Tewolde GebreMariam Tesfay

Born: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (circa 1960s) Nationality: Ethiopian Notable Role: Group Chief Executive Officer, Ethiopian Airlines Group (2011–2022) Current Role: Founder of TGM Advisory Services LLC; Senior Strategic Advisor at Delta Air Lines

Education

• BA in Economics – Addis Ababa University

• MBA – The Open University, United Kingdom

• Honorary Doctorate – Addis Ababa University (2019)

Career Path

• 1985: Joined Ethiopian Airlines as a Traffic Officer in Addis Ababa.

• 1985–2004: Rose through ranks – Cargo Traffic Manager, Area Manager (India, Saudi Arabia, North America).

• 2004: Appointed Executive Officer of Marketing & Sales.

• 2006: Became Chief Operating Officer, overseeing Commercial, Flight Operations, Customer Services, Maintenance & Engineering.

• 2011–2022: Elevated to Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines after Girma Wake’s retirement.

  • Oversaw exponential growth: turnover from US$1 billion to US$4.5 billion, fleet from 33 to 130 aircraft, passengers from 3 million to 12 million (pre-COVID).

  • Expanded infrastructure worth US$700 million, including Africa’s largest hotel, cargo terminal, MRO hangars, aviation academy, and simulators.

  • Navigated crises: Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash (2019) and COVID-19 pandemic, reconfiguring passenger aircraft for cargo to sustain operations.

• 2022: Retired citing health reasons; succeeded by Mesfin Tasew Bekele.

Leadership Roles Beyond Ethiopian Airlines

• Member, UN High-level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport (with Ban Ki-moon).

• Board of Governors, International Air Transport Association (IATA).

• Executive Committee, African Airlines Association (AFRAA).

• Board member: Ethio-Telecom, Ethiopian Railway Corporation, Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, Africa Travel Association, Airlink Advisory Council.

• Chairman, Ethiopian Tourism Organization (ETO).

Awards & Honors

• African CEO of the Year (2012) – African CEO Forum.

• Best African Business Leader – Corporate Council on Africa.

• Airline Strategy Award for Regional Leadership (2013) – Airline Business Magazine.

• Planet Africa Professional Excellence Award (2013).

• Most Gender Focused CEO Award (2015) – Leading Women of Africa.

• Gold Medal & Plaque – Ethiopian Airlines Board & Trade Union (Vision 2025 achievements).

• International GrandPrix Special Award (2015) – Milan.

• African CEO’s Hall of Fame (2019) – African Leadership Magazine.

• Named among 100 Most Influential Africans (2019 & 2020) – MIPAD.

• Air Cargo Leadership Award (2021) – FlightGlobal.

• Airline Business Award (2022) – Airline Strategy Awards.

• Ordem de Rio Branco (Brazil) – For repatriation and vaccine transport during COVID-19.

Quick Facts