Management team

Patrick Healy has been Cathay Group Chair since November 2019. He is also Chair of Swire Coca-Cola Limited, a Director of John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Limited and an Executive Director of Swire Pacific Limited. He was a Director of Swire Properties Limited. Prior to his appointment, Patrick was Managing Director of Swire Coca-Cola Limited in Hong Kong, a position he held since 2012. From 2008 to 2012, Patrick was CEO of HAECO, Xiamen. He joined the John Swire & Sons Limited Group in 1988 as a management trainee, working with the Swire Group’s Industries Division in Hong Kong and Germany before transferring to its Beverages Division in the Chinese Mainland in 1994.

Ronald Lam is Cathay Group Chief Executive Officer, leading the overall business direction of the Group. He is also the Chair of the Group’s wholly owned low-cost subsidiary, Hong Kong Express Airways Limited (HK Express) and a Director of John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Limited. Prior to his appointment as CEO in January 2023, Ronald was Cathay Chief Customer and Commercial Officer. He has also previously held the position of Cathay Director Commercial and Cargo, Chief Executive Officer of HK Express, and Director and General Manager, Hong Kong Operations of Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Swire Pacific Limited. Ronald joined Cathay as a Management Trainee in 1996 and has since held a number of managerial roles in Hong Kong and overseas. He is a member of the Tourism Strategy Committee under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the HKSAR Government, tasked with promoting the long-term and sustainable development of Hong Kong's tourism industry.

Lavinia Lau is Cathay Chief Customer and Commercial Officer, and is responsible for three lines of business within the Group – Premium Travel (i.e. Cathay Pacific), Cargo and Lifestyle. She is also an Executive Director on the Board of Cathay. Prior to her current roles, Lavinia was Cathay Director Customer Travel. She has also previously held the position of Cathay Director Commercial. Lavinia started her career as a Swire Group Management Trainee and joined Cathay in 1999. Since then, she has held various managerial positions on the commercial side of the airline, including Revenue Management, Sales and Distribution, Planning, e-Business, Alliance, and Loyalty. Lavinia is Chair of the Board of Airline Representatives in Hong Kong (BAR) and Board member of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB).

Alex McGowan is Cathay Chief Operations and Service Delivery Officer, responsible for all service and operating activities, including flight operations, engineering, service delivery, procurement, and the airline services subsidiaries. He is also an Executive Director on the Board of Cathay, a Director of HK Express, and Chair of the Group’s wholly owned all-cargo airline Air Hong Kong. Prior to his current roles, Alex was Cathay Director Service Delivery. Alex joined the Company in 2005 and has led a number of departments across the airline, including Customer Experience, Sales and Distribution, Procurement and Aircraft Trading, Strategic Transformation, and Aircrew. Before joining the Company, he worked for an international airline based in London and a technology start-up in Seattle.

Rebecca Sharpe is Cathay Group Chief Financial Officer, having official responsibility for the Group’s financial reporting, corporate financing, taxation, internal audit and procurement activities. She is also an Executive Director on the Board of Cathay. Prior to her current roles, Rebecca was Director and Group Director Finance of Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited from October 2017 to January 2021. She was also previously Finance Director of the China Navigation Company Pte. Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary within the Swire Group. She joined the Swire Group in 2008 and has worked with the Group in Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and Singapore.

Erica Peng is Cathay Director Customer Travel, leading the Customer Travel business line that is accountable for fleet and network planning, customer travel experience design, as well as the airline’s passenger commercial functions. Previously, Erica was Cathay General Manager Planning. Erica joined Cathay as a Management Trainee in 2002 and has held various leadership positions including General Manager Airport Service Delivery and several other commercial roles. She has also worked in the airline’s offices in Japan, the Chinese Mainland, Vietnam and Italy.

Paul Smitton is Cathay Director Customer Lifestyle, accountable for helping Cathay to become a premium lifestyle brand, including setting strategic direction and executing the Company’s travel lifestyle initiatives, achieving its customer lifestyle-related financial ambitions, and growing its customer relationships. Paul has worked in loyalty for over 20 years in different parts of the world. He joined the Cathay Group as Asia Miles CEO in 2018, before becoming General Manager Customer Relationship and Retail in 2020.

Tom Owen is Cathay Director Cargo, leading Cathay Cargo and its component business units of Cargo Commercial, Cargo Planning, and Cargo Service Delivery globally, with additional responsibility for Cathay subsidiaries Air Hong Kong, Global Logistics Systems, and the Cathay Cargo Terminal. Prior to his role as Director Cargo, Tom was Cathay Director People. Tom joined the Swire Group in 1995, working in a wide variety of roles both in Hong Kong and overseas, including Sales and Distribution, Revenue Management, Logistics and regional leadership.

Mandy Ng is Cathay Director Service Delivery, leading and supporting the global teams who provide Cathay Pacific’s customer experience inflight and on the ground. In addition, she oversees Cathay’s passenger service subsidiaries including Cathay Pacific Catering Services (H.K.) Limited, Hong Kong Airport Services Limited, Vogue Laundry Service Limited, and Shanghai International Airport Services. Prior to her current role, Mandy was CEO of HK Express. Mandy joined Cathay as a Management Trainee in 1999 and has held numerous leadership positions, including General Manager of Business Development at Swire Pacific and various managerial roles at Cathay including Planning and Revenue Management.

Captain Chris Kempis is Cathay Director Flight Operations, responsible for overseeing all aspects of Cathay Pacific’s flight operations. Previously, Chris was General Manager Flying, where he was responsible for managing the airline’s flying standards, including check and training activities. He is also the Air Operators Certificate (AOC) holder for training at Cathay Pacific. Chris joined Cathay in 1993 as a First Officer on the Boeing 747 fleet, later becoming a Training First Officer on the Airbus fleet, and received his command in 2002. After joining the Flight Operations management team in a training management role in 2004, he was appointed Chief Pilot (Airbus) in 2008.

Keith Brown is Cathay Director Engineering, responsible for the Group’s engineering activities and management. Keith previously worked in Cathay from 2009 to 2022, with his last role in Engineering as General Manager Programmes and Airworthiness. He also held positions in Cathay as General Manager Procurement and Aircraft Trading, Head of Powerplants and Components Procurement, Head of Engineering Inventory Management, and Powerplant Manager. Prior to rejoining Cathay in 2024, Keith worked for an international airline group based in London.

Patricia Hwang is Cathay Director People, responsible for overseeing all people-related matters including Employee Experience, Learning and Development, Medical and Property Services, as well as oversight of the Group worldwide. Prior to taking up this position, she was General Manager Sales and Distribution, HKG and GBA. Patricia joined Cathay in 1995 and has since held roles including General Manager Revenue Management as well as various other positions in commercial departments including Product, Loyalty, Alliance, Cargo, and Airline Planning. Patricia chairs the Life Education Activity Programme (LEAP) registered charity.

Lawrence Fong is Cathay Director Digital and IT, leading the Company’s IT and digital functions. Lawrence’s portfolio collaborates with all departments across the Company to drive its digital leadership strategy and elevate its focus on digital and IT transformation. Lawrence was previously Group General Manager, Digital and Information Technology, responsible for driving the digital transformation programmes. He joined Cathay in 1990 and has held multiple managerial positions in IT and e-Business across the Company.

Joanna Lai is Cathay Group General Counsel and Company Secretary, responsible for advising and supporting the Board and Chief Executive Officer on all legal and regulatory matters across the Group. She also oversees and manages the Group’s corporate governance and compliance frameworks, and other legal affairs. Joanna joined the Swire Group in June 2013, and prior to her current role, she was Head of Legal at Swire Properties Limited.