Kenya Airways top job goes to former Etihad Group CIO

Kenya Airways has confirmed Clare Ward as the national carrier’s Chief Information Officer (CIO). The new information chief took over the reins of the job on January 23.

The news, first reported by cio.co.ke on December 5, 2018, was confirmed by Kenya Airways in a press statement on January 29.

According to Kenya Airways, “Ms. Ward is an innovative and accomplished IT professional with a track record of driving bottom line value through digital transformation.”,

The national carrier also said that the former Etihad Group CIO brings a wealth of experience from the airline industry in which she has been involved in over the past 24 years.

Kenya Airways Group Managing Director and CEO Sebastian Mikosz said, “I am delighted to have Clare join our team. Her experience in this field is essential for Kenya Airways to effectively compete with regional careers in the fast and ever-changing environment of IT.”

Mikosz said that Ms. Ward will be responsible for ensuring continuity and quality improvement of the systems and tools used daily by Kenya Airways employees.

Ms. Ward has held various senior management roles with airlines and international aviation businesses such as British Airways, Etihad Airways, Dubai Airports and AlphaZetta.

At the Etihad Group, Ms. Ward was the CIO for Etihad’s Hala Group including the Loyalty, Holidays and Travel Management businesses and the Strategy Division including Revenue, Fleet and Network Management and Alliances. 

She had also been the chief of staff for Etihad’s Group CIO, overseeing the IT strategy and delivery performance.

Prior to joining Kenya Airways, Ms. Ward was the Managing Partner of the Middle East and Global Aviation Digital Strategy and Transformation Consultant at AlphaZetta based at the United Arab Emirates.

The new Kenya Airways CIO holds a BSc. in Applied Biology from the Imperial College, London, UK. She is also a Chartered Accountant and a Certified Information Systems Auditor.