6 October 2025

New CEO Nikhil Ravishankar to bring ‘fresh perspective’ to Air New Zealand

After an “extensive international search”, the current Chief Digital Officer, Nikhil Ravishankar has been selected to lead Air New Zealand and expected to bring a ‘fresh perspective’ to this world-class airlines.

Ravishankar will officially take over as the next Chief Executive Officer succeeding Greg Foran on 20 October 2025.

With a fleet of 114 aircraft that ferry over 16 million passengers annually, Air New Zealand has a current revenue (TTM) of $6.97 billion.

Prior to his joining Air New Zealand, Nikhil was Chief Digital Officer at Vector and Managing Director of Accenture and is also an Advisory Board Member for the Auckland University’s Centre of Digital Enterprise.

Nikhil Ravishankar will take over as CEO on 20 Oct 2025

Announcing Ravishankar’s appointment yesterday, 30 July, Air New Zealand Board Chair, Dame Therese Walsh, said the appointment marks the beginning of the next chapter for the airline.

“We have always been bold and not afraid to adapt and lead. Nikhil brings the mindset and contemporary leadership we need to build on our strong foundations and focus on the future. The Board undertook an extensive international search and were delighted to see Nikhil come through the process so strongly. His ambition for the airline’s future and his people leadership skills, coupled with his pursuit of excellence, digital literacy, global outlook and relationships, and his deep care for the airline and New Zealand shone through.

“Airlines will continue to face immense challenges, whether that’s climate change, customer expectations, technology, cost pressures or geopolitics. Nikhil brings a fresh perspective that is grounded in New Zealand values and a deep knowledge of the airline and critical infrastructure across different sectors. He’s not afraid to challenge how things are done and ask questions,” said Dame Walsh.

Ravishankar holds a BSc (Computer Science, Management Science and Information Systems) and a BCom (Honours) from the University of Auckland. He had his schooling from Mt Albert Grammar School and St Josephs Boys High School.

Nikhil Ravishankar has expressed his excitement at his promotion and for this opportunity to help shape the next stage of this world-class airline.

“I’m both thrilled and humbled to be given this opportunity to lead Air New Zealand,” Ravishankar said in a statement.

“This airline is an institution with a deep legacy but also a fantastic future. It’s a privilege to step into the CEO role and take on that responsibility for our people, our customers, and our country.

“Airlines are complex, and safety underpins every decision we make. I truly believe that New Zealand is one of the most innovative nations in the world and one of the greatest destinations to visit. Our airline is amongst the very best and I get to work with some of the most dedicated people in the country, from our cabin crew, engineers and pilots to our ground teams, corporate and digital teams behind the scenes.

“At the end of the day, we are a people business – purposeful, ambitious, and deeply rooted in Aotearoa New Zealand, and I’m excited to help shape what this next stage of Air New Zealand looks like,” Nikhil Ravishankar concluded.

Interestingly, while Air New Zealand’s reins will now be in the hands of Indian-origin Nikhil Ravishankar, the current CEO & MD of Air India is Campbell Wilson, a New Zealand business executive.

In March this year, Air New Zealand and Air India, also inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost air connectivity between India and New Zealand and exploration of the introduction of a direct service by the end of 2028, subject to new aircraft deliveries and approvals from relevant government regulators.

Comments are welcome

Get Noticed –  

Your support matters –

Like NewsViews

Advertise here