Aurigny CEO criticised for Uzbekistan Airways role

Aurigny's CEO is under fire for his role as an independent non-executive director at another airline.

Nico Bezuidenhout was appointed as an independent non-executive director at Uzbekistan Airways earlier this year, alongside his role at Aurigny.

Deputy Simon Vermeulen said he was "shocked" to hear Mr Bezuidenhout had taken on the role.

An Aurigny spokesperson said: "It is common leadership practice for CEOs and senior directors to hold non-executive director roles in other businesses."

The spokesperson went on to say that Mr Bezuidenhout "carries out his NED duties in his own time, ensuring full commitment to Aurigny."

The former Mango Airlines CEO took over from Mark Darby at the States-owned carrier in November 2020.

Vermeulen criticised his decision to take on the role at Uzbekistan Airways and questioned whether the move had been sanctioned by the States' Trading Supervisory Board (STSB) and the Aurigny chairman.

He said: "I had to take a second take when it was drawn to my eye.

"I would have thought the CEO of Aurigny would be flat-out dealing with these challenging times and I couldn't see how he would have time for any jobs anywhere else."

Earlier this year, a review was commissioned after a "difficult" year for Aurigny, looking at the airline's operations and fleet.

Deputy John Dyke said: "It is rather sub-optimal for the CEO of Aurigny to be diverting his attention away from our airline at this point.

"Our connectivity problems are damaging the island both as a result of poor decision-making at Aurigny".

STSB President Peter Roffey said Mr Bezuidenhout's appointment was a matter for the board of Aurigny.

The BBC has approached the board for a comment.

Deputy Roffey said "they haven't asked STSB's permission and so I didn't know".

"My own instant reaction is that this sort of arrangement is very far from unusual arrangement for CEOs and can often be beneficial so long as it is clear that it cannot be allowed to impinge of their responsibility for their own employers," he said.

In a post on LinkedIn three weeks ago, the corporate strategy and transformation executive in Uzbekistan, Adamas Ilkevicius, said Mr Bezuidenhout's "leadership at Aurigny Air Services and Qazaq Air highlights his ability to navigate complex challenges".

He added Mr Bezuidenhout "brings over 20 years of global experience, having successfully turned around airlines like South African Airways, Mango, and Fastjet by enhancing financial performance and operational efficiency".

Before starting his job at Aurigny, Mr Bezuidenhout was chairman of the Airlines Association of Africa and president of the International Association of Airlines AGM in 2013.

Follow BBC Guernsey on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. Send your story ideas to [email protected].