Avianca Confirms Anko Van Der Werff Appointed As New CEO

Avianca Holdings S.A. and  Avianca S.A. (NYSE: AVH) (BVC: PFAVH) announced today in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that, in board meetings held today, Anko van der Werff was appointed as Executive President and CEO of Avianca Holdings S.A. and as President of Aerovías del Continente Americano S.A. Avianca.

Anko van der Werff has19 years of experience in the airline industry in companies such as Air France-KLM, Qatar and Aeromexico. His last position was in the Aeromexico Group, where he served as Executive Commercial Vice President for the last five years. He also led key industry processes at Qatar Airways and Air France-KLM.

Van Der Werff is slated to take office July 15

On the appointment of Van der Werff as the Avianca’s new CEO, Roberto Kriete, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Avianca Holdings, said: “Anko becomes part of our team to help us lead this challenging industry moment. His great experience in international airlines will not only allow us to continue our transformation, it will also give us the opportunity to strengthen the loyalty of our customers, to enliven the commitment of our employees and to strengthen the competitiveness of our company and its financial situation.”

Anko van der Werff’s background

Avianca CEO Anko van der Werff

Van der Werff’s last position was in Aeromexico where he served for five years as executive vice president and commercial vice president, where he was responsible for corporate strategy, network planning and itineraries, alliances, pricing & revenue management, sales, distribution, e-commerce and marketing.

Before joining Aeromexico, Anko van der Werff was senior vice president of pricing & revenue management and global sales & distribution of Qatar Airways. He also led KLM’s commercial strategy in the United Kingdom and Ireland, as well as in the Nordic countries. He also had roles with Northwest Airlines and Air France at the beginning of his professional career.

Van der Werff holds a Law degree from the University of Leiden, The Netherlands. He also holds an MBA from Harvard, United States. He is fluent in English, Dutch and Spanish, and he has been a visiting professor at different international university institutions such as Cranfield, in the United Kingdom, Bad Honnef, in Germany and the Qatar campus of Texas A&M University.

With the arrival of Anko van der Werff, Renato Covelo, who assumed the presidency on an interim basis, returns to his position as general secretary and legal vice president of the company.