There is a complete mafia operating. This was just a tip of iceberg. HR is just a spineless tool to promote or slaughter people as per wishes of the big. Heard Mr David De has threatened his entire team if anyone talks negative about Arik he will take them to HR and initiate disciplinary action. Talking about diversification, under the nose of HR three people joined in the same month from the same company, same country, same nationality and same team under David and given RM related work.
And not to forget how Arik had gifted David Del with double promotion to VP. What a joke of a person with zero digital background to be promoted to VP position. He is a mini Arik and goes around threatening and firing people. Among the toxic bunch that should leave, his name should be on the top of the list along with other minions of Arik ( read Mark Pot, Kavita Iy, Javier, Wei etc etc etc)
Imagine if the Etihad management spent half as much time trying to create a non toxic working culture as they did hiding cash funnelled to Manchester City! What a shameful time to work for an embarrassment of a ‘national airline’. Emirates must be laughing all night long
He came from all the low cost airlines who also probably removed him because he thought low cost means being a low life.
Gather a good personality and if u expect guest service related departments to work as u expect, then lead by example. So glad u r out. Probably fired and now you'll target another company to fool around with.
Etihad’s decline in culture, values, and leadership accountability is deeply disturbing. What was once a company driven by ambition, growth, and a bold vision in the 2010s now appears to have lost sight of the very people who helped build it.
When leadership abandons integrity, employees pay the price. When promises are broken without accountability, trust becomes collateral damage.
The treatment of current and former employees is appalling by such individuals. Among the most troubling examples is the reported decision under the current management, including Arik Kumar, to withdraw promised travel benefits from former employees who dedicated more than a decade of their careers to Etihad. Many made significant career and personal sacrifices, turning down other opportunities while remaining loyal to the company, with the understanding that these benefits were part of their long-term reward.
To reportedly withdraw those benefits without prior notice or mutual agreement is not merely a question of policy. It raises serious questions about fairness, professional ethics, and whether the commitments made to long-serving employees mean anything at all.
You cannot demand loyalty from employees for a decade and then discard your commitments when it becomes convenient.
Leadership is not measured by titles or authority. It is measured by integrity, accountability, and how people are treated when they are no longer on the payroll. A CEO and senior management team should set the highest standards of professionalism, not leave former employees feeling betrayed and disregarded.
As negative stories about Etihad circulate internationally, the damage extends beyond headlines. It erodes employee confidence, undermines the employer brand, and raises questions about the values the company claims to represent.
Etihad was built on ambition and the promise of something exceptional. The question now is simple: what happened to those values, and who in the current leadership is prepared to take responsibility?
Woah, these comments really blew up! I mean, I was a bit disappointed a year ago when Etihad stopped flying a380 to JFK (and earlier when AA partner awards in EY’s premium cabins became extremely limited), but some of you took this to a whole new level! Hoping for better times at Etihad (and the Middle East, in-general. Very sad for RUH today.)
Ben , if you could bring this to International Media attention that would be great. It is not just about Arik Kumar De leaving but those who enabled his ways of torture and corruption are still part of the Organization. Fatma and Dr Nadia has clearly spoken in many official forums about “get used to new ways of working or leave” . This toxic culture should be uprooted and other toxic Cheifs who are equally corrupt should go. Look at the DTI chief and his mafia. Any one who has spoken up is threatened with termination or asked to leave. This is the worst management and it is surprising that they have held on for so long and used Abu Dhabi government funds to encash their personal interests.
Having worked at Etihad under four different CEOs, I can honestly say that working there has never been a walk in the park. But when AN joined as CEO, things deteriorated very quickly.
Seasoned senior and mid-to-senior executives were pushed out, often with little apparent justification. Portuguese-speaking colleagues began moving into senior positions, frequently arriving for a specific project and subsequently finding themselves in Senior Manager roles. The message was clear: the new leadership wanted people they trusted, and the existing team was increasingly seen as expendable. Speaking Portuguese was also helpful. 😉
Nothing new there. It happens in organisations all the time.
What was different, however, was the growing culture of harassment, bullying, humiliation and the systematic undermining of hardworking, capable people. Reporting lines and organisational structures were changed in ways that made little sense. Arik, Tully, Dr N and AA, among others, were involved in implementing or driving decisions that affected staff, including people who had the courage to respectfully speak their minds.
Investigations were initiated, only to seemingly disappear into a black hole. Where investigations concluded, the outcomes often appeared to lead nowhere. Concerns were raised, but meaningful accountability seemed elusive.
