ORIENT AVIATION LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2012
ROB FYFE
Chief Executive, Air New Zealand
December 1st 2012
MAN FOR ALL REASONS
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| LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD |
| Air New Zealand outgoing chief executive ROB FYFE |
During his seven years as CEO of Air New Zealand (Air NZ), Rob Fyfe has guided the Auckland-based carrier through one crisis after another: high fuel costs, the global financial meltdown, the loss of an aircraft and the impact of traumatic earthquakes. During his tenure the airline has punched above its weight and continued to make profits.
But beyond all this there is Rob Fyfe the man. The man who was on an aircraft bound for Christchurch within two hours of the 2011 earthquake. He, along with his emergency team, knocked on doors until they were sure all 1,900 Air NZ employees in the city were safe.
For those badly affected a support plan was put in place for as long as it was needed. Potentially years in some cases, said Fyfe.
The popular boss also headed for Tokyo following the Great East Japan earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster. “I thought it was important I was on the ground there to demonstrate that I was comfortable with my own safety and that of our team,” he said.
Seven years ago, when the airline was in confrontation with its engineers, Fyfe spent all night in an aircraft hangar discussing the issues with staff. “I fronted up, we created a dialogue,” he said. The dispute was settled.
And when it came to full body painting for an Air NZ ad campaign, the boss was centre stage, painted in ground handlers’ “colours” with little more than paint protecting his modesty.
When Fyfe joined Air NZ in 2003 as chief information officer, the carrier was recovering from near bankruptcy and a taxpayer funded bail-out.
Nearly a decade later it is flying high. Fyfe, who headed the carrier’s business transformation team before becoming chief executive in October 2005, is credited as a major player in Air NZ’s turnaround.
As he prepares to step down at the end of this month, the former Royal New Zealand Air Force officer has a message for airlines everywhere: “If you don’t keep re-inventing yourself you become irrelevant”.
Fyfe talks of Air NZ’s agility and speed at adapting within its business. “That is something of which I am probably most proud,” he said.
Fyfe has driven innovation. For example, Air NZ designed its own seating and cabin fittings and turned it into a successful business selling to other airlines.
Fyfe has no idea what, or where, his next challenge will be. “I’m going to struggle not being part of Air NZ,” he said. For now he is planning a well deserved three-month break.
| CITATION: Since he took charge of Air New Zealand in October 2005, Rob Fyfe has guided the airline through one of the most difficult periods in aviation history. Not only did the industry have to withstand the ongoing pressure of high oil prices, but the global financial crisis had a severe impact on the industry and its operations. While Air New Zealand is a small carrier by international standards, Fyfe has made it an industry leader on several fronts. Outspoken on all issues affecting airlines, he has been a constant and admired contributor to debate on industry issues and is a member of the board of the International Air Transport Association and the most recent board chairman of the Star Alliance. His time at the helm of Air New Zealand has been marked by his continued encouragement of innovation. These include biofuel test flights and aviation sustainability, a unique approach to marketing and advertising, such as the widely publicized body painting ads, to designing and manufacturing the airline’s own cabin interiors, a product now much sought by other carriers that has turned into a lucrative business for Air New Zealand. Fyfe has had other challenges to face. The tragic Christchurch earthquake struck at the heart of Air New Zealand in February, 2011, and this was closely followed by the devastating Japanese earthquake and tsunami in the following month. This award recognizes Fyfe’s strong business and leadership skills and his humanitarian and aviation sustainability work in his years with Air New Zealand. |
