New executive team at Caribbean Airlines

Just a few days after his new appointment as Caribbean Airlines' (CAL) new Chief Exective Officer, Ian Brunton has announced a new executive team at CAL.

Last week, Arthur Lok Jack, Chairman of the Board of Directors of CAL, announced the appointment of Captain Ian Brunton as CEO with effective 15 October, 2009. Brunton takes over from Philip Saunders who announced his resignation 6 months ago. Lok Jak and the Caribbean Airlines’ board also took the opportunity to thank Saunders for his sterling contribution to the success of CAL over the past two years of his tenure and to wish him all the best in his future endeavours and relocation to the UK.

Captain Brunton started his aviation career 47 years ago in the British Royal Air Force. He has held senior positions in the State Safety Oversight system (he was the first Chairman of the Trinidad & Tobago Civil Aviation Authority) and in both BWIA and CAL. Brunton has been the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Caribbean Airlines since the airline's inception in January 2007. He is a qualified Attorney-at-Law, holds Bachelor and Master of Laws degrees from the University of London and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He is a former Board Director of BWIA and a former Chairman of the Trinidad & Tobago Airline Pilots’ Association.

Last Tuesday, Brunton announced new changes to the airline’s top management. At an internal meeting organised for all staff at its head office at Piarco, he explained the company was seeking to streamline its operations and that this would start from the very top. "This does not mean that Caribbean Airlines will be cutting jobs. We are simply reviewing all aspects of the operation to ensure that we are conducting our affairs in the best possible way," he explained.

Brunton introduced an Executive Team to the Caribbean Airlines staff explaining that major functions have been merged to reflect the strategic streamlining mentioned. "Corporate Affairs will now encompass both the Legal and Human Resources departments. Both Information Services and Finance now fall under Corporate Services," Brunton explained.

The Commercial function has been split into two new departments to be known as Customer Experience & Airports, and Revenue & Distribution. "The Customer Experience & Airports will have that specific remit of ensuring that all customer interaction is thoroughly examined. Revenue & Distribution will mean that everything affecting the sale and marketing of the product is under one roof," Brunton continued.

The new Executive Team comprises:

• Rachel Laquis – Executive Team Member Corporate Affairs
• Walter Tan – Executive Team Member Corporate Services 
• Robert Corbie – Executive Team Member Customer Experience and Airports 
• Wayne Henry – Executive Team Member Revenue and Distribution

Caribbean Airlines currently serves 14 markets in the Caribbean, South America, North America and Europe and operates a core schedule of 530 weekly departures with a fleet of 13 aircraft. The inflight magazine is Caribbean Beat, published by MEP.