Emirates appoints country head for UK
In his role, Richard will oversee Emirates’ entire sales and service functions across its commercial, customer and cargo operations in the market. He will report directly to Hubert Frach, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations West.
He first joined Emirates in May 1996 as a Commercial Analyst, and left in 2001 to pursue career opportunities in New Zealand. In December 2005, he re-joined Emirates as Vice President Route & Fleet Planning. Over the next few years, he progressed to a number of executive management roles in the Commercial, Revenue Optimisation and Performance Development departments.
Laurie has been with Emirates for more than 27 years, joining in 1990 as an area manager in the UK. In December 2010, he was appointed Vice President of Emirates UK.
“We thank Laurie for his amazing contribution and commitment to our business, and wish him the very best for his retirement. We also welcome Richard to the UK team, where his experience from across various functions in the airline will stand him in good stead as we continue to grow our business in the market. We wish him every success in the UK,” said Hubert.
Reflecting on his time with Emirates, Laurie said, “It’s been a fantastic journey over nearly three decades, during which time I was part of Emirates’ growth to become the multi award winning and largest international airline in the world today. It’s been a wonderful experience and I want to thank Emirates and my team in the UK for all their support”.
Commenting on his appointment, Richard said, “To lead Emirates in one of our biggest and most important markets is an exciting opportunity, and my immediate priority will be to ensure the successful launch of our new service between Dubai and Stansted in June. I’m looking forward to working with our local teams in London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle, to build on the successes achieved to date”.
Emirates operates six flights a day to London Heathrow, three flights a day to London Gatwick and Manchester, two flights a day to Birmingham and Glasgow, and one a day to Newcastle. The service between Dubai and Stansted is scheduled to start on 8 June 2018.
