James Hogan Keynote Speaker

James Hogan led Etihad Airways from September 2006 to July 2017, overseeing its development from a three year-old airline into a mature travel and aviation business, Etihad Aviation Group.

In this role, he met the mandate of his shareholders to create a diversified group with the scale to compete against the major global mega-carriers, while delivering a sustainable economic contribution to its home market of Abu Dhabi.

As President and Chief Executive Officer of the Group, he oversaw the key functions of finance, strategy and planning, people and performance, and information technology, providing leadership, governance and strategic direction across the Group.

He was responsible for the creation of new businesses within the Group, focusing on engineering, destination management and airport services, among others. He also oversaw the creation of the equity alliance, involving the acquisition of minority equity stakes in eight airlines, as a way to achieve the accelerated growth required by the shareholders’ mandate.

He was Aviation CEO of the Year by CEO Middle East Magazine and CAPA Airline Executive of the Year 2012. He received the Executive Leadership Award at the Airline Strategy Awards in 2013 and was inducted into The British Travel and Hospitality Industry Hall of Fame in 2014. He was ranked in 2015 among the Top 25 Most Influential Executives in the business travel industry by Business Travel News.

In June 2017, he was named an Officer of the Order of Australia.

He started his career at Ansett Airlines and subsequently held senior positions with British Midland International (BMI), Hertz, Forte Hotels and Gulf Air.

James previously served as Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and was a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Board of Governors. He is a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.