Management team

Patrick Healy has been Cathay Pacific Chairman since November 2019. He is also Chairman of Swire Coca-Cola Limited, a Director of John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Limited and a Non-Executive Director of Swire Properties Limited. Prior to his appointment, Patrick was Managing Director of Swire Coca-Cola Limited in Hong Kong, a position he held since 2012. From 2008 to 2012, Patrick was CEO of HAECO, Xiamen. He joined John Swire & Sons in 1988 as a management trainee, working with the Swire Group’s Industries Division in Hong Kong and Germany before transferring to its Beverages Division in Chinese Mainland in 1994.

Augustus Tang was appointed Chief Executive Officer in August 2019, leading the overall business direction of the Cathay Pacific Group. He is also an Executive Director on the Board of Cathay Pacific and a Director of John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Limited. Prior to this he was Chief Executive Officer of Swire subsidiary Hong Kong Engineering Company Limited (HAECO), a position he held since 2008. Augustus has enjoyed a long and successful career with the Swire Group, having first joined Cathay Pacific as a management trainee in 1982. Since then he has held numerous positions within the airline group, notably Director Corporate Development, Director Corporate Planning, and General Manager Business Improvement.

Ronald Lam is Cathay Pacific Group Chief Customer and Commercial Officer and Chairman of the Group’s wholly owned low-cost subsidiary, HK Express. He was appointed to both roles in August 2019 and is now responsible for all customer, commercial and cargo related activities of the Group’s airlines. Previously, he held the position of Cathay Pacific Director Commercial & Cargo since June 2017 and briefly headed HK Express as its new Chief Executive Officer immediately following the airline’s acquisition by the Group in July 2019. Ronald joined the Cathay Pacific Group as a Management Trainee in 1996 and has since held a number of managerial roles in Hong Kong and overseas.

Greg Hughes was appointed Chief Operations and Service Delivery Officer of Cathay Pacific on 1 June 2017. He is responsible for all aspects of the airlines service and operational activities, including flight operations, engineering and service delivery. He was previously a Director and Group Director Components & Engine Services of Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited. Mr Hughes joined the Swire group in 1987 and has worked with Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong, Korea, Indonesia, Japan and Australia. He was seconded to John Swire & Sons Pty. Limited, Australia in August 2009, where he served as Commercial Director from August 2009 and also as Chief Operating Officer from August 2010 until September 2015.

Rebecca Sharpe is an Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of Cathay Pacific, having official responsibility for the airline’s financial reporting, corporate financing, taxation, internal audit and procurement activities. Prior to her current roles, Rebecca was Director and Group Director Finance of Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited (HAECO), a wholly owned subsidiary of Swire Pacific – positions she held from October 2017 to January 2021. She was also previously Finance Director of the China Navigation Company Pte. Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary within the Swire group. She joined the Swire group in 2008 and has worked with the group in Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and Singapore.

Lavinia Lau is Director Customer Travel, leading the Customer Travel business line that is accountable for the customer travel experience design, as well as the Group’s passenger commercial functions. Prior to this, Lavinia was Director Commercial, responsible for the passenger functions of Revenue Management and Sales and Distribution, together with Planning for both the passenger and freighter fleets – responsibilities that she continues to look after in her new role. Lavinia started her career as a Swire Group Management Trainee and joined Cathay Pacific in 1999. Since then, she has held various managerial positions on the commercial side of the airline, including e-Business, Alliance, Loyalty and Revenue Management.

Paul Smitton is Director Customer Lifestyle, leading the newly created Customer Lifestyle business line. Paul’s portfolio is accountable for helping Cathay to also become a premium lifestyle brand, including setting strategic direction and executing the company’s travel lifestyle initiatives, achieving its customer lifestyle-related financial ambitions, and growing its customer relationships. Paul has worked in loyalty for over 20 years in different parts of the world. He joined the Cathay Pacific Group as Asia Miles CEO in 2018, before becoming General Manager Customer Relationship and Retail in 2020.