Meanwhile, the internal Ethics and Compliance Board was chaired by AN’s newly appointed Chief People Officer, Dr N. A new Group Legal Counsel was appointed, and significant authority was allocated to Arik and Dr N.
This created an environment in which certain individuals appeared able to act with full impunity.
In 2023, the most serious investigation of all failed to result in meaningful consequences for Arik over allegations relating to the presentation of false revenue figures to the Board. I understood that a third-party UK investigation firm had reportedly produced evidence described as a “silver bullet”. Yet Arik remained in position, seemingly untouched by the process.
To give Arik credit, he is sharp. The two decisions I did consider positive was th sacking of AA, the SVP of Marketing, and Tully C, who held a senior HR role.
Now, consider the timeline.
Arik joins Etihad in mid-2022. Tony Douglas announces his departure in Aug 22. In October, Antonoaldo Neves is announced as CEO. Arik is announced CCO in Dec 22. And CCRO shortly after. Of course his role in bringing AN to the Board’s attention as a potential CEO raises an obvious question about influence and leverage.
Between November 2022 and December 2023, the COO, Group Legal Counsel and SVP Sales are removed and replaced as the leadership team changes. Meanwhile, allegations concerning fraud and misuse of funds emerge in the Portuguese Parliament.
For the next three years, this leadership does what it wants. They open new routes to many unprofitable secondary cities. Screw up the company’s IPO. Shift focus away from the Australian market to the low yielding Indian market, (as opposed to growing both). I could go on and on….but that’s not the point of this comment.
“And now”. Arik is gone. He leaves with a a huge financial reward, while many of the people affected by decisions made under this leadership have had to rebuild their careers and lives.
AN, the CFO, Dr N and the Group Legal Counsel must also face scrutiny over their respective roles, where the evidence warrants it.
AN you allowed this to happen. You and that other Dutch board member.
Finally, to those who took action: we salute you, and we thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you
Reading all these comments doesn’t shock me, because this has been going on for years and years. I’m just so glad that finally something has been done about one part of the problem (a huge one I must say), and that people are finally speaking out!
It’s such a shame that this C-suite has been allowed to ruin what was once a great airline. The way they treated their employees, as you can see from all the comments and as I witnessed first hand, and how they’ve turned the airline’s products and services into those of a cheap low cost airline, are simply not aligned with the values and premium reputation associated with the UAE and Abu Dhabi.
But again, it doesn’t shock me, because they came from airlines like TAP Air Portugal and Ryanair. They had no background or understanding of the culture here, no respect for people’s lives and families, or for those who had dedicated most of their lives to this airline, working hard to build it into what it once was and feeling proud to call it home.
So many people have left because of how toxic the culture has become! They (you know who) also used to say that people who stayed at Etihad for more than two years were losers. And yet, look at them, staying for around five years and seemingly using the airline for their own personal gain. Because of course, it was a jackpot compared to where they were before.
Besides the horrible treatment of employees and having nobody within HR or Ethics to turn to for help, they also removed many of the staff travel benefits, while making them better for those in senior positions like themselves. Arik also once said, people have been lucky to have what they had when removing the benefits, because again, their benchmark was the low cost airlines they came from and were so proud of. And he also said, the more people complain, the more we will remove.
Arik had so much power over Etihad that it felt like two companies operating within one. Half the company was run by him, and the other half, who really knows? Because it’s not like Antonoaldo seemed to know what was happening, or even cared enough to do anything about it.
And somehow everything became a show about him. Even the townhalls felt more like an Arik show than an opportunity to talk about the company and its people. I remember when they announced the McLaren sponsorship, they actually had Lando Norris record a personal video message for Arik, which was then played to all the employees as part of the big reveal at the sponsorship event when we were in the office. It just shows how even moments that should have been about celebrating the airline and its achievements somehow ended up being about him.
Just to give you an example, half the company gets Friday half-days and remote working arrangements. However, those under Arik were expected to be in the office every Friday and work until late, sometimes as late as 10pm, and not just occasionally but on most days. And that culture was actually celebrated.
And let’s not forget how employees who had dedicated so many years to the airline were suddenly made to reapply for the very jobs they had been excelling in for years, as if they had to prove themselves all over again. It certainly didn’t feel like this was done for any genuine operational or commercial reason, but rather as an ego trip and a way to scare people into submission.
Rules seemed to be changed to accommodate him and nobody, not even HR did anything about it. He also expected people to join irrelevant calls while on holiday or during special occasions, and it always felt like an intentional test to see just how much you were willing to sacrifice.
