QATAR. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker is stepping down from the role on 5 November to be succeeded by Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer as Group Chief Executive for Qatar Airways.
Badr is currently Chief Operating Officer of Qatar Airways-owned Hamad International Airport in Doha.
In a statement, Qatar Airways Group confirmed Al Baker’s decision after 27 years of “remarkable service”. It commented: “Under H.E. Mr. Akbar Al Baker’s leadership, Qatar Airways has grown to become one of the most recognisable and trusted brands globally, synonymous with customer service quality and the highest of standards.
“The national carrier of the State of Qatar has achieved an unprecedented seven-times win of the ‘World’s Best Airline’ award, and its state-of-the-art Hamad International Airport, which is under its management and operation, has also been recognised as the ‘World’s Best Airport’.
“The Qatar Airways Group’s contribution to helping deliver the best ever FIFA World Cup showcased to the world its capability, commitment to excellence, and its passion for bringing the world together.”
Al Baker has been a particular champion of airport retail, food & beverage and other consumer services. Qatar Duty Free was bestowed with the Airport Food & Beverage Offer of the Year at the recent FAB Awards hosted by The Moodie Davitt Report in Bangkok, Thailand and named Airport Retailer of the Year at this month’s Frontier Awards in Cannes, France.
What a remarkable contribution Akbar Al Baker has made to the aviation and travel retail sectors over more than two decades, writes Martin Moodie.
When he assumed his role in 1997, Qatar Airways operated four aircraft in a regional capacity. Today it flies over 250 to more than 160 destinations across six continents, arguably the greatest success story in airline history.
The airline’s reputation – and Al Baker’s influence – particularly flourished during the darkest days of the global pandemic when Qatar Airways repatriated more stranded travellers than any other airline – around 3 million – and maintained routes when others shut them down.
Al Baker’s deep sense of mission – he might count as the most-driven person I know – was equally evident in Qatar Duty Free’s heavy investment in world-class retail and food & beverage both during and subsequent to the pandemic.
In a memorable interview with me in mid-2021, Al Baker spoke of his approach. “As a leader of a major airline in the world, I have to see beyond the end of my nose. I need to make sure that we are ready for the long term and not just the short term. And this is why we are making all these investments.
“Not only investment in the duty free, but also investment in the airport building. To go to the second level – making sure constantly that as people copy us, we are two steps ahead of them.”
He has long been an advocate of the in-house model for airport commercial services, telling me: “Qatar Airways Group is unique in the industry in its ability to deliver an outstanding customer experience across all touchpoints with our own Trinity of airline, airport and retailer.
“This mutually beneficial relationship allows us to take a long-term approach and avoid a never-ending short-term cycle of tenders that effectively discourages investment. We can keep a laser-like focus on the customer journey, and empower the long-term health of the business by implementing next generation ideas and enhancements
“The operating model we have today is the one that works for our business. We can ensure that our revenue stream is not stolen by the small print someone else imposes in a contract. We are in control of what we sell and how we do it, and we create a business model that is win-win for all.”
He added: “At Qatar Airways and at Hamad, we will never stop investing. Investment is what will give you the returns. If you just stay stagnant, people will get bored of you; people will not give you the kind of investment return that you are looking for.”
There was no danger of anyone getting bored by Qatar Airways Group or certainly by Al Baker. From a journalist and conference moderator’s point of view he was gold dust. No platitudes here, just a freewheeling and brilliantly insightful and opinionated willingness to tell it like it is.
Not a man to be messed with and, partly for that very reason, someone who achieved things across the whole aviation-airport-travel retail spectrum beyond the vision let alone the delivery capability of anyone in our industry.
His influence has been almost incalculable and our industry will feel a very different place without him.
In Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, Qatar Airways Group has an astute new leader carefully groomed for this role over many years by Al Baker and a highly driven and astute business leader himself. He has played a key leadership role in Hamad International’s extraordinary expansion opened in late 2022, a modern-day wonder of the airport world.
Badr is very much his own man, measured, determined, committed and patriotic. Expect this extraordinary group to maintain its investment-minded approach and admirable consumer-centric philosophy under his leadership long into the future. ✈
