Elbers Vs Wilson

IndiGo and Air India are now being led by two world-class professionals who have proved their mettle in their long years in the business. In their new jobs, they face what is arguably the toughest test of their career. A special report.

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It is a Babar Azam Vs Virat Kohli type of battle. Both are world-class performers and have a proven track record of professional .excellence and a long and illustrious career. There the comparisons end and the stats speak differently.

Elbers like Kohli has humongous numbers on his side. With 30 years at KLM and 11 years on the board of management including two terms as CEO, Elbers is aviation royalty. Under him, KLM- operationally and balance financially had a healthy sheet, consistently outperformed Air France (the sister concern and part owner of KLM) and managed to do its restructuring without labour strife- a perpetual headache at Air France.

Elbers has grown in his 30 years with KLM, beginning as a manager in 1992. Promoted to various management roles he became CEO in 2014. He knew KLM inside out and was seen by the Dutch as a huge asset to improve KLM's bargaining position within the holding company. In 2003 when the merger was first announced, it was widely described as a necessity for both to survive. But the amalgamation has not been easy.

If Air India and Indian Airlines couldn't do it easily despite a common cultural matrix and the same owner, these two airlines came from the same continent but with vastly different backgrounds and cultures. It was reflected in the innumerable rifts and differences of opinion on strategy and power. Cultural differences between the French and the Dutch, envy between the companies and their unions. over the better performances of KLM, and deep divides on where the power should be consistently overshadowed the relationship between the two airlines. But Elbers managed the Dutch company very well, protecting their interests and pleasing the staff as well.