South African Airways CEO Thomas Kgokolo to Leave the Airline

South African Airways interim CEO, Thomas Kgokolo, is to leave the airline at the end of April 2022 after a successful year at the helm, and John Lamola will assume the role of the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer with effect from 1 May 2022.

Since exiting business rescue in April 2021 SAA has made significant strides in improving revenue and reopening services both locally and regionally and is now fully focused on its transition to control by its envisaged majority shareholder, Takatso Consortium, which will take a 51% stake in SAA later in the year.

Professor Lamola was appointed non-executive chairman of the SAA Interim Board in July 2021. He is an Associate Professor at the Institute for Intelligent Systems of the University of Johannesburg.

In addition to a PhD degree in Philosophy from the University of Edinburgh, he holds an MBA from a premier tertiary institution of education in aviation and aerospace studies in the United States, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Professor Lamola was the CEO of Denel Aviation between 1996 and 2001. He served on the Board of Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) from 2012 until 2017.

Lamola has managed a proprietary portfolio of private equity investments through a number of privately held companies, including an aviation consulting firm, Baji Aviation Service.