Etihad VP Roy Kinnea joins AIr Seychelles as new CEO

Air Seychelles today announced the appointment of Roy Kinnear as its new Chief Executive Officer, with effect from July 1, 2015.

Mr. Kinnear joins Air Seychelles from strategic partner Etihad Airways, where he held the position of Senior Vice President – Revenue Management and Planning, responsible for leading the airline’s revenue management, inventory control, pricing, and revenue forecasting. He replaces Manoj Papa.

The Board of Air Seychelles, chaired by Joël Morgan, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Transport, approved the appointment.

During his three decades in the airline industry, Mr. Kinnear has earned a reputation for delivering leading practice across the commercial and financial operations of the business, driving both revenue and profit.

Minister Morgan welcomed the appointment and said: “Roy Kinnear is a highly talented industry executive with the experience and expertise to lead Air Seychelles and maintain the dynamism and momentum of the airline.

“Roy brings new skills for a new phase in the continuous and very successful evolution of Air Seychelles, which now has a strong foundation and a growing reputation that extends well beyond the Indian Ocean, as a leading airline.

“Air Seychelles is focused on extracting maximum value from its modern fleet and its expanding regional and international network, which it will grow strategically with new destinations and trusted codeshare partnerships.

“I would like to sincerely thank Manoj Papa for his outstanding contribution over the past 18 months. In this time Manoj has successfully driven a significant number of people-critical initiatives, including the introduction of KPIs across the business, the creation of a performance-based culture, increased training and development and strengthened governance and reporting. These initiatives have led to improved employee engagement and productivity.

“Manoj has also revitalised the airline’s network, continually upgraded the fleet, and overseen the registration of the first Air Seychelles aircraft on the S7 Seychelles’ register. The commencement of thrice weekly, nonstop flights to Paris on 1 July is recognition that the airline is strong and capable of competing in the strategically important European market,” Minister Morgan said.

Confirming its success, Air Seychelles was recognised earlier this week at the World Travel Awards, being named the Indian Ocean’s Leading Airline, Indian Ocean’s Leading Airline – Business Class, and Indian Ocean’s Leading Cabin Crew, which it won for the second year running.

“The Board of Air Seychelles wishes Manoj the very best for the next step in his career,” Minister Morgan said.

Manoj Papa said: “It has been an honour being CEO of Air Seychelles at such an important time in its journey. The challenge has been extremely rewarding, with every team member embracing the strategy to build and position Air Seychelles as a leading airline. With a committed team, Air Seychelles continues to strengthen and grow,” he said.

Roy Kinnear said: “I am proud to be given the opportunity to lead Air Seychelles with its demonstrated success and yet significant untapped potential. I look forward to working with leaders across all areas of the business to capture opportunities and drive performance, while continuing to build a supportive team-based culture.

“With a strong and focused team we will be able to tackle and succeed at anything we put our mind to; this is indeed a very exciting time in the evolution of Air Seychelles,” Mr. Kinnear said.

Having gained an honours degree in Economics and Statistics, Roy Kinnear started his career with British airline, bmi, holding the position of General Manager Revenue Optimisation, before moving to Bahrain to become Head of Network Revenue Management at Gulf Air from 2002 to 2006.

In 2006 Mr. Kinnear moved to Abu Dhabi where he held the post of Vice President Revenue Management at Etihad Airways until 2010 before being appointed Senior Vice President Cargo in 2010.

In 2011 Mr. Kinnear was appointed to the role of SVP Revenue Management and Planning. He has previously been a Board Member and Chairman of Amadeus Gulf and Armaguard LLC, both joint ventures of Etihad Airways.