CATHAY has confirmed Aldric Chau as regional general manager for Southeast Asia and Oceania, while Richard Jones will take on the role of area head for Oceania, as the carrier looks to strengthen its passenger and cargo position across the region.
Recently appointed to the leadership roles, the pair will oversee commercial, operational and customer-facing functions across their respective portfolios, with Cathay positioning both appointments as part of its broader growth plans in Southeast Asia and Oceania.
Before taking up the regional general manager role, Mr Chau served as Cathay’s general manager digital, where he led the group’s data science, artificial intelligence, analytics, innovation and digital transformation work.
Across an 18-year career with the airline, he has held leadership roles in commercial and service delivery, and served as country manager for Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
Now based in Singapore, Mr Chau will be responsible for commercial, operational and support functions across 20 ports in nine countries and regions served by Cathay in Southeast Asia and Oceania.
He said the region’s travel and cargo markets remained a significant area of opportunity for the carrier.
“Southeast Asia and Oceania are some of the world’s fastest-growing travel regions and I’m excited about working with the local teams to maintain the momentum that Cathay has underway to strengthen our customer proposition and market presence,” Mr Chau said.
“I’m looking forward to bringing my expertise and passion for the Cathay business to my new role as we work closely with our customers, partners and teams across the region to build on Cathay’s strong foundations and create even better customer experiences and cargo solutions in the years ahead.”
Mr Jones returns to a region he knows well after four years overseeing Cathay’s commercial strategy across the United States, Canada and Latin America.
His previous senior roles with the airline include vice president, customer travel and lifestyle, Southwest Pacific, and sales and marketing manager, Australia.
In his new role, Mr Jones will focus on strengthening the group’s position across Oceania and deepening customer and trade partnerships across both the passenger and cargo businesses.
He said he was focused on the airline’s next phase of growth in the region.
“I’m a Cathay person through-and-through and am immensely keen and committed to ensuring Cathay Pacific remains the premium airline of choice for customers travelling between Oceania, Hong Kong and beyond," Mr Jones said.
In this new role, I also have the opportunity to dive further into our Cathay Cargo business which provides a gateway for local produce from Australia and New Zealand to reach restaurants, stores and homes around the world through our award-winning service."