Air Canada Appoints Anko Van der Werff as New CEO Amid Focus on Bilingual Leadership

Air Canada has announced the appointment of Anko Van der Werff, currently the president and chief executive officer of Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), as its next president and CEO. The transition is scheduled to occur by January 2027, following the retirement of Michael Rousseau, who will step down on August 31 after 19 years with the airline.

Van der Werff, a 50-year-old Dutch national, will join Air Canada after a career spanning more than 25 years in the international aviation sector. He grew up near Groningen in the Netherlands and holds a master’s degree in law from Leiden University. Additionally, he has completed executive studies at Harvard Business School. Van der Werff is married with children and describes himself as a family man and lifelong sports enthusiast, participating in football, tennis, and padel, and regularly playing football with colleagues at SAS.

His professional trajectory includes management roles at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (now Air France-KLM S.A.), senior commercial positions at Qatar Airways, and a tenure as executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Aeroméxico. Prior to his current role at SAS, Van der Werff served as president and chief executive of Colombia-based Avianca S.A. During his leadership at Avianca, he developed a turnaround strategy known as “Avianca 2021,” which was credited by analysts with improving the airline’s performance prior to the global onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company subsequently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a development described by RBC Dominion Securities Inc. analyst James McGarragle as prompted by external factors rather than management decisions.

At SAS, Van der Werff assumed leadership in 2021 at a time described by analysts as “deep pandemic distress.” He led the airline through a controlled bankruptcy, helping it emerge with new ownership, a restructured cost base, and signs of recovering profitability. According to McGarragle, these experiences demonstrate Van der Werff’s ability to execute disciplined transformations in challenging environments—a skillset Air Canada’s board identified as essential for the company’s future.

The selection of Van der Werff follows a comprehensive global search that, according to Air Canada, included a number of performance criteria. Among these was the ability to communicate in French, reflecting the airline’s obligations under the Official Languages Act to provide services in both English and French, as well as its Montreal headquarters and national profile. Air Canada stated in its press release that Van der Werff speaks Dutch and Spanish fluently, and is able to communicate in French, English, Italian, and Swedish to varying degrees. The airline’s website provided versions of Van der Werff’s introductory statement in both English and French, with Van der Werff acknowledging the importance of serving Canadians in both official languages and describing it as a fundamental responsibility of the airline.

The emphasis on bilingualism in the CEO search was underscored by the circumstances surrounding Rousseau’s departure. Rousseau faced significant criticism after delivering an English-only message of condolence following a fatal collision at New York’s LaGuardia Airport involving Air Canada Express Flight 8646. The crash resulted in the deaths of both pilots, including one from Quebec, and sent several passengers to hospital. Rousseau’s four-minute video message included only brief French phrases—"bonjour" and "merci"—with the remainder delivered in English and accompanied by French subtitles. The response drew backlash from French-speaking Canadians, leading to Rousseau being summoned by Parliament’s official languages committee and facing public criticism from political leaders, including Prime Minister Mark Carney and then Quebec premier François Legault.

This incident followed earlier controversy in 2021, when Rousseau delivered a speech in Montreal almost entirely in English, prompting then deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland to write to Air Canada’s board urging Rousseau to improve his French. Rousseau later expressed regret that his lack of French proficiency had overshadowed the tragedy of the LaGuardia crash and acknowledged that despite efforts to learn the language, he remained unable to communicate adequately in French.

During the transition period before Van der Werff’s arrival, Air Canada’s executive committee will report directly to the board of directors. The company reiterated that the search for a new CEO was global and considered internal as well as external candidates.

Industry analysts have generally responded positively to Van der Werff’s appointment. Cameron Doerksen, an analyst at National Bank of Canada Capital Markets, noted Van der Werff’s extensive international experience and successful turnaround of SAS as significant advantages. McGarragle of RBC described him as a “credible, experienced aviation executive with a genuine track record of navigating complexity” and characterized his hiring as a “net positive” for Air Canada.

Van der Werff’s appointment comes at a time when Air Canada is navigating a competitive and evolving global airline industry, with pressures ranging from post-pandemic recovery to regulatory requirements and public expectations regarding language and cultural representation. His background in restructuring airlines and managing through crises is seen as aligning with the board’s priorities for stability and transformation.

In a statement accompanying the announcement, Van der Werff described his new role as an honour, emphasizing his intention to advance Air Canada’s ambitions and strategy. The airline’s communications highlighted his prior board service in international aviation and business organizations, suggesting an emphasis on both operational leadership and engagement with broader industry developments.

The transition marks a significant leadership change for Air Canada, with attention from stakeholders on how Van der Werff’s global experience and linguistic abilities will shape the company’s direction and its relationship with Canada’s diverse linguistic communities.