Aviation Firm Strengthens Female Leadership

Menzies Aviation, a leading service partner to the world’s airports and airlines, has strengthened its leadership with the appointment of two senior members of its Middle East, Africa and Asia (MEAA) team.

Lina El Mallah has been promoted to the position of Senior Vice President (SVP) Organisation Change and Systems, while Al-Anood Al-Suwaidi (pictured) joins the company as SVP of Cargo for the MEAA region.

Most recently, El Mallah served as VP Lounges and VIP Services for Menzies Aviation. Based in Kuwait, she has more than 10 years of functional and strategic experience in the telecom and aviation industries, including corporate sales, marketing intelligence and planning, strategic business planning and modelling as well as project management for various market segments. In her new role, she will be responsible for overseeing strategic transformations and working closely with senior leadership to ensure seamless integration within the region.

Al-Suwaidi joins Menzies Aviation from Etihad Airways where she recently served as Network Safety and Compliance Manager for the cargo division. With almost 10 years working in Etihad’s cargo business, Al-Anood brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the sector having managed the carrier’s Cargo Compliance Audit Program and headed cargo operations in both North and East Europe, ensuring continuous safety awareness across the entire Etihad cargo network.

The appointment of both Lina El Mallah and Al-Anood Al-Suwaidi supports the company’s commitment to increase gender diversity and the proportion of women in its middle leadership to at least 40% by 2033 and senior leadership population to a minimum of 25% by 2025, in line with the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) 25by2025 campaign.

Charles Wyley, EVP, Middle East, Africa and Asia, Menzies Aviation said: “We’re delighted to welcome Lina and Al-Anood to the Menzies MEAA team, as we focus on our market growth strategy and build on our presence in the MEAA region. Over the past 12 months, we’ve seen a steady growth in both passenger and cargo volumes, and look forward to working together to deliver safe, secure and high-quality services for our expanding customer base.”

Al-Anood Al-Suwaidi will join Menzies Aviation on 1 January 2024, while Lina El Mallah will transition to her new role, effective 1 November 2023.