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.
Greg Foran | |
|---|---|
.jpg) 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 22 July 1961 New Zealand |
| Children | 4, incl. Kieran Foran |
Early life and education
editForan 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]
Career
editWoolworths
editForan 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]
Walmart
editForan 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 Asia[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]
Air New Zealand
editForan 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]
Personal life
editForan 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]
References
edit- ^ "Walmart U.S. Chief Leaving; Successor Headed Asian Unit". The New York Times.
- ^ "Walmart names new president and CEO of Walmart Asia".
- ^ a b c d e f Shaw, Aimee (11 October 2019). "Who is Air NZ's incoming CEO Greg Foran?". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ "Ex-Woolies exec to run Walmart China".
- ^ "Walmart names new Asia heads".
- ^ a b c Anthony, John (5 June 2020). "From Walmart wonderboy to Air New Zealand: How Greg Foran's handled a catastrophe". Stuff. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ "Walmart U.S. CEO Foran to exit and be replaced by Sam's Club boss Furner". Reuters. 11 October 2019. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ "New Zealander Greg Foran who heads Walmart moving to Air NZ CEO role". RNZ. 11 October 2019. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ Sabin, Brook (2 March 2020). "New Air New Zealand CEO, Greg Foran cleans planes". Stuff. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ a b Anthony, John (15 December 2019). "Air New Zealand's new boss Greg Foran to start in February with 100-day review". Stuff. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ Sowman-Lund, Stewart (25 October 2023). "Who will lead Labour into the 2026 election? Our top picks (and some wildcards)". The Spinoff. Retrieved 3 June 2024.