The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that Air Canada has named Dutchman Anko Van der Werff as its next chief executive officer, replacing Michael Rousseau, who retires at the end of August. The Globe's Eric Atkins writes that Mr. Van der Werff has been CEO of Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) since 2021. He has also held senior roles at Colombia's Avianca Group, as well as Aeroméxico, KLM Royal Dutch and Qatar Airways. Mr. Rousseau announced his retirement in March after coming under fire for his inability to speak French, despite his 19 years at Montreal-based Air Canada. Mr. Van der Werff assumes his new role by Jan. 30. Air Canada said in a statement that Mr. Van der Werff was chosen after a global search whose criteria included the ability to communicate in French. SAS, which is partly owned by Air France-KLM, said in a statement that Mr. Van der Werff will remain on the job until his departure, and the airline has begun a search for a new CEO. Mr. Van der Werff takes charge of Canada's flag carrier after it rolled out an ambitious international expansion. However, its volatile share price is where it was five years ago. The new CEO's challenges include improving customer service and on-time performance.