The visionary Viljoen
Fiji Airways boss scoops main award at FETA
TO run a billion dollar company with an exceptional engineering and safety record with an incredible crew and team requires strong, visionary and experienced leadership.
Such was the description given to Fiji Airways managing director, Andre Viljoen who was bestowed the Visionary Award winner at the recent ANZ Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards (FETA) held on Denarau Island.
Tourism Fiji chief executive and FETA board of trustee, Brent Hill said Mr Viljoen set the national airline on a course of prosperity and success — a significant achievement.
“For us in tourism, a visionary is someone who does something innovative, that changes the dynamics of tourism in Fiji, enhances what we offer, and has substantial impact and inspires others,” Mr Hill said.
“This individual has been at the helm of Fiji Airways for a few years, and what a year 2023 has been for them.
“Two new A350s, making now four in the fleet…in 2023, Fiji Airways also moved up 21 places to 15th in the world, as ranked by Skytrax — making it the best airline in the Australia-Pacific region, beating out Air New Zealand and Qantas.
“At the same award ceremony, the wonderful Fiji Airways staff and crew were recognised for being the Best Airline Staff.”
Mr Hill said that after reopening so well in December 2021, Fiji Airways built on that momentum and commenced flights to Canberra and Noumea and reopened flights to Tokyo.
The Hong Kong route, he said, saw rapid growth up to five times a week.
“Tonight we want to recognise Fiji Airways, and particularly their CEO for providing a benchmark of excellence, and his vision,” Mr Hill said.
“Outside of those in the know and in our industry, few would realise just how big a task it is to run a national carrier up against the giants of the industry, and do so well.
“Fiji owes an enormous amount of gratitude to the Fiji Airways team, who bring so many of our tourists to our shores.
“We are very fortunate, that Andre (along with his wife Sandra) chooses to make Fiji his home and runs Fiji Airways so well.”
Mr Hill described the Fiji Airways general manager as a modest man who has set the vision and the aspiration and was always willing to share his skills and leadership in Fiji.
“I’m fortunate to spend a fair amount of time with Andre as he is my chairman at Tourism Fiji.
“In the close to three years we’ve worked together, I have seen a man who is fiercely determined, clear minded and has Fiji and her people at his heart.
“He is extremely dedicated
— who else would get a Fiji Airways tattoo on their arm, such is his love and passion for his work!
“Andre’s job is not easy, is closely scrutinised and yet he stands in front of his team and for his airline with compassion and bravery.
“Tonight, we wish to rightly celebrate and recognise this exceptional leadership, vision and dedication by awarding Andre Viljoen as tonight’s FETA Visionary.”
This is the second time in a span of a few months that Mr Viljoen has been recognised by the country’s most prestigious business awards.
Last November, he took home the Executive of the Year award in the Prime Ministers’ International Business Awards held at the Sheraton Denarau, in recognition for his role at Fiji Airways, which won the Supreme Award at the same event.
“It’s the people who made it happen and I think that’s what we can be very proud of,” Mr Viljoen told The Fiji Times after the event.
“And then the executive one (Prime Minister’s executive award), that’s all about doing a lot of self-mastery. I’ve had the privilege that my wife is a neurosemantics coach and trainer and she’s also NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming).
“She said to me 20 years ago: ‘Andre, you need to work on yourself and start developing your leadership skills’.
“And I came to Fiji and found a team that was eager and willing to learn and grow and develop and today, we have a very, very high class and highly skilled leadership team.”
Mr Viljoen attributed success to all staff and their commitment to the airline’s sole purpose — to fly for Fiji.
“We wake up every morning as a strategic asset of the country with one purpose — we fly for Fiji. We connect Fiji to and from the world. And we’re here to stay. And we’ve created an organisation with modern aircraft, high quality service that we can be very proud of. So we fly for Fiji. That’s our purpose.”
On MONDAY: Read about Malakai Gucake — One of the first indigenous Fijians to become a senior tourism executive and was acknowledged at the recent ANZ Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards and had his name engraved in the Lifetime Achiever Award category.