Qatar Airways CE Akbar Al Baker’s remarks stir up gender debate

Akbar Al Baker, the CE of Qatar Airways, stirred up the gender debate Tuesday when he said only a man could do his job. His comment highlights a gender diversity problem in the aviation sector and comes at an awkward time for the industry as Baker has just become chairman of IATA’s board of governors. In response to a question about the underrepresentation of women in Middle Eastern airlines, Baker said of his job as head of Qatar Airways: “Of course it has to be led by a man, because it is a very challenging position.” He later said that he had not meant women in general, rather that there was no particular woman ready to succeed him at Qatar. He added that the airline had more than a third of female staff and women up to senior vice-president level. <br/>