Geoffrey Thomas | October 10, 2008 TO take over the controls of an airline with a culture that values on tradition, honour and respect for hierarchy takes courage. That is what Japan Airlines finance and purchasing senior vice-president Haruka Nishimatsu had to do in early 2006 as the company was torn by dissension in senior ranks while also dealing with a spate of embarrassing operational incidents, some with implications for safety. Nishimatsu, who had joined JAL in 1972, was named president and chief executive, becoming the third person to hold the position in just 18 months. Nishimatsu says he had to take over the leadership role because the problems were affecting his finance division. "Having devoted 35 years of my life to JAL, it would have been extremely difficult for me to take a backseat role, even in such difficult...
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