Will he stay or will he go?

June 1st 2024

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When His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates Group Chairman and Chief Executive, announced a swathe of top management appointments on July 8, the question top of mind among industry watchers was more about another Emirates Airline leader. Read More » Could these appointments be a precursor to another chairman’s statement – this time around that Sir Tim Clark had decided to retire and Emirates had chosen on his successor?

Sir Tim, soon to celebrate his 75th birthday, had planned to retire in mid-2020, but the pandemic changed his mind and he stayed the course to the airline’s recovery. At the International Air Transport Association AGM in June, which Emirates Airline hosted, he looked as if “he would at the airline forever”, said one industry observer. But Sir Tim watchers suggest the chairman’s addition of deputy president to the titles of chief operations officer, Adel Al Redha and chief commercial officer, Adnan Kazim, indicate they are the contenders for the top job if Sir Tim decides to step down. In an interview in late 2023, he said “I cannot stay indefinitely”, but that was as far as he was prepared to go - at least on the record.

If Sir Tim does opt to retire after 39 years and several months at the Gulf carrier, he will go out on a high. In fiscal year 2023-2024, Emirates Group booked a record US$5.1 billion profit on revenue of US$37.4 billion. Each employee received a bonus of 20 weeks pay.

Passenger numbers have well and truly overtaken pre-COVID volumes and cargo has recovered from the trough of last year.

Commenting on the new appointments, HH Sheikh Ahmed said: “They reflect the expanded scale, breadth and ambition of our business. I am heartened we have been able to fill these roles with internal talent, including UAE nationals (7). The Emirates Group will continue to invest in being an employer of choice for the best talent in the industry, to deliver world-leading products and services and reflect Dubai’s vision to be number one in everything we do.”