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Who is Tewolde Gebremariam? Air India appoints former Ethiopian Airlines chief as CEO

Who is Tewolde Gebremariam? Air India appoints former Ethiopian Airlines chief as CEO

Tewolde Gebremariam, Air India CEO Photograph: (AFP)

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Air India has appointed former Ethiopian Airlines chief Tewolde Gebremariam as its new CEO and MD. Here's his background and why the Tata Group selected him.

Air India on Wednesday appointed aviation veteran and former Ethiopian ​Airlines chief Tewolde Gebremariam as its new Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director. He will be replacing Campbell Wilson, at a time when the company is facing an ethical crisis since the tragic crash last year that killed ⁠260 people and is grappling with financial loss.

“The objective was to identify a leader with a proven record of managing mega-scale airline turnarounds, delivering operational excellence, fostering a strong culture of safety and service, and driving profitable expansion. Following an intensive evaluation process, the Board unanimously concluded that Mr Gebremariam possesses the ideal combination of leadership, deep operational expertise, and strategic execution capability required for Air India’s next phase of growth,” said the Tata group in a press release on August 5.

The Tata Group-owned airline is facing heavy losses, with heightened regulatory ​scrutiny ⁠after the 2025 crash as well as ​operational disruptions linked to the Middle ​East ⁠conflict. The group claims that it has evaluated Gebremariam as possessing “the ideal combination of leadership, deep operational expertise, and strategic execution capability required for Air India’s next phase of growth.”

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Who is Tewolde Gebremariam?

Tewolde Gebremariam is an Ethiopian aviation executive and the former Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines. He has “a proven record of managing mega-scale airline turnarounds”. He transformed Ethiopian Airlines into Africa's largest and one of its most profitable airline groups, significantly expanding its fleet, route network and international presence. Under his leadership, Ethiopian Airlines became one of the fastest-growing global carriers and strengthened its position as Africa's leading aviation hub. Before joining Air India, he served as an adviser to the Ethiopian Prime Minister on economic affairs and chaired several aviation-related organisations.

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Kushal Deb

Kushal Deb is a mid-career journalist with seven years of experience and a strong academic background. Passionate about research, storytelling, writes about economics, policy, cult...Read More