Rob Fyfe | |
|---|---|
 Fyfe in 2021 | |
| Born | Robert Ian Fyfe 6 May 1961 [1] Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Known for | Former CEO of Air New Zealand |
Robert Ian Fyfe [2] CNZM (born 6 May 1961) [1] is a New Zealand businessman and a former chief executive officer (CEO) of New Zealand national airline Air New Zealand. [3]
Fyfe was born in Christchurch, joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force straight from high school, and earned a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) honours from the University of Canterbury in 1982. [1]
Fyfe rose to be Flight Commander in charge of maintenance of the Air Force's Skyhawk Squadron at the age of 24. [4]
He held positions at Telecom, and Postbank. [5] He was General Manager of the Bank of New Zealand, Chief Operating Officer of ITV Digital in the UK (which went into bankruptcy while he was at the helm) and group general manager of Air New Zealand. [3] [6]
Fyfe succeeded Ralph Norris as Air New Zealand CEO in 2005. [7] He resigned as the airline's CEO as of 31 December 2012. [8] [9]
Fyfe was on the board of clothing designer and manufacturer Icebreaker from July 2012, [10] and its executive chairman from September 2013. [11]
On 28 November 2012, Fyfe was appointed to the board of Antarctica New Zealand. He took up the position in February 2013. [12]
Fyfe was awarded an honorary doctorate of commerce from the University of Canterbury in April 2015. [13]
In late March 2020, he was appointed as a liaison between government and the private sector for the extent of the Covid-19 crisis. [14] [15]
In the 2021 New Year Honours, Fyfe was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to business and tourism. [16]
Air New Zealand Limited is the flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 20 domestic and 30 international destinations in 18 countries, primarily within the Pacific Rim. The airline has been a member of the Star Alliance since 1999.
The Mount Erebus disaster occurred on 28 November 1979 when Air New Zealand Flight 901 (TE901) flew into Mount Erebus on Ross Island, Antarctica, killing all 237 passengers and 20 crew on board. Air New Zealand had been operating scheduled Antarctic sightseeing flights since 1977. This flight left Auckland Airport in the morning and was supposed to spend a few hours flying over the Antarctic continent, before returning to Auckland in the evening via Christchurch.
Antarctica New Zealand is an Institute set up by the Government of New Zealand in 1996 to manage its interests in Antarctica and the Ross Sea. As well as providing logistics support to a large scientific programme, it also runs bases such as Scott Base. It has run other bases in the past, such as Vanda Station.
Sir Ralph Norris is an Australasian business leader, knighted for services to New Zealand business in 2009. He transitioned from CIO to CEO, leading business and culture transformations across different industries. Currently the chairman of Craigs Investment Partners, Norris has held several chair and board roles and was previously CEO of ASB Bank (1991–2001), Air New Zealand (2002–2005) and the Commonwealth Bank Group (2005–2011). While at ASB, Norris was instrumental in the launch of New Zealand’s first automatic teller machines and Eftpos technology. He is known for his business turnaround acumen and 'no surprises' approach, demonstrating a practical and down-to-earth style. He led the banking industry globally in moving executive long-term incentives (LTIs) away from purely financial performance, linking them for the first time to customer satisfaction. Norris is a honorary Fellow of the Institute of IT Professionals, an ambassador of the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Business by the University of New South Wales in 2012, and was inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame in 2014. He is a strong advocate of tertiary education.
Icebreaker is a merino wool outdoor and natural performance outdoor clothing brand headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand. It was purchased by VF Corporation, a NYSE listed entity in 2018. Icebreaker was conceived and designed around the philosophy of sustainability, using natural fibres, environmental and social ethics, and animal welfare. The company began by specialising in the creation of merino base layers and now offers underwear, mid layers, outer wear, socks and accessories based on natural fibres.
The history of Air New Zealand, the national carrier of New Zealand, began when the amalgamated East Coast Airways and Cook Strait Airways began operations in January 1936 as Union Airways of New Zealand, the country's first major airline. Union Airways was the sole New Zealand aviation partner in Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL), which made its inaugural flight in 1940. The New Zealand Government bought full ownership of TEAL in 1961 and the airline was renamed Air New Zealand in 1965. New Zealand's domestic airline, National Airways Corporation (NAC), was merged with Air New Zealand in 1978. Air New Zealand was privatised in 1989 but in 2001 the New Zealand Government took up 80% ownership in return for injecting $885 million after the airline ran into financial difficulty. In November 2013, the National government sold down its share in Air New Zealand from 73% to 53% as part of its controversial asset sales programme.
Stephen John Tew is a New Zealand sports administrator. He was the chief executive officer of New Zealand Rugby from 2008 to 2019.
Sara Tetro, JP, is a former New Zealand model, television host, actress, and entrepreneur. She owns the model casting agency 62 Models Management, and is the host of the TV3 NZ reality series New Zealand's Next Top Model.
Simon Paul Moutter is a New Zealand engineer and businessman, and was Managing Director of Spark New Zealand from 1 September 2012 to 30 June 2019. He is currently appointed as a non-exec Director for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Gillian Shirley Wratt is a New Zealand botanist and science administrator. She was the first woman director of the New Zealand Antarctic Programme (1992–1996) and made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Antarctica.
Raelene Castle is a sports executive who has worked in Australia and New Zealand. She was chief executive officer of Rugby Australia from 2017 to 2020, before becoming chief executive officer of Sport New Zealand.
Sir Robert George Mappin Fenwick was a New Zealand environmentalist, businessman and professional director.
Sir Brian Joseph Roche is a New Zealand business executive and senior public servant. He has served as Public Service Commissioner since 4 November 2024.
Sir Ashley Robin Bloomfield is a New Zealand public health official. He served as the chief executive of the Ministry of Health and the country's Director-General of Health from 2018 to 2022. He was the public-facing health specialist liaising with the media during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand on behalf of the government, from the first press conference on 27 January 2020.
John Stewart Ombler is a New Zealand public servant. He served as deputy State Services Commissioner from 2008 until 2014, and briefly in 2019, and as the controller of the all-of-government response during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
Nathan Godfrey is an entrepreneur and sports executive best known as the former CEO of the Canterbury Rugby Union in New Zealand and current General Manager at Football Australia. He is also a member of the 7 Continents Club.
The global COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the New Zealand economy. New Zealand has a mixed economy – a free market with some state ownership and control. In mid-March 2020, the New Zealand Government imposed a four-tier alert level system, which placed much of the country's economy into lockdown with the exception of "essential services" such as supermarkets. Due to the success of the Government's elimination strategy, lockdown restrictions on various economic activities were progressively lifted between April and June 2020.
Anna Jane Mowbray is a New Zealand entrepreneur and businessperson. Together with her brothers Mat and Nick, she leads the Chinese toy manufacturer ZURU; her role is chief operating officer. Using her contacts in China, she organised the delivery of personal protective equipment to New Zealand early on during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Air Vice-Marshal Darryn Robert Webb, is a Royal New Zealand Air Force officer. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he served as head of managed isolation and quarantine from June to December 2020 as part of the New Zealand government's response to the virus. He was appointed Chief of Air Force in October 2023.
Allan Neil MacLean was a New Zealand District Court judge and that country's first chief coroner, from 2007 to 2015. He was the coroner during the Pike River Mine disaster and the Christchurch earthquakes.
