- Japan Airways named a girl as president for the primary time in its historical past.
- Mitsuko Tottori labored as a flight attendant with JAL for 20 years earlier than changing into a supervisor.
- Tottori’s appointment comes after JetBlue introduced its first-ever feminine CEO on January 9.
The brand new president of Japan Airways is the primary girl to helm the highest job on the firm, the airline introduced in an announcement on Wednesday.
Mitsuko Tottori, 59, will take over as president on April 1, 9 months after she was promoted to senior managing govt officer, in accordance with JAL’s assertion.
Tottori first joined the corporate in 1985 and labored as a flight attendant for 20 years, per her firm profile. In 2005, Tottori grew to become JAL’s supervisor for its cabin attendant division and was promoted to senior administration in 2013, per the profile.
Tottori will substitute Yuji Akasaka, the airline’s president since June 2018, per Akasaka’s firm profile.
Tottori’s appointment is a serious step ahead for girls in Japan, a rustic identified for a scarcity of gender equality within the office. In 2023, Japan ranked a hundred and twenty fifth out of 146 international locations within the World Financial Discussion board’s Gender Hole report, which tracks every nation’s progress in lowering gender parity. As compared, the US ranked forty third on the index.
“There are feminine staff on the market who’re scuffling with their profession steps or going by means of large life occasions,” Tottori mentioned in a press convention in Tokyo, per Reuters.
“I hope my appointment as a president can encourage them, or give them the braveness to take the following step,” she added.
Two weeks earlier than Tottori’s promotion, a Japan Airways A350 aircraft collided with a Japan Coast Guard plane at Haneda Airport in Tokyo. Tottori mentioned within the press convention that she goals to prioritize flight security as soon as she takes over as president, per native newspaper The Mainichi.
“Security is the muse of airways. I hope to sort out the problem of buyer security with renewed resolve,” Tottori mentioned, per The Mainichi.
Tottori’s appointment comes after JetBlue introduced on January 9 that Joanna Geraghty would turn out to be its CEO, changing into the primary feminine CEO at a serious US airline.
Japan Airways didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from Enterprise Insider.
