Air New Zealand appoints Walmart boss as new CEO

Source: Xinhua| 2019-10-11 09:18:15|Editor: Liu
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AUCKLAND, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Air New Zealand's Board announced Friday President and CEO of Walmart U.S. Greg Foran, former Walmart China boss, as its new chief executive. Foran will take up the new position in the first quarter of 2020.

Greg is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of Walmart U.S. He is responsible for the strategic direction and performance of the company's 4,600 stores and more than 1 million staff. Last year, Walmart U.S. served more than 160 million customers a week and had revenues of 307 billion U.S. dollars. It is part of the world's largest company by revenues, Walmart Inc, which had global revenues of more than 500 billion dollars last year.

Air New Zealand Chairman Dame Therese Walsh said Foran, who grew up in New Zealand's Hastings and Hamilton, will be an outstanding leader of the airline.

"We are thrilled to have attracted a world class Kiwi back home. Greg has an impeccable track record in delivering strong commercial performance, outstanding customer focus and in building teams that can take a business to the next level," Dame Therese said.

Greg said he is privileged to have been given the opportunity to grow an iconic and critical New Zealand company and brand on the global stage.

"Air New Zealand is immensely important across many spectrums, from not just timely and convenient travel but also to tourism and the environment, community support and innovation, to name but a few. I want Air New Zealand to continue to be at the forefront of its industry across the world and to deliver strong commercial results in the process."

Greg took up his current role in 2014 and led a transformation of the business based around Walmart's principles of Every Day Low Costs and Every Day Low Price. As a result, Walmart U.S. has achieved multiple, consecutive quarters of sales growth over the past several years.

He joined Walmart International in 2011 where he served in a number of capacities, including as President and CEO of Walmart China from 2012 to 2014 and then President and CEO of Walmart Asia up until he assumed his current role. Before joining Walmart, Greg held a number of positions with Woolworths in Australia and New Zealand.

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