ALEX HENDERSON
Wilderness Namibia MD and Group Flight Operations Director
With over a decade managing various senior roles for Wilderness Air, Alex takes on the exciting position of MD for Wilderness Namibia. In addition to his key deliverables for Group Flight Operations, he will now be based in Windhoek to help drive the company’s Namibian operation to even greater heights.
Since joining Wilderness in 2005, Alex has greatly contributed to the success of Wilderness Air in Botswana, Namibia and our Zambezi regions. As Group Flight Operations Director for the past four years, Alex has played an important role in growing staff and promoting Wilderness and Wilderness Air in these regions.
Born and bred just outside of Harare in Zimbabwe, this is where Alex’s love for flying and the outdoors began. In 2004, he completed his Commercial Pilot’s Licence at 43 Air School in Port Alfred, South Africa, and thereafter he joined Wilderness Air Zimbabwe as a line pilot, flying a Cessna 206. Five years later, Alex moved to Maun to join Wilderness Air Botswana in order to gain more experience flying Cessna Caravans.
After two successful years in Botswana, he re-joined the Zimbabwe team in 2011, bringing in the first Caravan to be operated by Wilderness Air Zimbabwe – a definite highlight of his aviation career. It was during this time that he decided to pursue a new career path, accepting an opportunity within Wilderness Air Zimbabwe and Zambia. As General Manager for the Zambezi region, Alex oversaw a fleet of four aircraft, namely three C206s and one C208, and managed 15 employees, of whom six are pilots. He returned to Maun in 2016 to take on the role of GM for Wilderness Air Botswana.
After successfully managing the business’s largest and busiest air charter operation – servicing over 20 remote safari camps, and moving approximately 60,000 passengers a year – Alex was promoted to Group Flight Operations Director for Wilderness Air, assuming responsibility for Group Flight Operations and Associated Business Development.
With his entrepreneurial thinking, excellent people-management style, and bringing out the best in his teams, Wilderness is confident that he is well-placed to take on the additional responsibilities of Wilderness Namibia MD.
Alex looks forward to his next Wilderness chapter. Here he will focus on enhancing the guest experience, providing high-quality service and personalised attention to detail, ensuring that all who travel with Wilderness have an unforgettable wildlife adventure. Business growth and opportunities will be another key area; Alex intends to continuously build strong partnerships with local businesses, communities and our people. He believes the Wilderness teams remain key to our success and he looks forward to contributing to employee development, training and mentorship to further their career development.
Alex is extremely passionate about Wilderness and its core emphasis on impact. “I am proud to take on this exciting role and to work closely with the talented and close-knit team in Namibia. I hope to continue driving excellent service delivery at our camps, as well as efficient flight schedules for our guests and staff, while positively impacting our wildlife and communities”, confirms Alex.