Three months after taking over as the CEO of Jet Airways, Gary Kenneth Toomey has resigned from the position.
The airline informed the BSE about Toomey’s sudden resignation, with “immediate effect”, on Thursday. The cause of the resignation could not be immediately ascertained. Toomey held the CEO’s post for the shortest period since the airline took to the skies in 1994.
Ravishankar Gopalakrishnan, the Chief Financial Officer, will officiate as the acting CEO till the Board appoints a new CEO.
Speculation was rife about Jet’s new partner Etihad wanting to get its own top-level person to run the airline. With Etihad investing in several global airlines, including Air Seychelles, Air Berlin and Virgin Australia, there was talk in the market that a top-level person from Air Seychelles could replace Toomey.
Toomey was appointed the CEO in September last year, soon after Etihad Airways announced it was picking up a minority stake in Jet for over Rs 2,000 crore.
Interestingly, Toomey, who has worked with James Hogan, President and Chief Executive of Etihad Airways, in Australian airline Qantas, was said to have been handpicked for the top job in Jet.
On Thursday, Jet Airways shares closed at Rs 268.70 on the BSE, marginally up from the previous day’s closing.