalty programmes work, and ensuring passengers feel informed when things go wrong. In a World Aviation Festival interview, van der Werff underlined this bluntly, saying that \u201c70 per cent of a passenger\u2019s NPS score is running a smooth operation.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/www.digitaljournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/da0a04be44fd0f6d11e9d81f180ecf224ca7eecc.jpg\" alt=\"Air Canada says its chief executive will retire by the end of the third quarter, after backlash over his failure to issue condolences in both French and English for a fatal airport disaster\" class=\"wp-image-3839800\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Air Canada says its chief executive will retire by the end of the third quarter, after backlash over his failure to issue condolences in both French and English for a fatal airport disaster \u2013 Copyright AFP\/File TIMOTHY A. CLARY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"h-will-van-der-werff-embrace-ai\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Will van der Werff embrace AI?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Air Canada already has a substantial technology agenda. The airline has been building artificial intelligence solutions in-house since 2018 and employs more than 75 staff across data science, operations research, machine learning and data engineering. Air Canada has described AI tools for schedule optimisation, maintenance planning, customer query handling and policy simplification, including an on-time-performance schedule optimiser used by its Network Planning team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Where van der Werff may differ is in how technology is used. Rousseau publicly championed AI-powered personalisation, Wi-Fi expansion and digital concierge-type services, and Air Canada has continued to develop its New Distribution Capability platform, Aeroplan ecosystem and modern retailing infrastructure. Van der Werff is likely to push the same digital transformation further, but with a sharper operational lens: fewer abstract \u201cinnovation\u201d projects and more tools that reduce delays, improve recovery from disruption, and make customer communications faster, clearer and more multilingual.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is supported by his comments while at SAS. In a February 2026 Euronews interview, van der Werff described AI as \u201cnot just a buzzword\u201d and said SAS had identified \u201cfive big bets\u201d focused largely on improving customer experience. He also pointed to one highly practical use: using AI to rebuild schedules during storms and disruptions, cutting response times in an industry defined by uncertainty.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Air Canada, that could translate into an AI-driven operations culture in which predictive tools support crew planning, aircraft rotations, maintenance windows and passenger re-accommodation. Air Canada is already working on AI for maintenance scheduling and operational performance, including a maintenance planning tool intended to give up to two years of continuously updated planning rather than the shorter industry norm. Van der Werff\u2019s task will be to connect such projects to visible passenger outcomes<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He may also bring a more European form of stakeholder leadership. SAS has had to navigate restructuring, alliance migration, public scrutiny and increased Air France-KLM involvement, all while maintaining its brand identity. Its move from Star Alliance to SkyTeam required reorientation of long-time customers, new partnerships and expanded U.S. connectivity, while van der Werff described Net Promoter Score as becoming SAS\u2019s \u201choly grail.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That approach could alter Air Canada\u2019s tone. Rousseau was often perceived through the lens of financial stewardship and corporate continuity, with Air Canada crediting him for contributions during major challenges and opportunities. Van der Werff, by contrast, appears more likely to present himself as a customer-facing and employee-facing leader: visible, multilingual, operationally engaged and prepared to talk about the passenger experience as a measurable system rather than a branding exercise.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The French-language issue will remain an early test. Van der Werff does not arrive as a Quebec insider, and some observers have already questioned the depth of his French compared with the political expectations surrounding Air Canada\u2019s leadership. But the difference from Rousseau may be less about perfect fluency on day one and more about posture: willingness to communicate, to be seen trying, and to treat bilingualism not as a compliance burden but as part of Air Canada\u2019s social licence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Strategically, he inherits an airline with strong assets: a global network, Aeroplan, a growing digital retail platform, expanding NDC capability, and a planned fleet evolution including Airbus A321XLRs and Boeing 787-10 aircraft. He also inherits familiar industry pressures: fuel volatility, labour expectations, cost inflation, competition, sustainability pressures and passenger impatience with irregular operations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most