Tewolde is hailed by the Board of Directors for the spectacular success he brought to the 76 years old Ethiopian Airlines.
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Tewolde Gebremariam has resigned as CEO of Ethiopian Airlines. The Board of Director’s accepted his request for early retirement on March 23,2020 – as disclosed by the airline in a statement released on the same day.
Tewolde has been working for five months from the United States while getting medical treatment in the United States. The nature of his illness is unspecified.
However, he wrote a message for his colleagues, which was shared on social media. It is featured below :
Dear Colleagues,
Greetings
As you know I have been challenged with health issues since almost a year now and as a result I have been working from the USA for the last five months.
Under my current health issues and medical treatment I am not able to return to the office any time soon. Although we have been working together virtually, the situation can not continue since my tasks need physical attendance at the head office.
Hence; I decided to retire early and focus on my medical treatment.
The decision has not been easy as it means a separation from my beloved and shining airline after 37 years of active duty in various areas out of which 11 years and 3 months as GCEO. However; health comes first and I need to focus for full recovery.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you very much for all the support you have given me in leading our beloved airline in its remarkable growth agenda. I am very grateful and very appreciative for your commitment, dedication and hard work.
You (the 17 thousand strong workforce) have shown the world what seemed to be impossible and it has pleasantly surprised the entire aviation industry with exceptional performance in all measurements against all odds. We have exceeded our own goals of vision 2025 which were considered unachievable by industry experts.
Together, we have done history in the last decade in which we have grown the airline from one Billion USD annual turn over to 4.5 Billion, from 33 airplanes to 130 airplanes from 3 million passengers to 12 million passengers (pre-COVID) and in general we have expanded the airline by four fold in all measurements. We have built more than USD 700 million worth of vital infrastructure like Africa’s biggest hotel, Cargo terminal, MRO hangars and shops, Aviation Academy, Full Flight Simulators etc. …
I also want to mention our exceptional crisis management in the last two years of the most devastating global pandemic crisis. Our resilience, agility, perseverance and can-do attitude has enabled the airline to register historical record profit and manage the crisis without any bailout money, without any employees layoff and salary reductions. You have been superb.
I ask you to extend all the same support to my successor and continue the hard work and keep our beloved airline shining high in the sky.
Thanking you very much again, I wish you all the best of success, health and happiness.
Thanks,
Tewolde Gebremariam
GCEO
Ethiopian Airlines
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I wish this over accomplished countryman a speedy recovery.
Interesting post, thanks for sharing.
No doubt that Tewolde has been a gifted, talented, and courageous patriot in leading the EAL despite various domestic and international challenges. It is unfortunate to hear that he has a health problem and our hope is he recovers soon, and return back to the aviation industry, this time as .a CEO of another airlines in Ethiopia that cooperates and competes with EAL.
Why not? the sky is the limit!
OPEN LETTER
17 February 2022
Mr Tewolde Gebremariam
CEO of Ethiopian Airlines
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Dear Mr Tewolde Gebremariam
First of all, I would like to express my happiness on hearing that Ethiopian Airlines became the best airlines in Africa for the last two years. Indeed, this is a tremendous achievement for the Ethiopian airlines. What makes it so special is that these winnings happened during times of critical world-wide economic crisis. This remarkable achievement clearly reflects your admirable hard work, dedication and management skills.
I heard this marvellous news when I boarded on the airplane just a few minutes before the plane took-off from Addis to London, shortly after midnight on 1 st January 2020. I was so delighted when the head-hostess with sweet, smooth and an excellent voice announced this sensational and historical news. This announcement gave me enormous happiness, reminding me how lucky I was to travel with Ethiopian airlines – the champion and triumphant airlines!
I am aware of the fact that Ethiopian has been selected as the best airlines several times before these two consecutive winnings. Therefore, these recent winnings are not something new for Ethiopian. Ethiopian is a frequent winner. As you know, Sir, what makes these recent winnings so special and historical is that they happened at times of so critical world-wide economic crisis due to the corona disease. You amazingly took swift actions to fully exploit the world-wide economic vacuum by changing so many of your airplanes to be used as air-cargos. Obviously, this decisive and outstanding action has resulted in giving you a great deal of respect and admiration.
Why do I say that the news is of great historical value? I do strongly believe that this
achievement was obtained thanks to your superb leadership. You helped Ethiopian not only to survive, but, indeed, to thrive too during times of these dreadful years of lock-down. What is more, your highly organized and admirable management skills have also helped Ethiopian airlines to win year after year. You have made the airlines, the people and country to feel so great and proud. Your special place in the history of the airlines and country is surely assured.
Why do I say “your highly organized and admirable management skills”? It is with great pleasure that I say “Yes” again and again. I have seen so many wonderful works being done swiftly by your colleagues in International airports in Asmara and Addis Ababa on the days I was travelling to London on 31st December 2021 and in the early hours of the New Year of 2022. The kind of works your highly trained managers are doing ought to be considered as miracles.
Please, Sir, allow me to say the kind of services I received from your managers and
supervisors, whose help and cooperation I felt to be beyond my expectation. I was astounded by the kind of concern and willingness they clearly showed to help me. Specifically, the kind of services I received during check-in and boarding was extremely helpful.
Two amazing helpful actions taken by your colleagues strike me most. Firstly, the
remarkable work and help given to me by the station manager in Asmara, Mr. Alemu Dubiesa Hieye, will remain with me throughout my life. Indeed, it is appropriate to thank him here for his kindness, concern and cooperation when I was travelling to London via Addis Ababa.
I reached at International Asmara airport late because I was faced with difficulties in getting a completed corona form on time in that morning. When he saw me at the check-in desk, he told his colleague to have the checking-in desk on but the computer failed to start. When he realized the computer failure, he ran rapidly to his carrel or office on the first floor at the airport. In a matter of two or three minutes, he came back with manual luggage tags. The magic work was done rapidly. Had he not helped me during that critical moment, I could not have managed to travel to London on that day. I could have missed the flight. As it is obvious, the consequence of this would have been enormous; paying for a new ticket and arranging for another corona test, etc.
Obviously, this superman manager of action has proved to be star product of your skilful and effective management! I was able to follow every second of his action when Mr. Alemu Dubiesa Hieye was directing and working so hard to make sure that I get in the airplane on time simply just before it took-off. He did all this kind of miraculous work because he cares so much for passengers like myself! He remains being my great hero for 2022. If it is possible, I would like to recommend him to be considered as the best station manager of Ethiopian airlines for 2022.
Secondly, I was also able to notice how hard-working your colleagues are at the International Bole (Addis Ababa) airport. As you know the transfer desk is so busy specially at 7 p.m. I have clearly noticed their patience and understandings. Specifically, a supervisor – who wears
high vz jacket kept on running from one computer to the other computer to solve problems associated with tickets and another check-in manager who wears the Ethiopian airlines uniform kept on running towards the edge of
the escalator, saying: “flight to Kigali … Washington D.C. … London, etc.”. All of them are so hard-working people who are trying their best to make sure that their passengers reach their destination on time happily.
May God bless you, all members of staff and crews
May God bless Ethiopia, the people and its precious treasure Ethiopian airlines.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Haddis Gebre-Meskel, London.