Virgin Nigeria gets CEO
Virgin Nigeria has appointed a CEO by the name of Simon Harford, a British citizen with previous experience at British Airways and GO, its defunct low-cost carrier. He has been in charge of e-business, strategy development and performance evaluation (source: google search)
From Business Day Online:
Virgin Nigeria gets chief executive officer
2004-10-22 08:17:21
By: John Osadolor
As part of the preparations to get the new flag carrier, Virgin Nigeria, airborne, a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) has been appointed for the airline. He is Simon Harford, a Briton.
Until his appointment as the start-up chief executive officer of Virgin which is scheduled to start operation early 2005, Harford was an aviation consultant in Europe.
He was also at the British Airways as a top management staff and had been involved in midwifing two airlines in Europe. He was a co-founder of GO, the low fare, no-price airline in Europe.
Harford who held an interactive section with a journalists in Lagos Thursday, said Virgin Nigeria is set to recruit its staff, adding that majority of the airline’s staff would be recruited before it starts operation.
This, according to him, is to enable the new staff imbibe the corporate culture of Virgin Group which is based on excellence, commitment, adventure and global standard.
Harford said the airline has gone far with preparations to start operation, but would not give details. According to him, Virgin would fly everywhere Nigerians would want to travel to, adding: “the customers will decide where we will fly to from the insight we have about the needs of our customers; we will fly domestic, regional, continental and intercontinental routes.”
The Federal Government had on September 28, signed a Memorandum of Mutual Understanding (MEMU) with Virgin Atlantic Airways to establish and operate a flag carrier for Nigeria.
Richard Branson, the flamboyant British billionaire and head of the Virgin Group signed on behalf of the airline, while Isa Yuguda, Aviation Minister, signed on behalf of the Federal Government.
Nigerian institutional investors are expected to own 51 per cent equity in the airline, while Virgin Atlantic Airways owns 49 per cent.
---