By Rafiq Vayani
ABU DHABI: Etihad Airways has announced the appointment of Dr Nadia Bastaki as Chief Human Resources, Organisational Development and Asset Management Officer, becoming the first-ever female chief at the national airline of the United Arab Emirates.
Prior to this role, Dr Bastaki served as a key member of the human resources leadership team as Vice President Medical Services since 2014, with responsibility for leading the aeromedical centre and ensuring the overall health and wellbeing of employees, as well as driving the diversity and inclusion, and corporate social responsibility programmes at Etihad Airways.
Dr Bastaki joined the national airline in 2007, becoming the first female UAE national to specialise in aviation medicine, and has been a key figure in developing the Etihad Airways Medical Centre into a region-leading aeromedical centre.
Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, said: “Dr Bastaki has played a pivotal role in developing our world-class healthcare system at Etihad Airways and looking after our employees over the past 15 years, and we are delighted to welcome her to her new role.
“Dr Bastaki’s astute leadership throughout the COVID-19 crisis was a defining factor in how successfully we navigated the pandemic. She brings a deep understanding of the industry to the role along with a wealth of executive leadership experience in human resources and medical services, at a time when employee health and wellbeing were never as important.”
During the pandemic, Dr Bastaki played a central role in overseeing the airline’s health and safety response to the global crisis and directly coordinating with the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, the General Civil Aviation Authority and SEHA.
Dr Bastaki said: “I am delighted to take on this new role and look forward to continuing to build a highly-engaging employee experience and inclusive work culture at Etihad Airways. Our people are our most valuable asset and will be the key to our success as we continue to recover from the global health crisis.”
Dr Bastaki has nearly 20 years of experience as a medical practitioner and holds a master’s degree in occupational medicine from Manchester University as well as a diploma in aviation medicine from King’s College London. In addition to the new Chief role, Dr Bastaki will continue to provide overall clinical leadership for the Etihad Airways Medical Centre.
