Air Canada chief executive officer Michael Rousseau is set to retire, just a week after facing calls to resign over an English-only condolence video following the LaGuardia Airport crash.
Rousseau will depart the role by the end of this year’s third quarter, by Sept. 30, the airline announced on Monday. He will continue to lead the company until then.
The airline’s board of directors thanked Rousseau for nearly 20 years of service to the company and said he leaves behind a “legacy of financial strength.”
“We are grateful for the determined leadership he has provided not only in steering our company through the 2007-2008 financial crisis, COVID and other challenges,” said board chairperson Vagn Sørensen.
A “comprehensive process is underway” to choose the airline’s next CEO and president, Air Canada said. The company has spent more than two years developing potential internal candidates and started a global search in January for external candidates, according to the news release.
The announcement, which comes just after Rousseau faced backlash for an English-only video message, includes a note that the board “will consider a number of performance criteria in assessing candidates including the ability to communicate in French.”
Rousseau’s four-minute video in response to the crash that killed two pilots was criticized by Quebecers and Prime Minister Mark Carney, who said the CEO’s message lacked “judgment and compassion.”
The plane was flying to LaGuardia Airport from Montreal, and one of the pilots killed, Antoine Forest, was from a town southwest of Montreal.
The Air Canada president later said he was “deeply saddened” that he was not able to adequately express himself in French, and that the controversy drew attention away from the grief following the collision.
In Monday’s retirement announcement, Rousseau said it was his “great honour” to represent Air Canada.
“I look forward to supporting our company during this important transition period,” he said.
Rousseau has been president and CEO of the company since 2021, and previously served as chief financial officer from 2007 to 2019, according to his LinkedIn.
