James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Etihad Aviation Group, and James Rigney, CFO of Etihad.
- James Hogan to leave PCEO role in the second half of 2017
Abu
Dhabi, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – The Etihad Aviation Group Board of Directors
today announced that James Hogan will step down as President and Chief
Executive Officer of the company in the second half of 2017. The Board and Mr.
Hogan first initiated the transition process last year with the formation in
May of the Etihad Aviation Group, a diversified global aviation and travel
organisation.
Commenting
on Mr. Hogan’s time at Etihad, H.E. Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei,
Chairman of the Board of the Etihad Aviation Group said: “We are very grateful
to James. In just ten years, he has overseen the growth of the company from a
22 plane regional carrier into a 120 aircraft global airline and aviation
group, with seven airline equity partnerships which together serve more than
120 million guests every year. It is a business which has set new benchmarks
for service and innovation. Under his leadership, the company has provided new
opportunities for thousands of Emiratis and has been a critical element in the
remarkable progress of Abu Dhabi and the UAE. We look forward to James’
continued association with Abu Dhabi in new ways.”
James Hogan commented: “Along with the Board and my 26,000 colleagues, I am very proud of what we have built together at Etihad and of the company’s substantial contribution to the UAE and to the development of Abu Dhabi. The last decade has seen incredible results but this only represents a first chapter in the story of Etihad.”
Commenting
on current priorities for the business, H.E. Mazrouei said: “To position the
company for continued success in a challenging market, the Board and management
team will continue an ongoing, company-wide strategic review. We must ensure
that the airline is the right size and the right shape.
“We
must continue to improve cost efficiency, productivity and revenue. We must
progress and adjust our airline equity partnerships even as we remain committed
to the strategy.”
Last
month, Etihad Airways unveiled plans to create a new European leisure airline
group in a joint venture with TUI AG. A new codeshare agreement with Lufthansa
and an aircraft leasing agreement between airberlin and Lufthansa were also
announced. As a minority shareholder, Etihad is actively participating in the
next phase of Alitalia’s restructuring plan.
H.E.
Mazrouei added: “Etihad is a great business with strong fundamentals and a
deeply experienced aviation and airline management team. These assets, along
with a realigned organisation, provide more agility and added focus as Etihad
enters the next phase of its development.”
Mr.
Hogan will join an investment company along with Etihad Aviation Group CFO
James Rigney, who will also leave the company later this year. A global search for a new Group CEO and a new
Group CFO is already underway.
The
Group has developed a senior management structure with strength in depth, led
by a highly-regarded senior team. This team includes Peter Baumgartner, CEO,
and Richard Hill, COO, of Etihad Airways; Bruno Matheu as CEO of Airline Equity
Partners; and Jeff Wilkinson as CEO of Etihad Airways Engineering. Darren
Peisley is Acting Managing Director of Hala, the company’s destination
marketing and global loyalty unit. A further strengthening of the Group
structure was announced earlier this month with the creation of Etihad Airport
Services led by Managing Director Chris Youlten.
In
addition, the Group Chiefs leading the core corporate functions include Kevin
Knight, Strategy and Planning; Ray Gammell, People and Performance; Rob Webb,
Technology and Innovation; and Harsh Mohan, Executive Affairs.
Notable Highlights --
2006–2016
• Mr. Hogan took the helm at Etihad
Airways in 2006, with a mandate to develop a safe, best-in-class airline,
operating on a sustainable commercial basis and contributing to the future
economic success of Abu Dhabi.
• The Group operates on a core
commitment to safety. The airline has had a 100 per cent safety record under Mr
Hogan and was recognised in January 2017 as one of the ten safest airlines in
the world.
• Its core airline operation today
serves 18.5 million guests, reaching 112 destinations with a fleet of 120
aircraft, with another 178 on order. It has been named World Travel Awards’
World’s Leading Airline for each of the last eight years and was recently
recognised by Skytrax as one of just nine five-star airlines in the world. It won the prestigious Air Transport World
Airline of the Year award in 2016.
• Its strategy of minority equity
investments in key strategic partners – Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, airberlin,
Alitalia, Etihad Regional, Jet Airways and Virgin Australia – has created the
world’s seventh largest airline grouping, serving more than 120 million
passengers a year, with a fleet of more than 700 aircraft reaching almost 350
unique destinations.
• The airline’s codeshare and equity
partnerships are a core element of its growth, delivering 5.5 million
passengers onto Etihad Airways’ flights in 2016.
• Etihad Aviation Group’s diversified
operations now cover a range of businesses, each of which is significant in its
own right. They include Etihad Cargo, Etihad Airways Engineering, Hala Abu
Dhabi, Etihad Airport Services, Etihad Flight College and the Global Loyalty
Company, which is bringing together a range of frequent flyer programmes, in
addition to the core Etihad Airways operation.
• The Group now has more than 26,000
employees. Its award-winning Emiratisation programmes, for roles including Cadet
Pilots, Technical Engineers and Graduate Managers, have helped increase the
number of Emirati employees from less than 100 when Mr Hogan joined to more
than 3,000 today.
• It is estimated that during 2016, the
Group delivered a core economic contribution of more than $9.6 billion to Abu
Dhabi; this is expected to grow to $18.2 billion by 2024. It works closely with the Tourism &
Culture Authority, as well as other key stakeholders, in developing Abu Dhabi
and the UAE as a world class destination for business and leisure travellers.
- Ends -
About
Etihad Aviation Group
Etihad Aviation Group
(EAG) is a diversified global aviation and travel group comprising five business
divisions – Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates,
Etihad Airways Engineering, Etihad Airport Services, Hala Group and Airline
Equity Partners. The group has minority investments in seven airlines:
airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Jet Airways, Virgin Australia,
and Swiss-based Darwin Airline, trading as Etihad Regional.
From its Abu Dhabi
base, Etihad Airways flies to, or has announced plans to serve, more than 110
passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia,
Australia and the Americas. The airline has a fleet of over 120 Airbus and
Boeing aircraft, with 204 aircraft on firm order, including 71 Boeing 787s, 25
Boeing 777Xs, 62 Airbus A350s and 10 Airbus A380s. For more information, please
visit: etihad.com
For more information contact:
Duty Media Officer
Etihad Airways
Tel: +971 50 818 9596
Email: dutymediaofficer@etihad.ae
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