Air Canada has named a new chief executive and president, moving to turn the page months after the head of the airline resigned amid questions over his ability to speak French. In announcing the appointment, the company was careful to note that its incoming leader communicates in both official languages, a pointed detail given the language controversy that shadowed his predecessor.
The airline said that Anko van der Werff will take on the new role in January, stepping into the top job at one of the country's most closely watched companies. His arrival will mark a fresh chapter for the national carrier as it looks to move beyond a bruising period for its public image.
Van der Werff comes to the position with an extensive international background in the aviation industry. He is currently the head of Scandinavian Airlines, and over the course of his career he has led airlines in Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, giving him experience across several major markets around the world.
His appointment follows the resignation of Michael Rousseau, who announced his retirement earlier this year. Rousseau's departure closed out a tenure that had been marked, in its final stretch, by a controversy that put the airline's handling of Canada's official languages under an uncomfortable spotlight.
That controversy centred on a message Rousseau had released. According to CBC, he had put out a controversial English-only condolence message about a deadly crash, a decision that drew criticism and fed into wider questions about his ability to communicate in French, one of the country's two official languages.
By emphasizing that van der Werff is able to communicate in both official languages, Air Canada appeared to be directly addressing the sensitivities that had surrounded the leadership transition. For a national airline operating across a bilingual country, the ability of its top executive to speak both English and French carries weight well beyond the boardroom.