Tom Yew heads BWIA

Former General Manager of Tobago Express and veteran BWIA Executive, Nelson Tom Yew has been appointed Corporate General Manager of the airline, while former Chief Financial Officer of BWIA, Paul Schutz has been named as General Manager of Operations.

The airline announced the appointment of the two general managers yesterday, following the departure of President and Chief Executive Officer Conrad Aleong. Of the two newly appointed managers, Tom Yew is the senior of the two, and is also the accountable manager to represent the airline to all statutory and regulatory bodies. Schutz is an airline professional who earned his experience at Ryanair and British Airways. Both GM’s will report individually to the Board of Directors, and will jointly oversee the various functions of the airline.

As the single largest shareholder of Tobago Express, the Board of Directors of BWIA has also named Captain Fitzroy Wellington to replace Tom Yew for the interim period as General Manager of Tobago Express with immediate effect. Corporate Communications Manager Clint Williams also revealed yesterday, that 25 Executive members had given the Salary Regulations Team letters indicating their agreement to take a five percent pay cut, and that they had already voluntarily taken a five percent pay cut earlier in the year. This would mean that they were willing to accept a total of a ten percent pay cut, Williams said, adding that it was “just a matter of leadership.”  Asked whether they would be sending more employees home, Williams noted that the board had to present a savings plan to government, who would in turn advise them if it was adequate enough, or if more cuts had to be made.