Quest on for new chief
The Finance Ministry is confident that Thai Airways International will get a new president within three months, after Monday's firing of Piyasvasti Amranand from the post by the company's board, chaired by Ampon Kittiampon.
Areepong Bhoocha-oom, the ministry’s permanent secretary, said a selection committee was being set up, headed by Ampon. After the committee is officially appointed, the process of selecting a qualified candidate will begin.
The committee will first have to set the qualifications for candidates. After that, official invitations to candidates to apply for the post will be made. The committee will select the most-qualified candidates and send the list to the company’s board to consider a final decision.
The selection committee will comprise four people: Areepong, the permanent secretary of the Transport Ministry, and one delegate each from THAI and the State Enterprise Policy Office.
The removal of Piyasvasti has been blamed for the ongoing fall of THAI’s stock. However, Areepong rejected this, saying the drop was the result of losses by the company, not a personnel problem.
Last year, THAI suffered big losses due to the floods, the tsunami in Japan and the financial crisis in Europe. Competition in the aviation industry has been fierce, driven by low-cost airlines. Therefore, Areepong said, the company needed a more aggressive marketing plan to keep the airline flying high.
