How long have you been with Cathay? 

This is my 25th year with the Swire Group – I joined and moved to Hong Kong in 2000 – and 23 of those years have been with Cathay. I’ve really enjoyed my time with Cathay and have been very fortunate to work in many parts of our business. In that time I’ve worked in six different departments in head office and been based in five countries across our network.  

What were your last roles? 

I spent the previous four years as Regional General Manager for South East Asia. The RGM role is quite varied in nature and you get to work on all of Cathay’s business lines, including Cargo. It’s been a strong time for South East Asia from a cargo perspective, with a huge amount of investment in the manufacturing capabilities of the region. With our clear strategy, strong network and highly capable team, we were, and remain, well placed to take advantage of that.  Prior to that, I spent three years as GM Customer Care, where the role was to create a strategy and build a team to elevate our customer care to match our ambition to be the world’s best customer service brand.  

Do you see any parallels with your new role?

Yes, I see several. Let me share a couple. Our entire focus in Customer Care was on delivering a great customer experience so that this function became a competitive advantage for Cathay. So, for example, we introduced live chat and WhatsApp so customers could communicate with us in ways they preferred. We also started focusing on technology to further improve the customer experience and our own efficiency. An example was rolling out and training up our AI chatbot Vera to deal with many of our customers’ simpler questions. The focus on the customer and technology is at the heart of our revised Cathay Cargo strategy too. We know how important it is to really understand our customers’ business – their needs and priorities – to deliver an excellent customer experience and build really strong relationships. And we see digitalisation and AI as a fundamental pillar of achieving this. You will see more exciting developments in the coming year.

What part of your career do you look back on with pride?

Most of it – I have always been very proud to work for Cathay! Looking at the last few years, I think we can forget just how much we were able to achieve on the journey through COVID. My time in South East Asia was divided into two halves. The first half was about working with the team and managing our business through the pandemic. The commitment the team showed in the most challenging of circumstances was truly inspiring – and that was the case across the network and not just in that region alone. The second half of my time there was the rebuild. It was impressive that we were able to get back to our pre-COVID network so quickly while maintaining our focus on safety and operational excellence. Since then we’ve seen our business continue to strengthen beyond pre-pandemic levels – a great example is the growth story we have seen in cargo in South East Asia and in individual countries there like Vietnam.

What were your impressions of Cathay Cargo as an observer within the business?

The transformation here over the past four years has been so evident. Cathay Cargo’s importance was really amplified during the pandemic both externally and within Cathay. But beyond that, Tom and the team have done a remarkable job strengthening the business and the brand. I love the “We Know How” message; it’s short and easy to remember but it conveys so much – about who we are, the level of expertise in the team and the pride we take in delivering cargo that matters for our customers. That, combined with the storytelling about some of the amazing shipments we carry, does a fantastic job of promoting Cathay Cargo.

Do your first impressions back up those perceptions?

Yes, they do – and a few things really stand out. The first is a tangible sense of pride among the people working for Cathay Cargo, which is fantastic and something I’d like to build on. Another is the level of expertise of our team, which enables us to take on challenging shipments. It’s also been good to see first hand the strong relationships we have with our key business partners in the industry.

How has your transition into the role been?

I had a six-week handover while Tom was still here which was really helpful. During that time one key area I was involved in was drafting our new five-year plan and strategy. The new strategy is an evolution, not a revolution. Our vision is still to become the world’s best air cargo carrier and some of our strategic focus areas are similar – we remain focused on developing the Hong Kong Hub and Greater Bay Area for example. But we’ve dialled up our focus in certain areas – such as how we use technology and AI and on building really strong customer relationships. At the core of our strategy, as ever, is our focus on safety and operational excellence. Our prioritisation of safety will never change.

What can customers expect to see?

There is a lot going on at the moment, and our customers will see improvements across several areas. Let me share just a couple of examples. They will see ongoing improvements to the functionality on cathaycargo.com. In line with our focus on developing the inbound proposition into the GBA, they will continue to see us strengthen our air-air and intermodal proposition, for example, through the recently opened ‘Air Land Fresh Lane’ for perishable products. We will continue to focus on our brand, and they will see our We Know How campaign continue to evolve and tell our story. I love the individual stories about the shipments we carry that really do matter to the world, be they delivering pandas from Chengdu to Hong Kong or shipping the Terracotta Warriors from the Chinese Mainland to Perth. For someone to give you the responsibility to carry 3,000 year-old Egyptian treasures, as we did recently, shows the level of confidence people have in our service. Our business is about trade and commerce, but it’s also about great cultural exchanges that we can support as well.

What will be your first priorities?

Number one is meeting our global team. I already know the team in South East Asia and Oceania well, and I am getting to know the Hong Kong team. I’ve also already visited the Cargo teams in Beijing and Shanghai and have more trips planned. I’m doing a shift at the Cathay Cargo Terminal soon, which will be fun and help me learn more about our operations. Another priority is meeting our top business partners and key stakeholders. This process is ongoing - I’ve already met many of our top global and Hong Kong-based freight forwarders, as well as some of our key interline partners and suppliers. The third priority is managing the business, which will require both a short- and long-term focus. Short-term because of the uncertain environment we are all facing currently. And long-term because we need to drive the positive, transformational changes that will enable us to reach our vision of becoming the world’s best air cargo carrier.

How does it feel to be back in Hong Kong?

We’re happy to be back as a family. My three kids were born here. For us, this is home. From a Cargo viewpoint, while the industry overall is currently experiencing some uncertainty, I’m always bullish on Hong Kong. It’s a very efficient and effective cargo hub, and is geographically well positioned. The Chinese Mainland is a manufacturing powerhouse and will become an increasingly important import market. We are a few hours flight from and are well connected with other fast-growing manufacturing hubs in South and South East Asia. It’s a great place to be based. With our clear strategy, comprehensive network and experienced team, we are perfectly placed to make the most of the city’s advantages.