Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Aviation Group appoints new chief

Etihad Aviation Group on Thursday said it has appointed Tony Douglas, former head of Abu Dhabi Airports and Abu Dhabi Ports, as the new group chief executive.
Douglas replaced James Hogan, who stepped down in July after serving as chief executive of Etihad Airways since 2006 and moving up to his group chief executive role last year.
Ray Gammell, who was appointed interim group chief executive after Hogan’s departure, will return to his position as group chief people and performance officer.
Douglas is an old hand in Abu Dhabi’s corporate world, leading Abu Dhabi Ports Company in 2010 to successfully deliver Khalifa Port and taking the chief executive role at Abu Dhabi Airports Company in 2013 to steer the early stages of the Midfield Terminal Building project.
“We are delighted to have Tony return to Abu Dhabi to lead Etihad. He has guided the transformation of large organizations in the UAE and the UK, and he understands the UAE and the region,” Mohamed Mubarak Fadhel Al-Mazrouei, the chairman of Chairman of Etihad Aviation Group, said in a statement.
“He is also deeply knowledgeable about commercial aviation and keenly familiar with Etihad’s challenges and opportunities in a rapidly changing industry.”
Before joining Etihad, Douglas was chief executive of the defense equipment and support department of the UK’s defense ministry, responsible for procuring and supporting all the equipment and services for the British Armed Forces.