Outspoken First Air vice president abruptly departs from his job

Bert van der Stege defends First Air’s codeshare agreement with Canadian North at a 2015 Qikiqtani Inuit Association meeting in Iqaluit. (FILE PHOTO)

One of First Air’s highest profile executive staff members left the airline abruptly last week.

Bert van der Stege, the airline’s vice president of commercial affairs, was removed from the list of company officers on the First Air website as of Sept. 2.

“Van de Stege has left First Air to pursue other options,” the airline said in a Sept. 7 email to Nunatsiaq News.

First Air gave no other reason for van der Stege’s sudden departure.

Until a replacement is found, First Air CEO Brock Friesen takes on the responsibilities of the vice president-commercial, First Air said, alongside the airline’s commercial directors, Carol Clark and Paul Forde.

Van der Stege’s departure signals another change in the airline’s management, which has seen two presidents and another VP of marketing leave their posts over the last five years.

Van der Stege came aboard with the Makivik Corp.-owned airline in November 2013, bringing with his commercial and marketing experience from past roles with African airlines RwandAir and Arik Air as well as with German airline Lufthansa.

He joined First Air during a bumpy period for the airline, which was still recovering from the 2011 Boeing 737 crash in Resolute Bay, while in the process of negotiating a merger with fellow northern airline Canadian North—a plan that never came to fruition.

Van der Stege quickly become the public voice for the airline, complaining about the economic challenges faced by the northern airline industry and calling on the government to beef up its support.

In addition to CEO Brock Friesen, the airline’s remaining directors include Aaron Speer, vice president of flight operations, Alexandra Pontbriand, vice president of finance and Rashwan Domloge, vice president of maintenance.