|
20 October 08
VIRGIN NIGERIA RESTRUCTURES FOR GROWTH … Dapo Olumide Joins as Chief Commercial Officer
Lagos Nigeria, 20th October 2008: Virgin Nigeria, the country’s private sector flag carrier, has announced a major restructuring and appointment of new personnel. Under the new structure, Dr. Yemi Osindero, will become the Chief Strategy Officer, responsible for the Company’s Loyalty Programme, Regulatory Affairs and Product Development. The erstwhile Chief of Operational Services, Kevin Dudley will now be known as Chief Operating Officer in line with industry usage, and Dapo Olumide joins the company as its Chief Commercial Officer with responsibilities for Sales and Distribution, Commercial Planning, and Outstations.
Announcing the new structure in Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Nigeria, Mr. Conrad Clifford said: “As a forward looking organisation, Virgin Nigeria is constantly in search of excellence and this new, flatter structure will boost the airline’s strength in becoming a leading global airline based in Nigeria”.
An Aviation Professional for over 28 years, the new Chief Commercial Officer, Dapo Olumide, earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, USA in 1980 after which he joined Aero Contractors in 1982. Following many successful years, he was appointed the Deputy Managing Director in 2002 at which point he transformed the original company vision from an exclusively B2B model to the more demanding and more modern B2C approach.
Prior to joining Virgin Nigeria, Dapo has been a banker with the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), specifically in the area of Equipment [ships and aircraft] Financing and Transport Infrastructure Projects Development. In his new position as the Chief Commercial Officer, Dapo Olumide will oversee various functions, including Sales and Commercial Planning.
Other Directors are John Roijen, the Chief Financial Officer with responsibilities for Information Technology, Finance, Facilities, Legal and Supply chain; Bola Olajomi-Otubu, Director Human Resources with responsibilities for Human Resource and Internal Communications and Larry Agose, who as Director of Corporate Communications will be responsible for Marketing, Customer Relations, Corporate Communications and Government Relations.
With this restructuring, Virgin Nigeria is fully primed for the next level, recently expanding its network operations to Monrovia and Enugu, with others in the pipeline as well as the entry into service of the first of its Embraer fleet, which introduces for the first time personalised in flight entertainment to domestic and regional routes.
About Virgin Nigeria
Virgin Nigeria is Nigeria's private sector flag carrier, 51% owned by Nigerian institutional investors and 49% owned by Virgin Atlantic. The airline was formed in September 2004 when the Federal Government of Nigeria announced the selection of Virgin Atlantic Airways as the strategic investor and technical partner in this exciting project.
With the mission of being a World Class Airline from the heart of Africa, Virgin Nigeria, has steadily developed a global network that serves domestic, regional and international routes from its operational hub at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos.
With a focus on improving the customer’s experience,
Virgin Nigeria is constantly developing innovative products
for the convenience of its customers. Some of these
innovations include the online booking and payment system.
The online and booking payment system allows customers to book from anywhere in world, as well as make payments with
either an Interswitch or Etranzact payment card for people in Nigeria and most international credit and debit cards for persons in London.
Virgin Nigeria’s customers traveling on the domestic service can also make use of the new ‘Carry On, Carry Off’ product called “COCO”. This product allows passengers traveling on the domestic service carrying cabin hand luggage which is over 6kg to hand these over to the attendants at the foot of the aircraft. These bags are specially tagged and collected by the passengers on arrival at the tarmac.
Virgin Nigeria just recently took delivery of its Embraer 190 aircraft that is equipped with individual In-Flight Entertainment system as part of its total fleet renewal. It will be recalled that Virgin Nigeria last year announced an order for 24 Embraer aircraft consisting of E170s and E190s jets.
Virgin Nigeria is listed on the IOSA Directory following its successful completion of the intensive IATA Operational Safety Audit which now places it at par with the best airlines in the world having shown its commitment and demonstration to airline safety standards
Virgin Nigeria is the first Nigerian airline and first West African carrier to be listed on the IOSA Directory
|
|
Back