Christchurch Airport Chief Executive Change

Christchurch Airport Chief Executive Malcolm Johns is to leave the airport after nine years, to take up a Chief Executive role based in Auckland and will leave the airport team in 2023.

Board Chair Catherine Drayton says “The Board and executive have worked closely to build a strong team and company over the past decade, as the airport has navigated a number of consecutive and impactful external events, most recently the global pandemic.

“Post-earthquakes the company undertook a deliberate process of diversifying commercial risk, developing strong leadership across all layers of its teams and deepening its relationships with its customers,” she says.

Ms Drayton says during the pandemic the company’s stakeholder equity approach was to the fore as it deepened its customer relationships and support, worked hard to support the wellbeing of its team, and providing leadership growth opportunities for a range of senior and executive team members at many levels, all of which allowed it to maintain profitability and dividends.

“We used the pandemic period to enhance our customers relationships, tackle intergenerational strategic opportunities and cement the leadership strength of our whole team, which has performed exceedingly well”, she says.

Christchurch Airport has a stronger balance sheet than before the pandemic and a new post-Covid strategy that focuses on growing the company’s business at its Christchurch campus, expanding its horizons with intergenerational projects such as the Central Otago airport project and the recently announced Kōwhai Park solar projects.

She says “The Board has had an enduring focus on building a strong internal leadership bench across the team at multiple layers. Succession plans to ensure it can maintain momentum activating strategy as leadership transitions occur at different levels from time to time. Our customers, staff and business are well placed and the business is strategically and financially strong.”

The Board will commence a process of finding the next Chief Executive to take the team to the next level, as the business progresses post-Covid and pursues intergenerational value and opportunities for our shareholders and stakeholders.

The Chair says the Board would like to acknowledge Malcolm’s contribution to the team and wish him and his family well for the future.

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