Air Canada has named Anko Van der Werff as its next president and chief executive officer.
The current Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) leader will take over the role by the end of January 2027.
Van der Werff will also join Air Canada's board of directors, succeeding Michael Rousseau, who announced earlier this year that he would retire after 19 years with the airline.
"Our Board of Directors was impressed by the quality of experienced executives from around the world who expressed interest in the role," said Vagn Sørensen, Chair of the Board.
"We are delighted to have attracted and recruited an executive of Mr. Van der Werff's stature to lead Air Canada. He has an exceptional breadth of international aviation experience and a proven 25-year track record, including his most recent forward-looking executive leadership at Scandinavian Airlines, Avianca Group, and Aeroméxico and earlier at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (now Air France-KLM) and Qatar Airways. We are confident he will drive further value-creating growth and transformation while maintaining our commitment to disciplined capital allocation."
RELATED: Air Canada CEO Steps Down
The appointment follows what Air Canada described as a comprehensive global search for its next chief executive. The process evaluated candidates against several performance criteria, including the ability to communicate in French.
Van der Werff currently serves as president and CEO of SAS, where he has led the airline since 2021 through a period of restructuring and strategic change. Before that, he was CEO of Avianca and previously held senior leadership positions at Aeroméxico, Qatar Airways and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.
"Air Canada is a globally recognized airline leader. It is an honour to be chosen to lead this iconic Canadian company as it advances its ambitions and strategy, builds on its award-winning employee culture and customer value proposition, and prepares for an even brighter future," said Anko Van der Werff.
"I look forward to working closely with Air Canada's talented executive team and with all employees to fulfil our commitments to shareholders and customers. I am excited about relocating to Montréal and eager to get started."
Rousseau will officially retire on Aug. 31, 2026, but will remain available during the transition period. Until Van der Werff assumes the role, Air Canada's Executive Committee will report directly to the company's board of directors.
RELATED: Air Canada CEO Message Stirs Debate
"The Board is grateful to Michael Rousseau for his outstanding leadership and extraordinary contributions, which are in large part responsible for the enviable position Air Canada enjoys among global carriers. We thank him for that legacy and for his support with the transition," Sørensen said.
Van der Werff brings more than 25 years of airline industry experience spanning Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. He served on the Board of Governors of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) until June 2026 and has also held board positions with several international aviation, technology and business organizations.
A native of the Netherlands, Van der Werff holds a master's degree in law from Leiden University and has completed executive studies at Harvard Business School. In addition to Dutch and English, he speaks French and has proficiency in Spanish, Italian and Swedish.
Topics From This Article to Explore
