Kitty Yen gets her wings

Taipei Times: Why after only eight months since the airline's first management shakeup in the company's 10-year history has the president's position yet again been reshuffled?

Kitty Yen (嚴若琪): I've been with the group for nearly a quarter century and never asked my boss why he transferred me to another post. This is not my character and also not our culture in this conglomerate.

TT: What makes you right for the job?

Yen: I'm full of energy, I'm honest, I'm willing to do the job. I'm fully prepared to take this challenge working with my colleagues. I was brought up from the very bottom from office clerk. For me this is one of my biggest advantages, as I have strong relations and communication channels throughout the company. And while I know how things are progressing all the time, the most important thing in a corporate culture is trust. Truly understanding the worker's faith. With this understanding I will delegate but retain the final say.

TT: Did you have any second thoughts about taking on this position at a time when airlines are suffering their worst downturn ever?

Yen: I like the challenge. Nobody dreamed that 9/11 could have happened. But as Chinese people say: A crisis can be a turning point. This group has been through so many challenges, like the Middle East war, and we were the outsiders entering the Far East Europe maritime trade. We were also the first company to operate round-the-world, two-direction freight lines. These are accomplishments you can't ignore. And then more than 11 years ago we successfully diversified from maritime into aviation. A lot of people questioned us at the time, saying we didn't know airlines and we didn't have the resources to do the business. Yet see what we have done in the last 10 and a half years. Our level of service has stimulated our competitors.

TT: Last year EVA reported a net loss. What are your predictions for 2002?

Yen: That's just one year's performance. I don't think it will affect our long-term performance. Last year we made financial adjustments before Sept. 11, and after Sept. 11 it was only changed slightly. We limited our losses and fully controlled our costs. It was a flexible, prompt reaction. We have very good teamwork. If we can overcome 9/11 what can't we overcome? As for our revenue, in our initial estimates we are expecting a 10 percent increase to around NT$57.7 billion in 2002. On revenue we are working to be more flexible, to be more market oriented, more prompt in coping with market changes. This is what we have been really good at for so many years, so we look forward to doing even better.

TT: EVA has already cut staff by around 800 and is planning wage cuts of up to 30 percent. When can employees expect to see the situation stabilize?

Yen: Salary cuts and layoffs stop here. I came from the bottom so I have clear communication channels and a good understanding of employee sentiment. And what they want is stability and to know that there is hope for the company. So we want to finalize the planned wage cuts and layoffs in as short a time as possible and let them know that it stops here. At the same time we will also send e-mails to employees to let them know that these measures are temporary. As soon as the economy picks up or our own performance improves we will be dynamic in our response and bring it up for review. I hope the employees understand.