Overview
- IATA announced Zahidi’s appointment in late July, and she will take office on 1 November 2026 as the association’s ninth director general.
- Zahidi is the first woman and the first leader since 1985 without a prior airline executive background to head IATA.
- Willie Walsh will step down on 31 July 2026, Sandrine Le Borgne will serve as interim director general for August–October, and Walsh is reported to be joining IndiGo after his departure.
- Zahidi joins from the World Economic Forum where she spent more than two decades as a managing director and founded the Centre for the New Economy and Society; her resume includes major WEF reports and degrees from Smith College, The Graduate Institute and Harvard.
- The board framed the hire as a strategic shift to strengthen IATA’s policy, coalition‑building and economic advocacy with governments, manufacturers and energy suppliers, and Zahidi’s success will depend on winning credibility with airline chiefs on issues such as aircraft deliveries, fuel costs and progress toward net‑zero targets.