As one that does not know the company or the individual that is being referred to, but has been in a similar position, I'd like to offer this thought:
If a mid-level manager (which is what a Chief Pilot is) is popular with the troops under him/her, then it can be assumed that s/he might not be all that popular with his/her superiors.
Standing up for the troops is not a popular activity with airline managements of the early 21st century and may well lead to a parting of the ways.
The average airline manager of today is focussing on the six month bottomline and is not interested what damage might be done to the long term health of the company