Ethiopian CEO Wins African Business Leader of the Year Award
Photo Caption from left to right : “Mr. Stephen Hays, President & CEO of the Corporate Council on Africa, Mr. Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO of Ethiopian, and Ms. Tina Dolph, President, Global Stability & Development of PAE Systems.”
Ethiopian Airlines CEO, Tewolde Gebremariam, won the “African Business Leader of the Year” award from the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) on December 12, 2012 in a gala dinner held in Washington D.C. in the presence of more than 300 US and African Business leaders, Ambassadors and US government officials CCA is the premier American organization devoted to U.S.-Africa business relations and includes, as members, more than 180 companies, which represent nearly 85 percent of total U.S. private sector investments in Africa. It was established in 1993 and is at the forefront of strengthening and facilitating business relationships between the United States and Africa.
CEO Tewolde was given the award for making Ethiopian the best run airline in Africa, while at the same time turning it into a true international carrier. He was also recognized for his support of US-Africa trade as evidenced not only by the nature of Ethiopian Airlines’ business, but by being the first carrier on the continent to buy the most advanced airliner, the B787-Dreamliner.
CEO Tewolde was honored during the award ceremony along with three other Africans, who have shown exceptional leadership in business.
“I am honored by this award. This and the recent awards Ethiopian has been receiving are recognitions of the important role our airline is playing in Africa. Ethiopian is providing the air connectivity that is critical for fostering increased investment and trade
flows to the continent. This award is, first and foremost, a tribute to the competence and hard work of all Ethiopian employees. It encourages us to work even harder to achieve the objectives in our Vision 2025 and to serve our beloved continent with greater commitment and dedication,” said Tewolde.
Ethiopian is in the third year of implementation of its 15-year strategic roadmap, Vision 2025, which will see it become the leading aviation group in Africa with seven profit centers grossing total revenue of 10 billion dollars by 2025.