Ethiopian Airlines Group’s new CEO is Mesfin Tasew

On March 23, 2022, the Board of Management of Ethiopian Airlines Group announced Mr. Mesfin Tasew Bekele’s appointment as Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines Group, with effect from March 23, 2022. Mr Mesfin has been appointed as the successor of Tewolde GebreMariam, the previous CEO of the Airline company, whose request for an early retirement owing to health difficulties was granted by the board of directors.

Michael Mesfin has 38 years of airline management and operations experience, with a focus on aircraft maintenance and engineering as well as purchasing and IT. He has also worked in the areas of capability development and capacity building. He has also worked in the areas of development of corporate strategies, airline operation management, and corporate leadership.

Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Open University of the United Kingdom, Master of Science (MSc) in Electrical Engineering with a concentration in Communications Engineering from Addis Ababa University, and Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering (BSc) from Addis Ababa University are among his qualifications.

“I would like to express my congratulations to Mr Mesfin on his new job, and I have all confidence in his talents,” stated Mr. Girma Wake, Chairman of the airline’s Board of Directors. We think that Mr Mesfin will take the airline to even higher heights of success, ensuring that it remains on a path that will allow it to continue to thrive for many generations to come.

I encourage Ethiopian’s 17,000 workers, as well as the airline’s board of directors, to stand behind the new Group CEO in order to keep the airline flying high. We are also grateful for the outstanding achievements made by the previous Group CEO,” said the chairman.

“I am thrilled and humbled to have been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines Group, for which I have worked in different capacities for over four decades,” Mr Mesfin Tassew stated in response. My new position provides me with the chance to continue the rapid and profitable expansion of our beloved airline and to propel it to the next level of success. I appeal on all of my colleagues at Ethiopian to band together and push forward in order to achieve even greater success.”

Mr Mesfin has been a significant contributor in the design and implementation of initiatives that have helped the airline to become a leader in the African skies and beyond over his 38 years of service. Mr Mesfin has served in a variety of positions during his career.

He assumed responsibilities that included, but were not limited to, overall maintenance of the Ethiopian fleet, capability and capacity development, project management of the Maintenance and Engineering Division’s automation project, and project management of aircraft acquisition projects, among others.

ASKY Airlines has been under Mr. Mesfin’s leadership since 2021, and he has guided the airline through a period of successful expansion up to the time of his appointment as Chairman and CEO. From 2010 until 2021, he worked as Chief Operating Officer of Ethiopian Airlines, where he was responsible for ensuring that the airline’s operations were efficient and cost effective by improving procedures and expanding internal resources to meet the demands of the airline’s expansion plan.

Also serving as Vice President of Maintenance and Engineering from 2006 to 2010, Chief Information Officer between 1998 and 2006, Manager of Planning and Automation for the Maintenance and Engineering Division from 1995 to 1997, and Avionics Engineer and Supervisor for the Avionics Engineering Group between 1984 and 1986.

He has participated in a number of local and international seminars on topics such as leadership, the aviation sector, and general management. He obtained instruction in a variety of subjects, including leadership and airline operations management, aviation rules, and aircraft maintenance. Mr. Mesfin was named Outstanding Graduate of the Year in 1984 by the Addis Ababa University Faculty of Technology, and he received a gold medal for his efforts.