The International Air Transport Association has announced that Andres Conesa, chief executive of Aeromexico, has assumed his duties as chairman of the IATA Board of Governors for a one-year term, effective immediately.

Conesa is the first Mexican to hold this position.

He succeeds Calin Rovinescu, chief executive of Air Canada, whose one-year term expired at the conclusion of the Association’s 71st Annual General Meeting in Miami, Florida.

Rovinescu will continue to serve on the Board of Governors and the chair committee.

Conesa has led Aeromexico, Mexico’s largest airline, since 2005 after a career spanning several key, finance-related posts in the Mexican public administration.

Conesa has served as a member of the IATA Board of Governors since 2008.

“I look forward to taking up the challenges of leading the IATA Board of Governors in the 70th year of this invaluable association.

“It will be a challenging task in the run-up to the important decisions on climate change, which will be taken by governments at the Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation in 2016.

“IATA plays a vital role in the aviation industry managing global settlement systems, spearheading global advocacy efforts, and constantly evolving the global standards on which aviation relies.

“I am eager to work closely with IATA director general Tony Tyler and the entire IATA team to promote the better understanding of aviation among our key stakeholders and to help drive forward important initiatives that will make it ever safer, more efficient, and sustainably profitable,” said Conesa.

IATA also announced that Willie Walsh, chief executive of International Airlines Group, will serve as chairman of the Board of Governors from June 2016, following Conesa’s term.