Willie Walsh was the eighth person to lead the International Air Transport Association when he assumed the role of director-general in April 2021.

Before joining IATA, Walsh spent his entire career in the airline industry, beginning as a cadet pilot with Aer Lingus in 1979 and becoming the airline’s CEO in 2001.

In 2005, he was appointed CEO of British Airways. He led the airline through the global financial crisis and established a transatlantic joint business venture with Iberia, Finnair and American Airlines.

He also oversaw the 2011 merger of BA and Iberia under a newly established parent company, International Airlines Group. He was CEO of IAG from its inception until September 2020.

Under Walsh’s leadership, IATA has focused on supporting the industry’s emergence from the COVID-19 crisis and its ambitious commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Walsh has also advocated for infrastructure partners to avoid recouping their COVID-19 losses from their customers, including airlines and air travelers.

Walsh also served on the IATA Board of Governors between 2005 and 2018, including serving as Chair in 2016 and 2017.

A citizen of Ireland, Walsh was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1961. Walsh holds a Master of Science and Business Administration from Trinity College, Dublin.