Latest / Best of Business / Andy Bowley: Forsyth Barr Head of Research on Air NZ appointing Nikhil Ravishankar as new CEO

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Andy Bowley: Forsyth Barr Head of Research on Air NZ appointing Nikhil Ravishankar as new CEO · Best of Business

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  Speaker 1: Whither do to see?
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  Speaker 2: How that?
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  Speaker 3: By the way, In New Zealand's appointed its new CEO.
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  Speaker 3: Nikel Ravishanka is the current Chief Digital Officer who's been
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  Speaker 3: promoted up. He's going to take over in October when
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  Speaker 3: Greg four and steps down. Andy Bowley is the head
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  Speaker 3: of research at Full Syth bar Hey, Andy, Hi had
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  Speaker 3: so well, thank you? He seems well like. Is he
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  Speaker 3: a good appointment?
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  Speaker 2: Oh? I think you know, in this kind of situation,
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  Speaker 2: when you appoint somebody internally, the board know him pretty well,
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  Speaker 2: know his skill sets and therefore has confidence in him.
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  Speaker 3: Do you think it's a problem that he hasn't been
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  Speaker 3: the CEO before.
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  Speaker 2: I don't think it's necessarily a problem that he hasn't
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  Speaker 2: been a CEO before. You get plenty of very good
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  Speaker 2: CEOs that are first time CEOs. I think in light
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  Speaker 2: of some of the questions or conversations I've had from
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  Speaker 2: Air New Zealanders since Greg Forum's resignation was announced, the
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  Speaker 2: one thing that was repeatedly suggested to me is that
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  Speaker 2: they need a new CEO with deep airline experience. So
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  Speaker 2: I think, you know, the bigger question here is probably
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  Speaker 2: less first time CEO, more around does he have the
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  Speaker 2: airline experience that many in the business.
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  Speaker 3: Well, I mean this is a really good question, right
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  Speaker 3: because he's not actually an aviation guy, and you could
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  Speaker 3: argue that the role that he's been playing, which is
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  Speaker 3: digital officer, is also it's not steeped necessarily in like
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  Speaker 3: hardcore aviation. So what do you think?
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  Speaker 2: Oh, I think Nicky is in a better position than
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  Speaker 2: Greg was when he comes into the role. You know,
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  Speaker 2: Greg came into this business fresh into aviation and it
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  Speaker 2: would have been a very very steep learning curve, not
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  Speaker 2: least because of the challenges that Greg faced. So Nikkiell
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  Speaker 2: was in a much better situation than Greg was in.
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  Speaker 2: But again go back to trust the trust the process, trust,
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  Speaker 2: trust the board in putting forward the best, the best candidate.
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  Speaker 3: Do you think the fact that he's been appointed would
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  Speaker 3: suggest that there mustn't have been that much overseas interest
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  Speaker 3: in it?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't, I don't know. You know, there's a
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  Speaker 2: number of very capable, particularly New Zealanders, that are in
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  Speaker 2: airline positions globally, and you know, typically this organization recruits
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  Speaker 2: New Zealanders as its CEO.
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  Speaker 3: And so what do you make of the fact that
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  Speaker 3: the share prices barely moved today? Was this Bakedan?
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  Speaker 2: I don't think it's a surprise that he's been named CEO.
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  Speaker 2: I think there's been a reasonable understanding that he was,
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  Speaker 2: you know, one of the leading, if not the leading,
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  Speaker 2: internal candidates. So in that regard, it's not necessarily a surprise.
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  Speaker 2: But you know, share share prices move on a variety
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  Speaker 2: of factors, and this will be one factor that has
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  Speaker 2: an influence on Air New Zealand today.
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  Speaker 3: Andy, good to talk to you. Thank you Andy Bowley.
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