Three more departures from CAL’s executive team
(Trinidad Express) one week after Garvin Medera resigned as chief executive officer of Caribbean Airlines Ltd (CAL), three more members of the State-owned carrier’s executive team have also stepped down, in what sources familiar with the airline’s operations are calling escalating “chaos” at CAL.
Chief financial officer Varuna Kuarsingh, chief commercial officer Martin Aeberli, and Nalini Lalla, who has been the airline’s corporate secretary for over a decade, have all resigned, several sources with knowledge of the situation but who are not authorised to comment publicly told the Sunday Express.
These departures over the past two weeks follow the dismissal of Kern Gardiner last month from his position as executive manager, Finance, at Caribbean Airlines.
Requests for comment sent to Caribbean Airlines and its chairman, Reyna Kowlessar, went unanswered up to last evening.
At the end of August, CAL’s Corporate Communications manager, Dionne Ligoure, resigned from the company to accept a position at the Massy group.
On October 3, the Express exclusively reported Medera’s resignation after eight years at the helm, making him the airline’s longest-serving CEO.
The recent changes to Caribbean Airlines’ executive management come months after Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar issued an ultimatum to the State airline’s leadership, instructing them to “sort out the mess” within two years or face replacement.
Since the United National Congress’ (UNC) general election victory on April 28, there have been major shifts in both Caribbean Airlines’ board and leadership team.
Kowlessar was appointed chairman of a restructured board on June 24, replacing Shameer “Ronnie” Mohammed, who resigned following the general election.
Mohammed had been on the board since November 2016.
The other members of the Caribbean Airlines board are vice-chairman Videsh Praim, Sharlene Maharaj, Prof Selwyn Cudjoe, Amit Krishan Mahabir, Larren Peart, Alicia Edwards and Adam Moss, according to the airline’s website.
Sources have raised concerns that the board seems to be operating like an executive board, in contravention of the Finance Ministry’s State Enterprise Performance Monitoring Manual.
Signs of possible turmoil at Caribbean Airlines surfaced in August when Kuarsingh, who joined the airline in March 2023, was placed on leave.
Since then, Neera Ramai-Williams, senior manager, Cost and Management Accounting, has been acting as the airline’s chief financial officer.
Kuarsingh has had a career spanning more than 25 years in accounting, finance and treasury, according to his bio on the Caribbean Airlines website.
Like Kuarsingh, Aeberli also joined Caribbean Airlines in 2023.
Aeberli has 28 years’ experience in the airline industry, having led multinational teams in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, his bio states.
Before joining Caribbean Airlines, he worked for six years as chief commercial officer, Royal Brunei Airlines.
Aeberli has been quoted in recent Caribbean Airlines releases, including the planned November 2 discontinuation of flights from Jamaica to Florida.
The airline said the move is part of an ongoing network optimisation programme aimed at improving operational efficiency and sustainability.
Lalla is said to have been the longest-serving member of Caribbean Airlines’ executive management team, holding the position of general counsel and corporate secretary for the past 11 years.
She was credited with leading the legal aspects of the airline’s recent re-fleeting and aircraft return exercises.
Caribbean Airlines currently operates a fleet of 20 planes, which includes nine Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.
Increased scrutiny
The resignations have come as Caribbean Airlines faces increased scrutiny.
During a UNC Monday Night Report in August, Persad-Bissessar issued ultimatums to State companies, singling out Caribbean Airlines, which she described as “a corrupt mess”, with unprofitable routes and years of unaudited financial statements.