It didn’t matter how hard you worked every single day. You still had to do all these ‘extras’ just to perhaps prove your loyalty to them.
I feel like I owe it to the company I was once so proud to work for, and to the reputation of Abu Dhabi, a city we all love and is my home, to speak up. Because Etihad represents so much more than just an airline and it genuinely deserves better than what has happened to it.
I could go on and on, but I can see that my colleagues, and even external suppliers, are now speaking up and raising many of the same points.
I just hope and pray that the board is made aware of the severity of what’s been happening, that they genuinely look at the quality of the people they have running this company, and that they make positive changes to bring Etihad back to what it once was.
Like someone here said, it only takes one person to go on TikTok. So please, look into this before it becomes a crisis beyond control.
This guy set up and actively contributed to a fraudulent LinkedIn profile and used it to communicate and seek information from others in the industry. That alone should have been grounds for immediate termination. However, the management took zero action against him. This inaction says so much about the state of Etihad and its HR, Etihics, and senior managment. It’s hard to imagine what this guy must have done this time to be finally shown the door. In contrast, junior staff get harshly punished for the most trivial transgressions. It’s no wonder that Etihad abandoned its often-discussed initial public offering, something that would have required financial and managerial transparency.
I've got my popcorn ready to watch how all Arik Kumar's little puppets suddenly do a 180 now that Arik has been made the bad guy and start playing whatever role benefits them. And Javi you better put your oxygen mask on because seems like you're about to hit some turbulence with all the gossip circulating lol
Yes, absolutely can confirm the cabin crew hooking up part. After the REVC conference 2025, it was evident who was the master’s pet. And the birthday party, only the ones that were sucking up to him and the cute boys got invited. I have seen the pics and videos. It’s utterly disgusting what this one individual was doing openly.
Yes, absolutely can confirm the cabin crew hooking up part. After the REVC conference 2025, it was evident who was the master’s pet. And the birthday party, only the ones that were sucking up to him and the cute boys got invited. I have seen the pics and videos. It’s utterly disgusting what this one individual was doing openly.
Wow, this is definitely major. And yes it is bizarre that he shows up at the most random events and trips all the time. If it is true it sounds more like grooming to me.
The rot runs deep, and its influence has spread far beyond the head office to the outstations. Arik was a cancer that ravaged the organisation, and the damage extended well beyond borders.
Those appointed to leadership positions, despite having absolutely zero airline experience, also played their part in driving the company into the ground. These were not leaders; they were impostors occupying positions of authority without the values, competence, or skills that genuine leadership demands.
Perhaps the most troubling question is this: Why would the UAE entrust the management of its national airline to outsiders and foreign executives, seemingly at the expense of developing its own national talent? Where were the Emiratis? Where was the investment in Emirati leadership? And where was the national pride in protecting, nurturing, and building an institution that represents the country?
A national airline is more than a commercial enterprise. It is a symbol of national identity, ambition, and pride. Foreign expertise can certainly contribute to its success, but that should complement the development of local talent, not come at the expense of it.
The real issue is not the nationality of those in charge, but whether they possess the competence, integrity, accountability, and respect for people required to lead. When individuals without the necessary industry experience are placed in positions of power, and when arrogance and workplace misconduct go unchecked, the consequences can be devastating.
Ultimately, a national airline deserves leaders who understand the industry, respect its people, uphold professional standards, and take responsibility for their decisions. Without those qualities, even the most prestigious airline can lose its way—and the people who bear the greatest cost are often the employees who genuinely care about the company and its future.
It’s such a disappointment that things have come to this. The UAE’s national airline should be a symbol of hope, ambition and excellence, yet its own REVc leadership seems to be letting it down.
Ruaraidh Smeaton and Dani Ryan look more like Arik’s puppets than independent leaders, especially given how Greg’s exit was handled. People call Ruaraidh “The Robot” for a reason - ask anyone who has dealt with him!
Then there’s Cristina’s rapid promotion to lead Brand (Ruaraidh again!), the questions surrounding her connection to a family friend of Manchester City’s CEO, and the promotions within REVC that have left people questioning whether merit and experience are really what count. Certain nationalities seem to be disproportionately represented in leadership appointments, while talented people are pushed out.
The previous Marketing and Brand teams were miles better. It’s embarrassing to see what’s happened. The UAE’s national airline deserves leadership built on competence, fairness and merit, not favouritism or blind loyalty. Bring real local talent, and remove Ruaraidh and Dani.