Biman to get new chief in 2 months

Kyle Haywood

Managing Director (MD) of South African budget carrier Fastjet, Kyle Haywood, is going to be the next MD and chief executive officer (CEO) of Biman Bangladesh Airlines.
The Board of Directors of the national flag carrier in a meeting recently approved a proposal of the selection committee to appoint the South-African-born British citizen. Haywood has over 25 years' experience in the airline industry and served in traditional carriers such as British Airways and Etihad Airways, and low-cost carrier Air Arabia. He also served as the CEO of Air Uganda.
“We're expecting Haywood to join Biman within two months,” a Biman board member told The Daily Star yesterday.
Asked whether everything was final, the member said primary negotiations about his salary had been done. The member refused to disclose how much Haywood would be paid.
Biman has been without a full-time MD and CEO since Kevin Steele resigned on April 19. Steele had been appointed for two years last year but he had to resign on health grounds.
Since then, Biman Director AM Mosaddique Ahmed had been serving as the acting managing director.
Biman had asked interested and qualified professionals to apply for the job and received 40 applications for the post, 26 foreign nationals and 14 Bangladeshis.
A core committee made a short-list from the applicants and they were given a special problem-solving assignment to find out the best person to fit Biman's need.
The committee then chose three candidates. The Biman board interviewed them and picked Haywood, sources said.