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Toomey, a former Qantas CFO, joined the airline two months after Etihad took 24 per cent stake Jet Airways. An Australian, he was associated as a consultant with Etihad before taking up the top job at Jet. He replaced Nikos Kardassis, who left the airline after serving two terms as CEO between 1993 and 1999 and October 2009 and May 2013. Toomey’s contract allowed him to work from Australia for two weeks after a month in India. “He wanted to spend time with his family, who did not want to come to India. A CEO has to be on the ground like a general with his troops. The airline business requires 24x7 attention,” said a Jet Airways source.
Another factor behind the resignation were his differences with Chairman Naresh Goyal. “He could not get along with the chairman. Also, on operational and financial parameters, Jet Airways has slipped and Goyal was said to be upset with it,” the source said. Speculation is rife Air Seychelles CEO Cramer Ball will be the new CEO. Ball, a former regional manager (Asia-Pacific) of Etihad, took over the top post at Air Seychelles after Etihad picked up a stake in the former. An Air Seychelles spokesperson said Ball was “very much the CEO of Air Seychelles”.
Jet Airways did not respond to an email query on the issue
There have been several high pofile exits from Jet Airways after Etihad acquired 24% stake in the airline. In the past few months, the Naresh Goyal-controlled Jet has seen resignations of a few senior executives, as well as changes in its organisation structure. Apart from Kardassis, vice-president (investor relations) K G Vishwanath and chief commercial officer Sudheer Raghavan quit the airline.
In other changes, Naresh Goyal’s wife Anita Goyal was redesignated advisor to the chief executive and group executive officer Abdulrahman Albusaidy, responsible for Gulf markets, was appointed chief strategic planning officer and given wider powers. Anita Goyal may also join the airline’s board, which would be reconstituted. The board has two members from Etihad - chief executive James Hogan and Chief Financial Officer James Rigney
