MANILA, Philippines - Martin Xu has been named Cathay Pacific Philippines new country manager following Ed Higgs’ three-year stint in the position. The transition coincided with the carrier’s Chicago destination launch at the Manila Polo Club, where Xu was officially welcomed to the team.
A graduate of the prestigious Chinese University of Hong Kong, he joined the premium carrier in 2002 as a management trainee, and gained experience by working in its different departments including marketing, in-flight services and commercial sales. He became manager for East Indonesia in 2007, and moved on to become the international affairs manager in 2009 — also the last position he held before taking over the reins of Cathay Pacific’s Philippine operations.
Xu has been with the airline for 10 years. “I look forward to working with a talented team to continue strengthening Cathay Pacific’s leadership position in the Philippines,” he said. “The airline has always been known for its high quality and service standards, and consumers can rest assured that we will work tirelessly to provide them with the kind of experience they’ve come to expect from us, and to give them more reasons to fly Cathay Pacific.”
Other appointments within the Cathay Pacific Group include new Cebu manager Maggie Wong and Dragonair chief representative Walter Li. Wong, a Ball State University graduate, first joined the carrier in 2008 as assistant to director of Cargo, subsequently becoming assistant to general manager SE Asia, acting manager for Penang, and finally, executive assistant to chief operating officer Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. Li, on the other hand, has a graduate degree in accounting from Washington University in St. Louis. He served as a personnel officer for the airline prior to being appointed to his latest post.
Cathay Pacific Group offers passenger and cargo services to 145 destinations in Asia, North America, Middle East, Europe and Africa, operating over 120 wide-body aircraft.
* * *
Visit the Cathay Pacific Website at www.cathaypacific.com.