Iran has appointed a female CEO to lead its national airline, Iran Air, for the first time since its inception in the 1940s.
According to Iran Daily, transport minister appointed Farzaneh Sharafbani, 44, a PhD in aerospace engineering.
The administration of President Hassan Rowhani, a relatively moderate leader, was re-elected earlier this year, and has appointed women to a number of managerial posts, breaking tradition in the Islamic Republic.
Sharafbani will be replacing the current CEO Farhad Parvaresh. She is also the first Iranian woman to hold a PhD in aerospace engineering, and will be the first-ever woman to head the national flag carrier, reports Tehran Times.
She has also served as the director general of the airline’s research department, and has implemented several aviation projects as well.Iran is in the process of revamping its ageing passenger fleet following the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which lifted international sanctions. It has struck billion-dollar deals with Boeing and Airbus to buy scores of passenger planes.
The administration of President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate who was re-elected earlier this year, has appointed women to a number of management posts, breaking with tradition in the Islamic republic. Sharafbani joins the rare ranks of women airline CEOs in an industry mostly led by men. According to the most recent data – in 2014 less than 5% (twelve out of the IATA-registered 248) of the carriers worldwide were led by females: Air Asia, Air Namibia, CityJet, EasyJet, Jetstar Group, Kuwait Airways, Precision Air, Syrian Arab Airlines, TAM Airlines, Thomson Airways, Transaero, and Aerogal.
The decision to promote Sharafbani coincides with the rapid revival of Iranian aviation. Headlines about Iranian airlines striking deals or receiving deliveries from major plane makers have been regularly appearing in the news for the last half a year.
