Cathay Pacific CEO resigns after pressure from Beijing
Beijing jolted Hong Kong companies last week when it warned that Cathay Pacific employees who “support or take part in illegal protests” would be barred from flying to or over the mainland. Cathay Pacific said a pilot who was charged with rioting had been removed from flying duties.
“There is no doubt that our reputation and brand are under immense pressure and this pressure has been building for some weeks, particularly in the all-important market of Mainland China,” Hogg in an internal memo, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Hong Kong is in its third month of protests that started in opposition to a proposed extradition law but have expanded to include demands for a more democratic system.
Cathay Pacific needs new management to “reset confidence” because its commitment to safety and security had been “called into question,” company Chairman John Slosar said in a statement.
Augustus Tang, a veteran of the company’s operations in Hong Kong, Japan and Malaysia, was named to succeed Hogg, the airline said.
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