Air NZ entices Walmart US boss Foran home to lead airline

Air New Zealand named Walmart US boss Greg Foran as its new CE on Friday, bringing him back home at a time the airline is trying to control costs in a lower-growth environment. New Zealand-born Foran is credited with turning around Walmart Inc’s US business as its president and CEO since 2014, with the unit reporting 20 quarters of comparable sales growth under his leadership. Air NZ Chairman Therese Walsh said the carrier was “thrilled to have attracted a world class Kiwi back home.” “Greg has an impeccable track record in delivering strong commercial performance, outstanding customer focus and in building teams that can take a business to the next level,” Walsh said. Grant Williamson, investment adviser at Hamilton Hindin Greene in Christchurch, said snagging Foran was a coup for the carrier. “In the short term, it’s not going to have a major impact on earnings, there’s bigger things moving in the background like oil prices and global growth,” Williamson said. Air New Zealand shares were marginally higher at NZ$2.85 on Friday. “But in terms of someone to have a steady hand on the wheel for Air New Zealand going forward, I don’t think they could do much better,” Williamson added. Foran, who boosted Walmart’s sales by focusing on improving existing stores to keep costs and prices low, said he looked forward to building on Air NZ’s competitive advantage in customer focus and care. The airline is known overseas for its quirky safety videos and consistently ranks highly in global airline customer surveys.<br/>