Making Small a Virtue

Chief executive officer of Air New Zealand Rob Fyfe, 51, talks to Monocle about the importance of national identity to the airline and staying competitive in the industry. “One of the goals we set ourselves is to make New Zealanders proud of their airline,” Fyfe says. “We want people to see us as a leadership model by ensuring that in everything we do, we infuse a sense of New Zealandness into the airline. We’re relatively small so we’ve tried to make that a virtue. Being nimble and able to adapt quickly has been the key to our success.” Fyfe steps down as CEO at the end of this year. He has been with the company since 2003.