Mr Fyfe is currently the Group General Manager Airlines and has been with the company for almost three years.

Air New Zealand Chairman John Palmer said Mr Fyfe's appointment follows a global search that included the evaluation of strong internal candidates for the role.

Mr Palmer said Rob Fyfe has been appointed on merit after an extensive and rigorous selection process, which attracted high quality overseas candidates through to the final stage.

"It is a great testament to Air New Zealand's leadership development and succession planning that Mr Fyfe has gained the position against international benchmarks," he said.

Mr Palmer said Air New Zealand would now be entering a new phase in its history with a new leader who has the full support of the Board and who is focussed on delivering value for shareholders.

"I would also like to thank Chief Financial Officer Rob McDonald for his stewardship as interim CEO while the search for a new Chief Executive took place," Mr Palmer said.

Commenting on his appointment, Rob Fyfe said he was delighted and greatly appreciative of the unique opportunity presented to him by the Board.

"I feel privileged to lead this iconic company that has such a pivotal role in the life of so many New Zealanders and businesses. I have a passion for Air New Zealand and look forward to guiding the company through this next stage in its history. I am committed to ensuring that Air New Zealand continues to develop into a company that everyone in our nation can feel justifiably proud of."

Mr Fyfe said it was clear that Air New Zealand was currently operating in a particularly challenging business environment.

"But I believe the company has the resilience, the vision and the people to deal with these challenges and to become an enduring, internationally successful airline."

Note: A summary of Mr Fyfe's career is attached.

ENDS

For Further information, please contact:

Mike Tod
General Manager Public Affairs and Group Communications
Ph 64 9 336 3225 or 64 21 747 582

Or

David Jamieson
Corporate Communications Manager
Ph 64 9 336 2253 or 64 21 727 436

ROB FYFE

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Personal

Residence: Auckland
New Zealand
Date of Birth: 6 May 1961 (Age: 44)
Nationality: New Zealand
Marital Status: Married with two children

Education

Canterbury University, Christchurch
Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) (Hons), 1982

Professional Qualifications

Royal Air Force College, Cranwell, UK
Aero-systems Engineering Programme, 1984

SUMMARY OF EXPERIENCE

2003-Present AIR NEW ZEALAND LTD
Auckland
2003- Present Group General Manager Airlines
2003 Chief Information Officer
2000-2002 ITV DIGITAL PLC
London
2001-2002 Managing Director
2000-2001 Chief Operating Officer
1998-1999 TELECOM CORPORATION OF NEW ZEALAND LTD
Wellington
General Manager, Consumer Markets
1996-1998 NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LTD
Melbourne
1997-1998 Group General Manager, Marketing, Distribution and Electronic Banking
1996-1997 Group General Manager, Business Re-engineering
1989-1996 BANK OF NEW ZEALAND
1994-1996 General Manger, Marketing and Distribution
Wellington
1994 Head, Group Distribution Strategy, National Australia Bank
Melbourne
1993-1994 Head, Group Distribution Strategy, National Irish Bank
Dublin
1991-1992 Head of Operations
1989-1991 Project Executive
1988-1989 POSTBANK
Auckland
Manager, Corporate Officer
1979-1987 ROYAL NEW ZEALAND AIR FORCE
1985-1987 Flight Commander 75 Squadron and responsible for maintenance
1983-1984 Secondment to Royal Air Force College Cranwell, Lincolnshire,
UK
1979-1982 Officer Cadetship and full-time scholarship to Canterbury
University

 

NOTE: The content of all Air New Zealand media releases are accurate at the time of issue, as stated at the top of each release. For updates on any changes, please contact Air New Zealand.

Air New Zealand is proud to be a member of Star Alliance. The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognised by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award, Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Adria Airways, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Blue1, bmi, Continental Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spanair, SWISS, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI, United and US Airways. Aegean Airlines, Air India, Brussels Airlines and TAM have been announced as future members. Overall, the Star Alliance network offers 19,500 daily flights to 1,071 airports in 171 countries.

For more information about Air New Zealand visit www.airnewzealand.com and for more information about Star Alliance visit www.staralliance.com.