Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways is promoting chief operating officer Philip Chen to chief executive, in the airline's first top management change since 1996.
The widely expected transition, to take place at the end of 2004, will see Chen taking over from David Turnbull, who will become chairman of the airline and its largest single shareholder, Swire Pacific. Turnbull will replace James Hughes-Hallett, who will be moving to London to become chairman of John Swire & Sons. Chen will be replaced by Tony Tyler, the airline's director of corporate development.
The chief executive-designate was born in 1955, as were Turnbull and Tyler. He has been a Cathay director and its chief operating officer since July 1998, having joined Swire in 1977. He headed associate carrier Dragonair between 1994 and 1997.
Between 1992 and 1994 Chen was Cathay's regional general manager for South-East Asia, and between 1989 and 1992 was based in Beijing as chief representative and general manager of Swire China.
Turnbull joined Swire in 1976 and was named managing director of Cathay in December 1996 to replace Rod Eddington, who left to become executive chairman of Ansett Australia and later chief executive of British Airways. Turnbull became deputy chairman and chief executive of Cathay in July 1998 when the position was retitled.
Tyler joined Swire in 1977 and moved to Cathay the following year. He became director of corporate development in November 1996 and prior to that held posts with the airline in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, the Philippines and the UK.
NICHOLAS IONIDES SINGAPORE
Source: Airline Business
