ANAHD's new president, Koji Shibata, steers post-corona management with "mutual respect" to deepen mutual understanding. 3rd brand airlines announced "coming soon"

ANAHD (ANA Holdings) changed the president and representative director on February 10 and April 1. Held an accompanying press conference.

The press conference was attended by Shinya Katanozaka, the current president and CEO, and Koji Shibata, the new president who will take office from April 1st.

　Mr. Katanozaka, who has served as president since April 2015 and will become chairman and representative director from April 1, spent the five years immediately following his appointment as president expanding the international route network and operating the Peach (LCC) business. Peach Aviation) and Vanilla Air, introduction of large freighters (cargo planes), capture of strong inbound passenger demand, etc., achieved stable profits and shareholder returns. I looked back.

And, in the financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2021 announced on February 1, the company achieved a surplus for the first time in eight quarters. In order to achieve sustainable growth even in the post-corona era, it is essential to renew the management structure and change generations.In addition, he explained that the president will change at the timing of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the ANA Group.

　Mr. Shibata, the new president, was evaluated as "hard-working", and since he is in charge of management strategy after the spread of the new coronavirus infection, he said, "We are able to share strategies to fight corona. He is also working on new businesses such as ANA Avatar and ANA NEO, and has extensive experience working overseas and has a global mindset as his successor.

Mr. Shibata was born in Kakeroma Island, Kagoshima Prefecture, and joined ANA in 1982. In addition to serving as Alliance Office Manager and London Branch Manager, he also worked at the Beijing Embassy before joining ANA, and has a wealth of overseas experience.

　Upon assuming the position of president, he said, "I am aware that the task that has been imposed on me is to restore business performance as soon as possible and set a sustainable growth trajectory for the ANA Group. Three airlines will be responsible for the air passenger business.In addition, there will be cargo business, existing related businesses, and new business areas such as newly launched ANA NEO and ANA Avatar. We will aim for a transformation to," commented. To that end, he said, "It is important that the corporate philosophy and vision are shared equally with employees. It is important to gain empathy for the action plan to make it a reality. I want to make the best use of the voices of the front lines in management.”

During the press conference, Mr. Shibata mentioned the word "mutual respect" several times. He wanted to be conscious of building relationships with overseas partners.

Regarding future management, we are currently considering formulating a profitable budget for FY2022. It is difficult to say for sure, but we have made significant progress in cutting costs over the past two years, and the break-even point has been significantly lowered. I think we can be confident about it," he said, adding that he would like to present a medium-term management strategy at the stage when he has a certain degree of certainty.

Regarding the airline network, "Both ANA and Peach have strengths, and from the holdings' standpoint, I think it would be good if we could coordinate so that each other's strengths can be demonstrated as the cornerstone of the fan. Especially, there are no major changes at this time. We have not considered it,” he said.

On the other hand, regarding the 3rd brand airline, "I think it will be delayed (due to the influence of Corona), but the role I play is the same. I think there will be an opportunity to inform you about the development status in more detail soon." gave me hope.

Regarding the non-aviation business, in fiscal 2022, ANA Avatar and ANA NEO aiming for the summer service launch In addition to promoting the commercialization of drones and flying cars, he explained that he was chasing two businesses in line with the development of laws in Japan, and said, "I hope it will become a business that supports the aviation business from the periphery. This will not only grow individual businesses, but also expand ANA's economic sphere and raise the overall level of the group."

　In the question and answer session, he talked about his hometown of Kagoshima and the Amami archipelago. However, there are high expectations for aircraft as an alternative infrastructure.I lived in Amami until I graduated from junior high school, but it was a dream to get on an airplane.When Vanilla Air went into service, it was criticized within the company as being called "I'm going to fly". There were times when I was exposed to it, but as a result, everyone was happy."

Regarding Kagoshima's tourism attraction, I have guided VIPs of Vietnam Airlines and Thai Airways International to Kagoshima, saying, "I heard that I would like to fly someday, but it has become a corona disaster. Once the coronavirus subsides, I would like to do something like that again.” He also said, “I hope that it will be a place where avatars and airlines can work together. It would be great if we could provide a new form of travel that would allow us to repeat our travels.”