Greg Foran
| |
|---|---|
Foran in 2022
| |
| CEO of Air New Zealand | |
| In office February 2020 – present | |
| Preceded by | Christopher Luxon |
| President and CEO, Walmart U.S. | |
| In office August 2014 – November 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Bill Simon[1] |
| Succeeded by | John Furner |
| President and CEO, Walmart Asia | |
| In office May 2014 – August 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Scott Price |
| Succeeded by | Scott Price[2] |
| President and CEO, Walmart China | |
| In office March 2012 – May 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Ed Chan |
| Succeeded by | Sean Clarke |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Gregory Stephen Foran (1961-07-22) 22 July 1961 (age 62) New Zealand |
| Children | 4, incl. Kieran Foran |
| |
Gregory Stephen Foran (born 22 July 1961)[3] is a New Zealand businessman. He was previously CEO of the American division of Walmart, and is currently chief executive of Air New Zealand.
Foran was born on 22 July 1961 in New Zealand to two school teachers. He grew up in Hastings and Hamilton. There he attended Twyford School, St John's College in Hastings, St John's College in Hamilton, and Hillcrest High School, Hamilton.[3]
Foran started working as a shelf stacker at a supermarket in Hamilton. At age 20 he became a Woolworths manager, and by age 48 he was on track to become the next CEO of Woolworths Australia but missed out on the opportunity.[3]
Foran began working for Walmart in 2011. He became president and chief executive of Walmart China in March 2012.[4] In 2014, Foran was promoted to president and CEO of Walmart China[5] and in the same year transitioned to president and CEO of Walmart U.S. During this period he lived in Fayetteville, Arkansas.[3] Foran would occasionally shop in Walmart undercover in order to better understand the experiences of customers and employees.[6] According to Reuters, Foran is "credited with turning around Walmart's U.S. business by focusing on improving existing stores".[7] Foran raised Walmart's minimum gun-purchasing age to 21.[3]
Foran became the CEO of Air New Zealand in February 2020, near the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.[8][9][10] As the new CEO, he proposed to hold a 100-day review of the business, which included asking employees and customers how the business could improve, and personally serving beverages to customers and cleaning planes.[10][6] The COVID-19 pandemic prevented the completion of the review; he had instead begun leading in "crisis management mode", announcing at one point that the company was expecting a 90% reduction in revenue.[6]
Foran has three sons and one daughter. His son, Kieran Foran, is a professional rugby league player.[3]
In 2023, Foran was jokingly floated by The Spinoff as a potential future Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, a reference to his predecessor, current National Party leader and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.[11]
| Business positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chief executive officer of Air New Zealand 2020–present |
Incumbent |
