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SCMP Reporter

A MAJOR reshuffle of senior management within the Swire group of companies has been announced, with a touch of localisation at the top.

  Hong Kong-born Philip Chen takes over in the hot-seat at Hong Kong Dragon Airlines as chief operating officer on secondment, to pilot its growth into China.

  He will replace British-born Simon Heale who will move into a senior post within the insurance division of John Swire & Sons in London until 1996.

  Mr Chen is general manager, Southeast Asia for Cathay Pacific Airways based in Singapore.

  Jonathan Swire, grandson of the late John Swire, also leaves Dragonair, where he is general manager for planning and international affairs.

  He will be replaced by another Hong Kong native, Augustus Tang, mastermind of Cathay Pacific's Operation Better Shape cost-cutting and productivity campaign.

  Mr Swire will return to the parent company, John Swire & Sons, although his exact position has not yet been confirmed.

  Both Mr Chen and Mr Tang joined Cathay Pacific as executive trainees and have worked their way up through the ranks.

  Two posts of joint managing director are being created at Cathay Pacific to provide additional support for managing director Rod Eddington, who keeps his job.

  Linus Cheung, currently director of Cathay Pacific Hong Kong, has been promoted to deputy managing director commercial, with responsibility for the airline's commercial and marketing activities.

  He will work alongside David Turnbull, currently managing director of Swire Group company Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Co (HAECO), who has been appointed deputy managing director, corporate development.

  Mr Turnbull will be responsible for the airline's strategic planning, including China, and long-term strategy.

  He will, in turn, be replaced as HAECO managing director by Andrew Herdman, currently general manager of Cathay Pacific's cargo division.

  At Cathay Pacific, Rowland Cobbold has been promoted from marketing director to executive director, reporting direct to the managing director on a number of projects concerning the airline's long-term strategy.

  Two new directors have been appointed at Cathay.

  Tony Tyler, the airline's general manager in Europe, will return to Hong Kong to become director of service delivery, with responsibility for in-flight and airport services.

  Roland Fairfield, deputy engineering director, will succeed Cathay stalwart Stewart John as engineering director when the latter retires on November 28.

  Commercial director Mike Thacker is also due to retire, and his responsibilities will be taken on by Linus Cheung.

   Group taipan Peter Sutch, chairman of John Swire & Sons (HK), said the reorganisation and reduction in senior management numbers fitted in with Cathay's drive to improve productivity.

  ''This is the start of the way we are going to look from now on - leaner and more efficient,'' said Mr Sutch.

  ''We are progressively looking at how we do business right throughout the company to ensure we have a structure that will see us through to the end of the century.''   Don Birch, Cathay's director of customer services, will be the next Taiwan taipan, taking over as chairman next summer.

   Richard Stirland, the airline's corporate development director, is to become representative for John Swire & Sons in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

  Mr Stirland, who will take up his new post early next year, has been charged with overseeing the group's push into this rapidly growing region.

  All appointments are subject to approval from respective company boards.



Management reshuffle at Swire group