Tom Owen is Director Cargo, leading Cathay Pacific Cargo and its component business units of Cargo Commercial, Cargo Planning, and Cargo Service Delivery globally, with additional responsibility for Cathay Pacific subsidiaries Air Hong Kong, Global Logistics Systems, and the Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal. With a more cohesive positioning of all elements of our cargo business under a Director Cargo, the Group is strategically placed to forge an industry-leading and sustainably competitive freight business for the future.

Tom has been with the Swire Group for 24 years, working in a wide variety of roles both in Hong Kong and overseas, including Sales & Distribution, Revenue Management, Logistics and Regional leadership. Prior to his role as Director Cargo, Tom held the position of Director People for five years.

Alex McGowan is Director Service Delivery, leading and supporting the global teams who provide Cathay Pacific’s customer experience inflight and on the ground. In addition he oversees the Cathay Pacific Group’s passenger service subsidiaries including Cathay Pacific Catering Services, Hong Kong Airport Services, Vogue Laundry Service, and Shanghai International Airport Services. Prior to his current role, Alex was General Manager, Aircrew in Flight Operations. He has also led a number of departments across the airline, including Customer Experience, Sales and Distribution, Procurement and Aircraft Trading, and Strategic Transformation. Before joining the Group, Alex worked for an international airline based in London and a technology start up in Seattle.

Captain Chris Kempis was appointed Director Flight Operations in July 2018, responsible for overseeing all aspects of the airline’s flight operations. Previously, he was General Manager Flying, where he was responsible for managing the airline’s flying standards, including check and training activities. Captain Kempis is also the Air Operators Certificate (AOC) holder for training at Cathay Pacific. He joined Cathay Pacific in 1993 as a First Officer on the Boeing 747 fleet, later becoming a Training First Officer on the Airbus fleet, and received his command in 2002. After joining the Flight Operations management team in a training management role in 2004, he was appointed Chief Pilot (Airbus) in 2008.

Neil Glenn is Director Engineering of Cathay Pacific, responsible for the Group’s engineering activities and management. Previously, he was General Manager Europe based in London. Mr Glenn joined the Swire group in 1990 and has held a number of key positions in Hong Kong and overseas. In November 2011, he was appointed Managing Director of Swire Pacific Offshore (SPO). Prior to that, Mr Glenn was Director & General Manager of Hong Kong Aero Engine Services Limited (HAESL), a joint venture between Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company and Rolls Royce providing aero engine and components repair and overhaul services. He has also served a number of senior management roles in transport, logistics and shipping companies within the Swire group.

Patricia Hwang is Director People, responsible for overseeing all people-related matters including Employee Experience, Learning and Development, Medical and Property Services, as well as oversight of the group worldwide. Prior to taking up this position, she was General Manager Sales and Distribution, HKG and GBA. Patricia joined Cathay Pacific in July 1995 and has since held roles including General Manager, Revenue Management as well as various other positions in commercial departments including Product, Loyalty, Alliance, Cargo, and Airline Planning.

Lawrence Fong leads the company’s IT and digital functions as Director Digital and IT. Lawrence’s portfolio collaborates with all departments across the company to drive its digital leadership strategy and elevate its focus on digital and IT transformation. Lawrence was previously Group General Manager, Digital & Information Technology, responsible for the Group’s digital transformation programmes. He joined Cathay Pacific in 1990 and has held multiple managerial positions in IT and e-Business across the company.

Joanna Lai was appointed Group General Counsel and Company Secretary of Cathay Pacific on 19 April 2021. She is responsible for advising and supporting the Board and Chief Executive Officer on all legal and regulatory matters across the Group. She also oversees and manages the Group’s corporate governance and compliance frameworks and other legal affairs. Ms. Lai joined the Swire group in June 2013, and prior to this appointment, she was Head of Legal at Swire Properties Limited.