The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced, on June 5, that RwandAir CEO Yvonne Manzi Makolo has assumed her duties as Chair of the IATA Board of Governors (BoG) for a one-year term, effective from the conclusion of the 79th IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Istanbul, Türkiye on 5 June.
Yvonene Manzi Makolo is the 81st chair of the IATA BoG and the first woman to take on this role. She has served on the BoG since November 2020. She succeeds Pegasus Airlines Chairperson of the Board Mehmet Tevfik Nane who will continue to serve on the BoG. Yvonne Manzi Makolo’s term of office is 1 year. IATA announced that Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, will serve as Chair of the BoG from June 2024, following Makolo’s term.
Yvonne Manzi Makolo was appointed President-Elect at the IATA General Assembly held in Doha on 20 June 2022. She is also the first Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee of the Association of African Airlines (AFRAA).
“I am honored and pleased to take on this important role. IATA plays a critical role for all airlines—big and small, various business models, and in all corners of the world. Leading a medium-sized airline in Africa gives me a unique perspective on issues that airlines hold in common. At the top of the agenda are decarbonization, improving safety, the transformation to modern airline retailing, and ensuring we have cost-efficient infrastructure. I am particularly pleased to be taking on this role as IATA launches Focus Africa with the aim of unifying the continent’s stakeholders so that together we can strengthen the contribution of aviation to Africa’s social and economic development,” said Yvonne Manzi Makolo.
Career in aviation
Yonne Manzi Makolo started her aviation career in 2017 when she was appointed as RwandAir’s Deputy CEO in Charge of Corporate Affairs. She was named CEO in April 2018. Under her leadership, explains IATA, RwandAir has become one of Africa’s fastest growing airlines with a fleet of 13 modern aircraft. “She has led cultural change at the airline with a focus on inclusion and diversity and growing the number of women in under-represented roles”, said IATA.
Yvonne Manzi Makolo brought 11 years of commercial expertise to her current role. She began her career as a software developer, before joining the Rwandan subsidiary of MTN, the South African telecommunications group, in 2006. She rose through the ranks, successively holding the positions of Marketing Manager and then Acting Managing Director. Subsequently, Yvonne Makolo joined Rwandair, where from April 2017 to April 2018, she held the position of Deputy Managing Director, in charge of Corporate Affairs. Yvonne Makolo holds an honours degree from McGill University in Canada and a post-graduate diploma in applied information technology.
