HKUST Business Review

Leading Through Change For Jeanette MAO, CEO of HK Express Airways (Graduate of HKUST MSc in Financial Analysis and BEng in Computer Science), a willingness to accept new challenges has defined her rise to the top of the industry. With Hong Kong now fully reestablished as a major hub for global aviation, there are exciting prospects for further growth, new routes, and ever better choice and connectivity within the Asia region. Creating and capitalizing those opportunities is front and center for Jeanette Mao who, as CEO of HK Express Airways, is responsible for the carrier’s strategic direction and key operational decisions to ensure passengers enjoy a travel experience that is safe, efficient and affordable. That mission now plays out against a fast changing industry landscape shaped by fuel price volatility, economic cycles, geopolitical tensions, and shifting customer expectations. “My management approach is to stay anchored in clarity of purpose and to show agility in execution,” says Mao, an HKUST alumna, who completed both an MSc in Financial Analysis and a BEng in Computer Science. “As a company, we focus relentlessly on what we can control: safety, operational reliability, cost discipline, and delivering real value for our customers. At the same time, though, I encourage the team to experiment, learn quickly, and adapt with confidence.” Secrets of Success Since assuming her current position in mid-2023, Mao has found that success is not a matter of having a perfect plan, but of making timely decisions, staying close to staff, and building a united organization where people move forward together. Those priorities remain, but she also recognizes that, in future, the best airlines must be more data-driven and increasingly nimble in responding to new demands, without compromising core value propositions. Meanwhile, lessons learnt at HKUST and during 20-plus years with the Cathay Group continue to guide her, in particular the belief that if you want to improve, you have to step outside your comfort zone. While climbing the career ladder, she did that by taking on nine challenging roles with three different airlines. Doing so provided crucial experience in cargo operations, inflight products, service delivery, sales and distribution, strategic functions, and passenger business. Importantly too, it allowed her to develop a personal code of 48 HKUST Business Review