Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific appoints Ronald Lam CEO as it builds flight capacity to satisfy post-coronavirus demand
- Cathay Pacific intends to add hundreds of flights during last two months of this year as it seeks to build back capacity
- Aircrew representative says he hopes Lam’s appointment will be an ‘opportunity for change’ following cost-cutting measures taken in 2020
Hong Kong’s flagship carrier Cathay Pacific has appointed chief customer and commercial officer Ronald Lam Siu-por as its next CEO, as the airline seeks to increase flight capacity following the decline of the Covid-19 pandemic and increased travel demand.
Lam, 50, would take over the reins from Augustus Tang Kin-wing from January next year, the company announced on Wednesday.
“Ronald will lead the airline through its post-Covid recovery and the introduction of the three-runway system at Hong Kong International Airport, as the airline looks to increase its passenger flight capacity,” chairman Patrick Healy said.
Lam, who joined Cathay in 1996 as a management trainee, would continue to serve as chairman of budget carrier HK Express, the statement said. He has served in several senior roles at the city’s flagship airline, including director of commercial and cargo, and was head of HK Express in 2019, when Cathay took it over.
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Analysts called Lam’s appointment “natural” given he was in charge of the “most important unit in Cathay Pacific”, and the move was rumoured to have been in the works for some time.