Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Sarah Jane Lebrasse
Published on 2024-03-06 08:00:04
The feeling of “Dife dan Lakwizinn,” emerging among the Top Chefs recently, has seen the Chief Executive Officer of Airport Holdings Ltd (AHL), Ken Arian, being sidelined from the Board of Air Mauritius. The Top Chef, former advisor to the Prime Minister, Pravind Jugnauth, and also perceived as the Blue-Eyed Boy, who currently retains his position as head of AHL, submitted his resignation as the board director on Monday afternoon, as his position became untenable. The cooling of his contacts with the Inner-Circle of the PM recently was indicative of the discomfort that had settled between the Top Chefs and the CEO of AHL.
The relationships between Ken Arian and the Government Hotel have deteriorated in recent months, with friction with at least two Senior Ministers, the most opposed to his methods being none other than Finance Minister Renganaden Padayachy, a key figure in Lakwizinn. His absence from the prime ministerial delegation to Agalega last week, while Chairman Marday Venketasamy was included, was an indication that his relationship with Lakwizinn was no longer the same. Informed sources indicate that Ken Arian had his eye on the CEO position at Air Mauritius, especially since the removal of the Croatian Krešimir Kučko in September last year.
Information suggests that the point of no return was reached during a recent clash, which caused a stir, between Ken Arian and the Prime Minister, Pravind Jugnauth, regarding the chaotic management and situation at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport. Pravind Jugnauth visually observed the state of affairs on the day of his departure to Addis Ababa. Unofficial reports suggest a heated discussion between the two, with the CEO of Airports of Mauritius Limited being forced to rethink his plans with a boarding ticket exchanged.
In the current situation, informed sources indicate that the CEO position at Air Mauritius, coveted by Ken Arian, is likely to be filled by Lakwizinn from the PMO. The name of the former Chairman of the Economic Development Board (EDB) and also Managing Director of Accenture, Charles Cartier, is being persistently mentioned. He is also an executive member of the Outsourcing & Telecommunications Association of Mauritius (OTAM), which had Ken Arian as its president in the past. It is known in this sector that the two men do not get along.
Having Charles Cartier as the potential CEO of Air Mauritius clearly did not sit well with the CEO of AHL. This nomination, with the blessing of Lakwizinn, is reportedly on track to be approved, and Ken Arian has thus decided to step down from the Board of Air Mauritius before things escalate further.
But there are other potential candidates: Laurent Recoura, the current Officer-in-Charge who filled in for the former CEO Krešimir Kučko, Anoop Nilamber, who previously served as CEO of Mauritius Duty Free Paradise before becoming CEO of SBM, and Atma Bumma and Donald Payen, a former senior executive of Air Mauritius, are also apparently in the running.
Rumors surrounding the resignation from the board also suggest that Ken Arian had clashed with Chairman Marday Venketasamy on several issues regarding the management of the airline. Ken Arian’s associates imply that he left MK’s board due to practices that, in his view, constitute “bad governance.”
He had reservations about several company affairs, including the appointment of Atma Bumma, a prominent political turncoat, as a communication, public relations, and media affairs consultant for Air Mauritius with a monthly salary of at least Rs 250,000. There were also discussions about the Golden Handshake given for the arranged departure of the Croatian Kučko, estimated to be around Rs 4.5 million.
The CEO of AHL, a mega-structure agency encompassing Air Mauritius, Airports of Mauritius Ltd, and Mauritius Duty Free Paradise, submitted his resignation as he no longer aligned with the board of Air Mauritius. However, informed sources within Air Mauritius suggest that Ken Arian may be trying to conceal the criticisms against him, such as the rise of his clique in airport operations, and the chaos at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport with ongoing flight delays and cancellations since the beginning of the year.
With Ken Arian’s resignation, questions arise about his future in AHL. Lakwizinn, which seems to have a new inner circle for the upcoming elections, is expected to handle Ken Arian tactfully during the remaining months of his current term.
Unless the main character decides otherwise, following a script a la Sherry Singh, former CEO of Mauritius Telecom and former head of Lakwizinn, Revisited.
To be continued…
Read the original article(French) on Le Mauricien
