Drawing from her diverse, 20-year career with the Cathay Pacific Group, Jeanette will lead the airline’s growth strategy and elevate customer service

Hong Kong, April 3 2023  HK Express is pleased to announce the appointment of Jeanette Mao as its new CEO, effective 1 April 2023. Jeanette succeeds former CEO Mandy Ng, who will pass on the baton as the first female CEO to lead a Hong Kong-based airline.

“From my experience working with her over the years, Jeanette is a very capable leader,” said Ronald Lam, HK Express Chair. “With her wide-ranging experience in driving transformational initiatives and running complex operations, I am sure she would steer HK Express to greatness, as the airline ramps up its scale in the lead up to the full operation of the Three-Runway System at Hong Kong International Airport, while expanding its fleet and network to provide safe, affordable and enjoyable travel experience to our customers.”

Jeanette expressed her excitement about joining HK Express in such an opportune moment.

“I am thrilled to join HK Express during this exciting period of growth,” said Jeanette. “I look forward to leading the airline to grow from strength to strength, as we are set to expand beyond pre-pandemic levels this summer.  We remain fully committed to our customers, who continue to value the personalised and flexible travel experience we offer as Hong Kong’s only low-cost carrier.”

As the new CEO of HK Express, Jeanette will spearhead the airline’s growth strategy to expand its capacity and network. She will lead the team in enhancing operational efficiencies and customer experience through digital innovations, ensuring the low-cost carrier’s operations remains competitive with a sustainable future.

With over 20 years of experience with the Cathay Pacific Group, Jeanette is deeply familiar with many aspects of the aviation business. She started her career as a Management Trainee in 2002 and later held leadership positions across Services and Operations, Cargo, International Affairs, Customer Experience and Inflight Products, Sales and Distribution. In August 2019, she became General Manager Inflight Service Delivery of Cathay Pacific, responsible for leading the inflight service team to deliver excellent services on board for all customers of the airline. Jeanette’s wide-ranging expertise makes her the ideal choice to be the new CEO of HK Express.