Taking Off With Tony Tyler
By: We almost missed out talking to Tony Tyler in Hong Kong.
A couple of days before the scheduled interview, Cathay Pacific called to cancel as something urgent had come up. All meetings for that day had to be dropped because of an important meeting.
But we pushed on and managed to get a small window at eight the next morning. We were told to wrap up filming within the hour. Tyler had a board meeting straight after, before catching a flight later that day. We were definitely getting glimpses of how intense a day could be for the Chief Executive of Cathay Pacific, where everything moves fast and furious.
Although we had spoken before, I was thrilled to finally meet him in person. Despite his hectic schedule, Tyler had a big smile for me and my crew. He was ready to roll and under the hot camera lights, Tyler answered all the questions in rapid fire, frank and provocative at some parts.
At one point, he tells me he's been misquoted about some of his plans and sets the record straight. Despite all the competition, Tyler knows his trump card is China. Through subsidiary Dragonair and partner Air China, Tyler is clearly the envy of his rivals wanting a slice of the China market.
Catch Managing Asia on CNBC this weekend. First broadcast: Friday @ 6.30pm HK/SIN
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