Air New Zealand Group Executive team
Richard Thomson
Chief Financial Officer
Richard rejoined the airline in March 2021 and holds the position of Chief Financial Officer overseeing the Corporate Advisory Services, Investor Relations, Internal Audit, Corporate Finance, Networks, Finance and Group Shared Services teams.
Richard has a strong aviation background, having previously been with Air New Zealand for 13 years in several senior roles including General Manager Networks, Manager Group Financial Planning and General Manger Corporate Finance.
Richard left the airline in 2017 to join publicly listed company Metlifecare as Chief Financial Officer and was closely involved in its recent acquisition by APVG.
In his earlier career Richard gained experience in the financial services industry advising companies on mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity capital raisings, corporate taxation and company valuations.
Richard holds Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Law (Hons) qualifications from the University of Canterbury and a Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance, and maintains a license as a private pilot.
Nikki Dines
Chief People Officer
Nikki has been with Air New Zealand since 2013 working across a range of leadership and legal counsel roles. Nikki has been involved in supporting or leading many of Air New Zealand's large-scale change projects affecting employees. She has been Chief People Officer since 2021, and is responsible for developing and executing the airline's people and culture strategy.
Prior to joining Air New Zealand, Nikki worked as an employment lawyer in the United Kingdom and New Zealand for more than 15 years, becoming a Partner at boutique labor law firm, LangtonHudsonButcher.
Nikki has a BA/LLB (Hons) degree from the University of Auckland.
Kiri Hannifin
Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer
Kiri joined Air New Zealand in November 2022 as the Chief Sustainability Officer, a newly created executive position recognising the importance of sustainability across all aspects of Air New Zealand's operations and the increased focus the airline is placing on addressing its environmental impact. Her portfolio was expanded to include Corporate Affairs in June 2024.
Before joining the airline, Kiri was on the leadership team of Countdown/Woolworths New Zealand where she was responsible for Sustainability, Corporate Affairs, Health and Safety, Quality and Food Safety. Within this role she spearheaded the company's programme to reduce emissions, managed the health, safety and wellbeing of the company's 21,000 staff and led its internal and external stakeholder management activity.
Kiri has a LLB and BA (Political Science) from the University of Canterbury.
Kate Boyer
Chief Operations Officer – Ground and Inflight
Kate joined Air New Zealand in August 2022 as Head of Commercial Strategy before being appointed General Manager Airports in November 2023, leading the airline's domestic airport operations. During this time she oversaw a transformation programme that improved operational and customer performance while strengthening culture and safety across the airport portfolio.
In 2026, Kate was appointed Chief Operations Officer – Ground and Inflight. She is responsible for customer experience, safe on time performance and day to day operations across the Air New Zealand network, leading our airports, lounge, cabin crew and day of operations teams.
Prior to joining Air New Zealand, Kate worked with Bain & Company in Melbourne and Boston, specialising in enterprise transformation and commercial strategy across the banking, logistics and aviation sectors.
Kate serves as President of the Board of Airline Representatives New Zealand (BARNZ) Executive Committee. She was raised in Canterbury and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University in the United States. In 2025, she received the Deloitte Young Executive Award.
Nathan McGraw
Chief Safety and Risk Officer
Nathan joined Air New Zealand in 2005 as a pilot and has held several senior leadership roles across operations, safety, training, and network portfolios. In March 2025, he took up the role of Chief Safety and Risk Officer, responsible for overseeing the airline's operational integrity, safety systems, risk management and regulatory compliance.
During his two decades with Air New Zealand, Nathan has played a key role in the airline's agile transformation and the expansion of its regional operations, including tripling the ATR 72 fleet size and merging multiple operator certificates.
Nathan holds an Airline Transport Pilot License, A-Category Flight Instructor and Flight Examiner ratings, and multiple aircraft type ratings. He has also completed training in safety management systems, human factors, lead auditing, and safety investigation.
Jeremy O'Brien
Chief Customer and Digital Officer
Jeremy is an experienced executive in commercial strategy, sales, and marketing across a range of industries.
He became the airline's Chief Customer and Digital Officer in October 2025, after serving for a year as Acting Chief Commercial Officer.
Since joining Air New Zealand in 2016, Jeremy has held a range of leadership roles including General Manager International Airline and General Manager Brand and Marketing. He has also led teams across the Contact Centre, Corporate Direct, Market Development, Retail Sales, Grabaseat, and Airpoints portfolios.
Before joining Air New Zealand, Jeremy was Commercial Director at TVNZ, where he led the company's digital transformation. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) in Marketing from the University of Otago and completed the Accelerated Development Programme at London Business School.
Jeremy also recently completed an 18-month term as a Future Director at The Warehouse Group.
Scott Wilkinson
Chief Commercial Officer
Scott is a senior executive with a track record of transforming customer experiences and driving commercial performance across complex, high-profile organisations.
At Air New Zealand, he is responsible for driving sales growth and overseeing all commercial functions across both the Airline and Loyalty businesses. He brings a deep understanding of how to connect digital innovation, customer insight, and operational excellence to deliver sustained growth and loyalty. Prior to joining Air New Zealand, Scott spent a decade with Qantas, leading digital and customer experience strategy across the group. He also steered initiatives in sales, commercial planning, distribution, and payments, including the design and launch of Qantas' SME and Business Rewards programmes.
Earlier, Scott held leadership roles with Coca-Cola Amatil and the Trade Commission of Denmark. He holds a Bachelor of Business from the University of Auckland and an MBA in Finance from Macquarie Graduate School of Management.
Nikhil Ravishankar
Chief Executive Officer
Nikhil became Chief Executive of Air New Zealand in October 2025. Since joining the airline in 2021 as Chief Digital Officer, Nikhil has overseen the airline's COVID restart programme, major advances in the airline's technology backbone, loyalty programme and customer platforms, driving greater innovation and resilience through a period of significant industry disruption and change.
Prior to Air New Zealand, Nikhil was Chief Digital Officer at Vector Limited, where he led the company's digital and information technology transformation and co-led Vector's smart metering business. Earlier in his career he spent six years with global professional services company, Accenture, across Hong Kong, Australia, and in New Zealand as Managing Director. Nikhil has also held senior technology and transformation roles at Spark New Zealand.
Nikhil holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from the University of Auckland. He is an advisory board member for the University's Centre of Digital Enterprise (CODE) and has previously served on the boards of New Zealand Asian Leaders, Foundation Ventures, and The Auckland Blues Foundation, as well as the AUT AUTEUR Influencer Network.
Mike Williams
Chief Operations Officer – Technical Operations
Mike joined Air New Zealand in 2016 and has held several senior commercial and strategy roles, most recently as Chief Transformation and Alliances Officer, where he led delivery of the airline's Kia Mau business strategy and strengthened global alliance partnerships.
An aerospace engineer by background, Mike brings a deep understanding of the aviation sector. As Chief Operations Officer – Technical Operations, he is responsible for Air New Zealand's engineering, maintenance and supply chain functions, and continues to lead the airline's Alliances portfolio.
Prior to joining Air New Zealand, Mike worked with the Boston Consulting Group across Australia, Finland and the United States, advising clients in the aviation, technology and retail sectors.
Mike holds a Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering (First Class Honours) and a Bachelor of Business Management (Finance) from RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia.