is a graduate of North Eastern University in Boston Massachusetts with Masters Degree in Public Administration. Daniel’s professional career began in 1986 when he joined Ethiopian Airlines as a college graduate. Over the ensuing 14 years at Ethiopian Airlines, Daniel held several key positions in Commercial and Aero political divisions including Director Economic Planning and International Affairs and Director Planning and Market Analysis.

In the course of his tenure at Ethiopian Airlines, Daniel led key strategic initiatives by the airline including expansion of air service agreements, introduction of night operation, development of medium and long term strategic planning, airline alliance and expansion of route network, which included New York and Washington DC among other key destinations.

In 2003, Daniel joined the then newly established national airline of the UAE, Etihad Airways and played a key role in the airline’s unprecedented growth over the next 14 years in different capacities in Network Planning, Industry Affairs and Aero  political Affairs departments. Daniel was instrumental in seeing the expansion of Etihad’s traffic right portfolio and expansion of destinations across the continents. He managed sequences of dialogue between EU and the Gulf States, which was intended to lead to the conclusion of the Comprehensive Air Services Agreement. As Senior Manager Aero Political Affairs, he participated in various bilateral and multilateral air service negotiations representing the airline. In addition, Daniel was responsible for mentoring several UAE nationals to take up management positions at Etihad Airways.

The senior positions that Daniel held with Ethiopian Airlines and Etihad Airways have offered him the opportunity to gain extensive experience in developing transformational strategies, ability to lead host of professionals, conduct effective negotiation with business partners and manage resources in an optimal manner. His experience with international team has refined his ability to work across cultures. These arrays of exposures have perfected Daniel’s competency in business perspective, communication and interpersonal skills with ability to plan, organize and implement strategic initiatives requiring leadership, and cross functional coordination.

In pursuing his career, Daniel has participated in several seminars and workshops sponsored by leading academic institutions namely, Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands and McGill Institute of Air and Space Law in Montreal and industry associations such as AFRAA, ICAO, IATA and AACO.