Less than five months out from Greg Foran’s departure from Air New Zealand’s top job, speculation is mounting about a successor.
Foran, who will have done nearly six years in the role by the time he departs, has said he’s got one more big job in him, which watchers are picking will be back in retail. NZ says the global search is still on, and if the airline doesn’t promote from within Fanshawe Street one name possibly in the ring is Auckland Airport boss Carrie Hurihanganui who worked through the ranks from flight attendant during a 21-year career during which she was lured back once from an executive role at the NAB across the Tasman. She broke ground as being AKL’s first female chief, something NZ hasn’t been able to do in its 85-year history. After two appointments from outside the sector (Foran and Christopher Luxon), the competition and operational challenges NZ continues to face are seen as reasons why the board may opt for somebody with aviation experience. Hurihanganui’s knowledge of the airline is broad and deep and likely enhanced by looking in from the outside for the past three years. But in skirmishes between AKL and NZ and the other airlines over pricing she’s vociferously pushed back, raising questions as to whether the board can quarantine that off as being part of regulatory argy-bargy. Another woman steeped deep in NZ’s culture for two decades is former sales chief Leanne Geraghty, seen as a big loss when she returned to Australia where she’s customer chief at Sydney Airport. Roger Gray had a shorter career at NZ but as a transformer of ports, first at Lyttelton and now Auckland, he’s a suggested as a candidate.
. . . Wilson?
From within the sector but outside of NZ, Air India’s Kiwi boss Campbell Wilson is another name mentioned by sector insiders. For Wilson, the scale and growth path of NZ would be a massive step back from AI but his current turnaround experience and more than 25 years at Singapore Airlines would make him a good get. From outside the sector One NZ boss Jason Paris has been mentioned. He’s well connected and his impressive CV includes senior roles in media and telecoms and importantly, tech. Getting the digital transformation right is crucial for NZ’s future.
