Chief operating officer Alex Marren has advised the airline of her decision to step down, with her departure planned for March 29, 2026.
Marren joined Air New Zealand in 2022 following a 36-year global career in operational leadership across aviation and transport. During her time at the airline, she has played a pivotal role in rebuilding operational performance post-Covid, introducing new tools and processes to support frontline teams, and leading the business through several complex challenges, including major weather events and global fleet constraints.
Chief executive Greg Foran recognised the significant contribution Marren has made to the airline: “Alex has brought calm, clarity, and deep operational expertise to our leadership team. Her focus on safety, care for her team, and commitment to improving reliability has driven meaningful progress across our operation and led to better customer outcomes.
“We thank her for her incredible service and wish her all the very best as she transitions into governance roles.”
The airline will work through options to replace Marren over the coming months.
From October 20, 2025, Jeremy O’Brien will step into the newly created role of chief customer and digital officer (CCDO).
O’Brien has held senior leadership positions at Air New Zealand for the past nine years covering sales, customer, loyalty, marketing, and brand. He is currently acting chief commercial officer.
He was previously commercial director at TVNZ, where he led key aspects of the broadcaster’s content streaming and digital transformation.
Scott Wilkinson commences as chief commercial officer on October 7, 2025. His appointment to the role was announced on January 21, 2025. The loyalty business will now be added to Wilkinson’s portfolio following Nikhil Ravishankar’s appointment as chief executive.
Wilkinson returns to New Zealand following a decade at Qantas, where he held senior leadership roles across digital, customer experience, and commercial strategy.
O’Brien’s permanent appointment to the leadership team, and Wilkinson’s additional responsibilities are designed to strengthen alignment across Air New Zealand’s commercial, customer, loyalty, marketing, and digital functions, and support the broader leadership shift ahead of Ravishankar’s transition to chief executive from October 20, 2025.
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