plausible change is not a dramatic pivot but an acceleration. Expect van der Werff to focus on punctuality, alliance reach, disciplined capital allocation, digital retailing, AI-enabled disruption management and a stronger premium customer proposition. Air Canada\u2019s board has already signalled that it wants \u201cvalue-creating growth and transformation\u201d while maintaining disciplined capital allocation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- \u603b\u5bb9\u5668\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u5bbd908px Grid\u7d27\u51d1\u5e03\u5c40 -->\r\n<div style=\"display: grid; grid-template-columns: 728px 160px; gap:2px; width:908px; background:#eee; padding:2px;\">\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u901a\u680f\u9876\u90e8\uff1a\u6700\u5927\u6a2a\u5e45 908x258 \u8de8\u6574\u884c -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; height:258px; background:#ff6b6b; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114307\" data-width=\"908\" data-height=\"258\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114307});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u7b2c\u4e8c\u901a\u680f\uff1a728\u00d790 \u901a\u680f -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-column:1\/-1; 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display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114302\" data-width=\"133\" data-height=\"139\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114302});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n    <div style=\"height:125px; background:#91e7ac; display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n\t\r\n<!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114303\" data-width=\"125\" data-height=\"125\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114303});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n  <!-- \u53f3\u4fa7\u7ad6\u680f\uff1a160\u00d7600 \u6574\u5217\u9ad8\u5e7f\u544a -->\r\n  <div style=\"grid-row:3\/8; height:600px;  display:grid; place-items:center;\">\r\n    <!-- JuicyAds v3.0 -->\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async src=\"https:\/\/poweredby.jads.co\/js\/jads.js\"><\/script>\r\n<ins id=\"1114301\" data-width=\"160\" data-height=\"600\"><\/ins>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\" async>(adsbyjuicy = window.adsbyjuicy || []).push({'adzone':1114301});<\/script>\r\n<!--JuicyAds END-->\r\n  <\/div>\r\n\r\n<\/div><br \/>\n<br \/> Anko van der Werff: Air Canada\u2019s new chief executive signals a different kind of leadership<br \/>\n<br \/>#Anko #van #der #Werff #Air #Canadas #chief #executive #signals #kind #leadership<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Air Canada has chosen a very different type of leader for its next chapter. The&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17785,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[734,14414,7270,1299,3599,1159,4583,6181,1012,3336,14415],"class_list":["post-17784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-air","tag-anko","tag-canadas","tag-chief","tag-der","tag-executive","tag-kind","tag-leadership","tag-signals","tag-van","tag-werff"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/C-FNOG_-_Boeing_787-9_Dreamliner_-_Air_Canada_LHR_140423_cropped.jpg",1920,1082,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/C-FNOG_-_Boeing_787-9_Dreamliner_-_Air_Canada_LHR_140423_cropped-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/C-FNOG_-_Boeing_787-9_Dreamliner_-_Air_Canada_LHR_140423_cropped-300x169.jpg",300,169,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/C-FNOG_-_Boeing_787-9_Dreamliner_-_Air_Canada_LHR_140423_cropped-768x433.jpg",640,361,true],"large":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/C-FNOG_-_Boeing_787-9_Dreamliner_-_Air_Canada_LHR_140423_cropped-1024x577.jpg",640,361,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/C-FNOG_-_Boeing_787-9_Dreamliner_-_Air_Canada_LHR_140423_cropped-1536x866.jpg",1536,866,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/C-FNOG_-_Boeing_787-9_Dreamliner_-_Air_Canada_LHR_140423_cropped.jpg",1920,1082,false],"covernews-slider-full":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/C-FNOG_-_Boeing_787-9_Dreamliner_-_Air_Canada_LHR_140423_cropped-1115x715.jpg",1115,715,true],"covernews-slider-center":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/C-FNOG_-_Boeing_787-9_Dreamliner_-_Air_Canada_LHR_140423_cropped-800x500.jpg",800,500,true],"covernews-featured":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/C-FNOG_-_Boeing_787-9_Dreamliner_-_Air_Canada_LHR_140423_cropped-1024x577.jpg",1024,577,true],"covernews-medium":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/C-FNOG_-_Boeing_787-9_Dreamliner_-_Air_Canada_LHR_140423_cropped-540x340.jpg",540,340,true],"covernews-medium-square":["https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/C-FNOG_-_Boeing_787-9_Dreamliner_-_Air_Canada_LHR_140423_cropped-400x250.jpg",400,250,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?author=1"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/?cat=7\" rel=\"category\">Stories<\/a>","tag_info":"Stories","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17784"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17784\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/8657085.xyz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}