EMPLOYEE PROFILE – ROB FYFE

Current role at Air New Zealand: Chief Executive Officer

I joined Air New Zealand in 2003 initially as Chief Information Officer and then Group General Manager Airlines but I actually started out my working career in the military. When I left school I took up an officer cadetship with the RNZAF and graduated from Canterbury University with a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) Honours degree. I was then seconded to the UK, returning two years later take up the role of Flight Commander 75 Squadron – responsible for the maintenance of the RNZAF’s Skyhawk fighter jets.

By then it was time for a career change and I left the military to join the PostBank, then Bank of New Zealand and National Australia Bank in marketing and business transformation roles. There was a two year stint at Telecom as GM Consumer Markets before heading to London where I ended up as Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director at ITV Digital.

It was the appeal of working for such an iconic New Zealand company that drew me back home to Air New Zealand – and a sense of coming full circle by returning to my aviation roots. I now lead a team of more than 10,000 ‘Air New Zealanders’ working all over New Zealand and around the world.

Air New Zealand is an incredibly dynamic organisation operating in one of the toughest industries in the world. We are a small airline at the bottom of the world and yet everyday we manage to punch above our weight to deliver a truly world class product. The reason we can do this with such confidence and consistency lies with our people and culture. It’s our unique Kiwi spirit that makes the difference.

I’ve just notched up six years as CEO and I still spend a day each month working in the business - whether it’s helping with the in-flight drinks service or loading the bags. There’s no better way to find out what our people are thinking and what’s really going on.