The Etihad Aviation Group announces changes to C-Suite management as President and Group CEO, James Hogan, and CFO, James Rigney, leave the company on July 1.

Ray Gammell becomes interim Group CEO

The Group’s Board of Directors appointed Ray Gammell as interim Group CEO, who will immediately assume full management responsibilities.

Until today, Gammell served as Etihad Aviation Group’s Chief People & Performance Officer and has been a member of the Group’s Executive Leadership since first joining the business in 2009.

The Group credits Gammell with “the creation of a performance culture” and for driving the Group’s Emiratisation strategy which has grown the Emirati workforce to over 3,000, making it the largest nationality among the 154 nationalities working for Etihad Aviation Group.

Gammell has 20 plus years’ leadership experience, gained internationally across the technology, financial and government sectors. He has held executive positions at the Intel Corporation in the US and Ireland, Royal Bank of Scotland, and was an officer in the Irish Armed Forces.  He is a chartered fellow at the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development and holds a Masters Degree from University College Dublin.

Ricky Thirion becomes Group CFO

At the same time, Ricky Thirion immediately assumes full responsibilities as Group CFO, with the present CFO, James Rigney, also leaving the company on July 1. Thirion joined Etihad Airways in 2007 and has until now served as SVP Group Treasurer.

His areas of responsibility cover the treasury, corporate and structured finance, tax, insurance, payment solutions and fraud management, as well as the property and infrastructure portfolio.

Before joining Etihad, Thirion served as Group Treasurer at South African Airways and Managing Director in the Standard Bank Group. He holds a Masters Degree in Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering and is an Honorary Fellow of the Association of Corporate Treasurers (UK).

H.E. Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Board of the Etihad Aviation Group, said of the interim C-Suite appointees:

“Ray and Ricky are experienced leaders and have the complete confidence of the Board. Ray will now take full management responsibility for the Etihad Aviation Group, ensure a coordinated group approach, and continue to advance the strategic review that was initiated by the Board in 2016 to reposition the business for continued development in what we anticipate being a prolonged period of challenges for global aviation.”

“We have strengthened our group leadership with recent appointments and are now in the advanced stages of recruitment for a new Group CEO. The Board has been very pleased with the calibre of candidates, and we expect to make an announcement in the next few weeks.”