Brunton new LIAT CEO

The board of LIAT announced yesterday that former Caribbean Airlines (CAL) chief executive Captain Ian Brunton has been appointed as CEO of LIAT with effect from August 1. In November 2010, CAL terminated Brunton’s employment after an apparent falling out with the airline’s then chairman, George Nicholas III, who was himself replaced earlier this year.

CAL said that Brunton had "demitted office"  and replaced him with executive vice president, Robert Corbie, who has served as acting CEO since November 2010. According to the LIAT statement, Brunton has had a long and distinguished career in aviation, serving in almost every aspect of the business. He began his career as a pilot in the Royal Air Force and flew a wide range of jets from military types to those operated by BWIA and Caribbean Airlines. As a pilot he was the Chairman of the Trinidad and Tobago Pilots’ Association.

Captain Brunton also held positions in the State’s Safety Oversight System, serving as the first chairman of the Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority. In 2006 he became Vice President Operations in BWIA West Indies Airways Limited and in 2007 Executive Vice President of Caribbean Airlines Limited.

In 2009 he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Caribbean Airlines Limited. Captain Brunton is a qualified Attorney-at-Law and holds both Bachelor and Master of Laws degrees from the University of London. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a Certified Mediator.

Captain Brunton takes over from Mrs. Julie Reifer-Jones who has been Acting CEO since the departure of Mr Brian Challenger who resigned from the post on June 30, 2012. The chief executive officer of the Trinidad and Tobago-based Caribbean Airlines, (CAL) Captain Ian Brunton, has been dismissed amid media reports of tensions  between Works and Transport Minister Austin “Jack” Warner and the newly-installed chairman of the airline, George Nicholas.