SAA has announced that Tebogo Tsimane will become Interim Chief Commercial Officer at the end of August.
Tsimane, who has several years of experience in senior roles within the commercial and operational environment at SAA, will take over the role from Simon Newton-Smith, who will leave the airline at the end of August.
SAA’s Interim Chair and CEO, Professor John Lamola said: “Simon has brought much-needed stability to our commercial operation in the time he has been here, and he leaves with our appreciation and deep thanks. Tebogo has been with SAA for a number of years in various senior roles, has an exceptional understanding of the complexities of the new aviation operating environment and knows exactly what SAA needs to do to remain successful and profitable.”
“My job was to support the team in restarting SAA, rebuilding market confidence and to ensure that our passenger and cargo loads were maximised during a tough operating environment,” said Newton-Smith. “I am very proud of what the Commercial team and our colleagues right across the business have achieved since our September 2021 restart. After a year leading the team and with the foundation set for the next chapter in SAA’s rebuild, now is the right time for me to hand the reins to Tebogo.”
