PJIAH Managing Director Keith Franca (centre) with PJIAH Supervisory Board Chairlady Lisandra Havertong-Ellis and Vice Chairman Cleveland Beresford, Jr.
PHILIPSBURG--The Government of St. Maarten, as the Shareholder of Princess Juliana International Airport Holding Company N.V. (PJIAH), has confirmed the nomination of Keith Franca to serve as Managing Director of PJIAH, as put forward by the entity’s Supervisory Board. Franca’s appointment was effective Wednesday, March 9, 2022.
As PJIAH Managing Director, Franca will be protecting the shareholder’s interests in one of the country’s main assets and its vital port of entry. He will be monitoring the airport’s future developments, which include its corporate governance trajectory, the execution of the airport’s reconstruction and its long-term interests and overall sustainability. In addition, Franca will endeavor to align the missions, visions, and objectives of operating company PJIAE, PJIAH, and government.
Franca will be stepping into the role of Managing Director with 35 years of senior management experience, including positions as managing director of St. Maarten Development Fund Foundation, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Harbor Holding Company N.V. and Managing Director of St. Maarten Port Authority. He has also been Asset and General Manager of four St. Maarten resort hotels over a 13-year period.
Confirming Franca’s appointment, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Roger Lawrence stated: “We are currently at a critical juncture with regard to our economic recovery. The success of the airport is fundamental to our economic rehabilitation. I look forward to Keith Franca’s new approach to PJIAH and to encompass it into the ministry’s overall vision for St. Maarten.”
Speaking on his plans for PJIAH, Franca said his first order of business will be to meet with key internal and external airport stakeholders. “The airport is an intricate machinery that serves as a crucial piece of the country’s economy,” he said. “The immediate priority is to ensure that the airport has the necessary resources to continue to contribute to country St. Maarten in an efficient and effective manner that serves the shareholder and people of St. Maarten.”
