Former acting ceo of SAA, Zuks Ramasia, has been appointed the new ceo of Barsa (Board of Airline Representatives South Africa).
Zuks leaves SAA on April 14, having requested to take early retirement, and takes over from industry stalwart, June Crawford, who will continue to serve on the board.
A 27-year airline industry veteran, Zuks serves as chairperson of the Airlines Association of Southern Africa and is a director on the board of Aviation Co-ordination Services.
“It is my pleasure to be at the helm of Barsa, offering a voice to African and international airlines operating to and from South Africa,” said Zuks. “I’m looking forward to ensuring member airlines are well represented in all relevant forums and, most importantly, leading Barsa’s contribution around the public discourse for sustainable industry development.”
On the topic of COVID-19, Zuks added: “Barsa will continue to collaborate with all stakeholders, such as NICD, Acsa, the CAA, and the Department of Health, to name a few, to provide support that will enable member airlines to manage local and international travel in a coherent and collaborative fashion, and get things back on an even keel as soon as the pandemic has been contained.”
On the back of her extensive industry experience, Zuks also holds a number of academic qualifications, including a Postgraduate Diploma in Management from the Henley Business School; BA (Hons) English and Psychology; Human Resource Development from RAU; Diploma in Airline Operations from Iata; and has participated in the GIBS Leadership Development Programme.
BARSA Chair Carla da Silva says the team is excited to start work with Zuks. “She has many years of experience and expertise in the aviation arena and I look forward to working with her and ensuring that the profile of BARSA and its involvement in the aviation arena continues to grow from strength to strength,” she says.