Azul Appoints John Rodgerson as CEO and Alex Malfitani as CFO
Azul S.A., “Azul”, (B3: AZUL4)(NYSE: AZUL) is pleased to announce the appointment of John Rodgerson as Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) and Alex Malfitani as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective immediately.
Rodgerson joined Azul in 2008 as one of its founders and was instrumental in the implementation of its successful business plan.
As CFO, he was responsible for many accomplishments, including raising capital for the airline over the past nine years,
culminating in the Company’s Initial Public Offering last April. Prior to joining Azul, Rodgerson held an executive position at
JetBlue Airways.
Antonoaldo Neves, who has been the president of Azul Linhas Aéreas and Corporate Officer of Azul S.A. since 2014 is leaving the
airline to become a member of the board of directors of TAP. With more than 15 years of experience in aviation and infrastructure
business, Antonoaldo led the integration process of Azul and TRIP when he was still a Partner at McKinsey and was very engaged in
leading Azul over the past three years.
“John is one of the founders of Azul and is extremely well-qualified to assume the position of CEO,” said David Neeleman,
founder and Chairman of Azul. “He has played a key role in creating our low-cost culture and in raising the necessary resources to
build this great airline. As CEO, he will be responsible for maintaining our focus on being one of the most efficient airlines in
the world while providing exceptional customer service founded on a strong corporate culture.”
“On behalf of the board, we thank Antonoaldo for his leadership over the last three and half years,” stated Neeleman. “We wish
him all the best in his new endeavor at TAP.”
Alex Malfitani will be replacing Rodgerson as Chief Financial Officer. Malfitani also joined Azul in 2008 as one of the
airline’s founding members. He has been the head of Azul’s loyalty program, TudoAzul, since 2015 and prior to that he held the
position of treasurer and finance director. Before joining Azul, Malfitani worked from 2003 to 2008 at United Airlines in Chicago,
and occupied the position of managing director of treasury. Before that, he worked for five years in the finance industry,
including as fund manager at Deutsche Bank and trader at Credit Agricole Indosuez. Malfitani will serve as head of TudoAzul on an
interim basis until a replacement is found.
“I am also very pleased to announce Alex Malfitani’s well deserved promotion to CFO. He has a proven record of success as a
member of Azul’s management team, most recently leading TudoAzul to become the fastest-growing and best-voted loyalty program in
Brazil,” said Neeleman.
“I am extremely confident that our leadership team will continue to deliver the growth and results for our stakeholders, and I
will continue to be just as intimately involved in the day-to-day business and strategic decisions of Azul,” concludes
Neeleman.
About Azul
Azul (B3: AZUL4, NYSE: AZUL), the largest airline in Brazil by number of cities served, offers 739 daily flights to 102
destinations. With a fleet of 123 aircraft and more than 10,000 crewmembers, the company has a network of 202 non-stop routes as of
June 30, 2017. Among other awards, Azul was named third best airline in the world by TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice in 2017,
best low cost carrier in South America for the seventh consecutive time by Skytrax in 2017, and was also considered the best
regional leader in 2016 by Flight Airline Business. For more information visit www.voeazul.com.br/ir.
This press release includes estimates and forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws.
These estimates and forward-looking statements are based mainly on our current expectations and estimates of future events and
trends that affect or may affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flow, liquidity, prospects and the
trading price of our preferred shares, including in the form of ADSs. Although we believe that these estimates and forward-looking
statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, they are subject to many significant risks, uncertainties and assumptions and are
made in light of information currently available to us. In addition, in this release, the words “may,” “will,” “estimate,”
“anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should” and similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. You should not
place undue reliance on such statements, which speak only as of the date they were made. Azul is not under the obligation to update
publicly or to revise any forward-looking statements after we distribute this press release because of new information, future
events or other factors. Our independent public auditors have neither examined nor compiled the forward-looking statements
and, accordingly, do not provide any assurance with respect to such statements. In light of the risks and uncertainties
described above, the future events and circumstances discussed in this release might not occur and are not guarantees of future
performance. Because of these uncertainties, you should not make any investment decision based upon these estimates and
forward-looking statements.
Azul S.A.
Investor Relations
Andrea Bottcher, +55 11 4831 2880
invest@voeazul.com.br
or
Media Relations
Tel: +55 11 4831 1245
imprensa@voeazul.com.br
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