Simply Abu Dhabi III

60 SIMPLY ABU DHABI JAMES HOGAN CEO ETIHAD AIRWAYS James Hogan was appointed CEO of Etihad Airways – one of the world’s most dynamic airline companies – on 10 September 2006, bringing more than 30 years of aviation and travel industry expertise to the Abu Dhabi-based airline and proving instrumental in its subsequent growth. In 2011, James was ranked number two on the Arabian Business Expat Power List for the second year in a row and it’s not difficult to appreciate why. James Hogan grew up in Melbourne, Victoria, attending Ivanhoe Grammar School where he graduated in 1975. His remarkable career in travel began in 1975 at Ansett Airlines as a check-in agent at Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport. James went on to hold several jobs at Ansett, in a variety of front-line, commercial and operational roles. In 1984, he joined car rental company Hertz spending 14 years there building up a notable and diverse skill set in a variety of demanding roles including directorships of the marketing, sales and operations divisions. In 1995, based in London, he joined the executive management committee as Vice President, Marketing & Sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa. In 1997, James became service director for bmi British Midland, leaving in 1998 to join the Granada Group as worldwide sales director, where he sat on the board of Forte Hotels. He returned to bmi in 1999 as Chief Operating officer where he was responsible for flight and ground operations, sales and marketing, commercial, cargo, engineering and handling service companies, and was a member of the Board. James moved back to his native Australia in 2001, where he continued to achieve industry success being appointed as Chief Executive of the Tesna consortium, which was created with the aim of acquiring Ansett Airlines from administration, before joining Gulf Air in 2002, where he served as Chief Executive for four years. Such positive industry experience in high-powered influential roles has proved immeasurably beneficial in his current role taking Eithad Airways forward in times of economic uncertainty for the industry. His dedication to the aviation industry has been unswerving which has resulted in huge successes despite having to overcome some of the most testing challenges. For example, during his time at Gulf Air, James took the oldest carrier in the Gulf from loss-making to profitability in just three years. This remarkable success was achieved despite the withdrawal of major government shareholdings, some of the highest fuel prices in history and the unique challenges presented by SARS, the Boxing Day tsunami and the Iraq War. In July 2008, he signed one of the largest aircraft orders in history for up to 205 aircraft worth approximately US $43 billion at list prices, to meet the airline’s ambitious long-term growth plans. A leading player in the aviation industry, his progressive outlook is both recognised and rewarded frequently. CEOMagazine named him Aviation CEO of the Year in 2008 and Visionary of the Year in 2010. An industry force to be reckoned with, he has overseen the rapid growth of the UAE’s national airline over the past four years, adding 33 new destinations and 40 new aircraft, and increasing the number of passengers carried each year from 2.7 million to 7.2 million. He has a fierce commitment to strong customer service values, striving always to provide travellers with exactly what they want. James is a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Board of Governors and a former non-executive director, and member of the Board’s audit committee, of Gallaher Plc and was appointed to the International Air Transport Association Board of Governors at the IATA Annual General Meeting in Singapore in June 2011. This progressive expat has achieved incredible success, making a massive contribution to the travel industry in the UAE and with his steadfast dedication to the customer experience, shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. For more information please visit www.etihad.com