EUROPE’S mega carrier, British Airways, has appointed Kola Olayinka as the airline’s first indigenous country manager, in its over 70 years of operation in Nigeria.

According to the carrier, the appointment followed an extensive search spanning several months to find the best person for the job.

A graduate of the University of Lagos and the WITS Business School in Johannesburg, South Africa, Olayinka began his career at the Gateway Television in Abeokuta as a news reporter, and also had a brief stint with John Holt Plc where he rose to the position of regional sales manager.

However, it was in British Airways that he was to cut his teeth in management. He has worked in different capacities within BA including, the UK head office of the airline, as well as, in Kenya, where he rose to the position of Area Customer Service manager, East Africa with responsibilities for five African countries namely, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Seychelles and Mauritius.

Olayinka returned to Nigeria in 2002 to manage the Northern business of British Airways as regional manager, Northern Nigeria. It was under his watch that the Northern business of BA grew to be a daily service that is now enjoyed by the airline’s customers.

In 2006, Kola left BA for Qatar Airways in Nigeria as its pioneer sales manager, from where he has now rejoined BA as its country manager Nigeria responsible for the airlines Commercial operations in this part of the continent.

Speaking on the development, British Airways General Manager for Africa, Ian Petrie said, “we are proud to appoint a local as our country manager in Nigeria. With more than 20 years experience in the aviation industry, Olayinka comes with extensive experience to manage our business in Nigeria.

“He is widely respected in the industry and a great personality to work with.  He is also a goal getter and we believe he will lead the team here to greater heights, having acquired a wealth of experience and expertise in the industry over two decades.”

Reacting on his appointment, Olayinka said, “I am extremely delighted to be returning home to British Airways. I thank the management for giving me this opportunity to manage the Nigerian Market and I look forward to working with our excellent team on the ground to achieve the best results for our customers.”

-Guardian

Posted by admin on Mar 4 2011. Filed under Headlines. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry