CONGRATULATIONS to the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of Solomon Airlines, Capt. Brett Williams Gerbers and welcome to one of the most controversial State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) in Solomon Islands.

Your role is definitely for the faint-hearted with past CEOs lasting no more than one tenure and some even exiting earlier with the exception of controversial hard man Capt. Ron Sumsum, who lasted an unprecedented term of more than a decade.

The immediate challenge will be how Capt. Gerbers can work with the Board that has little aviation regulatory experience, a deficit which was evident in recent non-compliance of the initial appointment of Capt. John McCormick. All was going well until this paper raised some serious concerns that the Board rescinded the appointment of Capt. McCormick after wasting the national carrier’s hard-earned cash of some AUD75, 000 (about SBD453, 750)..

Civil aviation authorities have also confirmed that the process of getting the new CEO was also non-compliant as the Board had gone ahead and appointed Capt. Gerbers last September 2016 without first seeking a “Fit and Proper” approval from the from Civil Aviation authorities.

It has transpired that a questionable understanding between the Board and Civil Aviation was reached to accept the process in total reverse as Capt. Gerbers was only interviewed by Civil Aviation and Board members earlier this month (January 2017). One only hopes this arrangement does not compromise safety considerations of the traveling public.

It will be interesting to see how long it will take before the new CEO buckles under the weight of political pressure often exerted through the politically appointed Chairman, Malaysian logger, Austin Holmes.

Sources within the airline industry have reported that the Chairman was allegedly putting undue pressure on the new CEO with regards to re-engaging former employees including Capt. Gibson Galo and other employees who were terminated from the airline.

If these allegations are true (as I have not been able to get a response from the Chairman and others) then one thing is for sure. Should the CEO give in to the Chairman’s alleged practice of micro-managing SOEs, then we will have an ineffective CEO even before he started. It is also true of the fact that such interference will also destroy whatever the best laid out strategies the CEO may espouse.

The CEO in his first days has sadly shown his naivety and perhaps inexperience which may be forgiven, given this is his first job as CEO of an airline. He has made the same rhetoric that we have heard for many years and yes, we may not be as advanced as others. We however are not fools.

As a matter of fact, we have seen many who come and go without fulfilling their promises.

Stating the obvious, Safety is the airline’s first priority however safety is a given for Solomon Islands traveling public as we have witnessed an unblemished safety record in Capt. Ron Sumsum’s 10 years with no loss of lives or aircraft.

New Aircraft and localisation is what politicians like to hear – the reality on the ground is much more complex than that. I would urge the CEO to refrain from comments that he may soon realize are beyond his sole control.

On the positives Capt. Gerbers will commence with an airline that has already been built under Capt. Sumsum’s able leadership.

For example, he is walking into an airline with an established A320 international operations that has IATA recognised accreditation, a rebuilt domestic fleet of Dash8, Twin Otters and Islanders, established codeshare partnerships with regional airlines and Qantas Airways, Winner of the Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) Prime Minister’s Business of the Year 2013 Award, a brand new hangar, one of the best offices in town and a brand new top of the range Toyota Prado he will enjoy, to name just a few.

It must be said that Capt. Sumsum walked in with none of these luxuries and I for one gave him no chance and here we are 10 years later with at least an airline the new CEO can build on.

One area the new CEO would care to watch closely is the in-house union, which I believe has recently mobilized and is in the process of rejoining the National Workers’ Union.

The best intentions of a new Prado Land Cruiser for the CEO and brand new vehicles for management will not go well with general staff, especially if their simple demands are not addressed, continuous stress on staff due to long aircraft delays and a Board that unnecessarily spent AUD75, 000 on a failed CEO recruiting process.

This is an area where Capt. Sumsum and I agreed to disagree when he immobilised the union under his tenure by strong arm tactics. He has however managed to establish strong staff support from management and staff either through voluntary support or out of fear.

The union issue must never be ignored nor underestimated by the Board, CEO and Management, Your biggest asset is not aircraft, offices, money or wonderful plans. The very staff you now have the privilege to lead is.

Today the Board and Management will host a SICCI “Business after Five Event” to welcome Capt. Gerbers. My only observation is that it does not bode well that the CEO has seen it fit to entertain the big part of town before even giving his staff the courtesy to formally meet him first with similar fanfare.