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Tewolde GebreMariam
He started on cargo paperwork in Addis Ababa and was hired to repair an airline on another continent.
The rise
He read economics at Addis Ababa University, later took an MBA at Britain's Open University, and joined Ethiopian Airlines in 1985 as a transport agent handling cargo paperwork. He became head of sales and marketing in 2004, chief operating officer in 2006 and, when Girma Wake retired in 2011, group chief executive.
What they did
In eleven years turnover went from about $1bn to $4.5bn and the fleet from 33 aircraft to over 130, making Ethiopian Africa's largest carrier by passengers, destinations, fleet and revenue. When COVID grounded the world he converted passenger jets to freighters and made Addis the continent's cargo gateway. He retired in March 2022 for treatment; Air India hired him in August 2026.
The full picture
He was running the airline when flight ET302 crashed on 10 March 2019, killing 157. Ethiopia's final report blamed Boeing's MCAS; US investigators objected that it played down the crew. In October 2021 CNN reported that Ethiopian aircraft had carried weapons to Eritrea during the Tigray war. The airline strongly denied it.
Why it matters
Ethiopian is the strongest case against the claim that African state enterprises cannot be run well. He put the profits into aircraft and an aviation academy instead of remitting dividends to the treasury.
“You cannot run this business quarter to quarter; you cannot run this business with an annual plan. You need to think in terms of much longer timeframes.”
What citizens said
Afrobarometer Round 9 (2021–2023) — Ethiopia
% who say 'trust somewhat' or 'trust a lot' · Afrobarometer Dispatch No. 891