Philippine Airlines Names Tycoon’s Daughter New Chief
Photo Credit: Philippine Airlines Airbus A320-214. Flickr / Lasta29
Skift Take
No one should be surprised that Vivienne K. Tan has taken over the top post, but it could've been done more stylishly. Aside from the boardroom drama, PAL is interesting to watch as it undergoes an internal shake-up led by a new younger chief. And — at last — a female airline chief.
The sudden departure of Philippine Airlines (PAL) president and COO Jaime J. Bautista caught the industry by surprise.
While in Paris on Tuesday accepting the Skytrax Award for Most Improved Airline for 2019, PAL announced that Vivienne K. Tan, daughter of PAL chairman Lucio C. Tan, would head the airline as officer in charge as Bautista retires.
The statement said the elder Tan and members of the PAL board had accepted Bautista’s retirement “after he expressed his desire to spend more time with his family.”
Insiders, however, intimated that not all board members had actually been informed before the statement was issued.
“Nope [I wasn’t consulted]. Some other directors were not consulted either,” said one director who requested anonymity.
In a text message to Skift, Bautista confirmed that he had filed his retirement “last month,” despite having just been re-elected president and COO in a board meeting on May 30.
He also said, “My retirement will be
