Dunkerley to retire as Hawaiian Airlines CEO

Hawaiian Airlines president and CEO Mark Dunkerley, 54, will retire on March 1, and will be succeeded by Peter Ingram, 51, the airline’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer, the company announced this morning.

“Dunkerley’s departure will end 15 years of leadership during which the company executed a remarkable turnaround to become one of the world’s most successful airlines,” a company news release said. “During Dunkerley’s tenure, Hawaiian Airlines successfully embarked on a bold Asia-Pacific growth strategy, adding service to Tokyo, Osaka and Sapporo, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; and Beijing, China as well as new routes to Auckland, New Zealand; Sydney and Brisbane, Australia; and New York City.”

“This has been a heart-wrenching decision,” said Dunkerley, who joined Hawaiian in December 2002. “I am so proud to be associated with this company and our employees. Hawaiian Airlines is truly in a class of its own, distinguished by all the employees I am honored to call my colleagues. At the same time, I am excited by the new opportunities ahead of me and I am confident that Peter Ingram and the team will lead the company to further success.”

The company said that since Dunkerley joined the company, it has doubled the number of passengers flown annually, to 11 million. increased gross revenues four-fold, to $2.64 billion, and doubled its staff to 6,600 employees.

Hawaiian Airlines’ board chairman Lawrence Hershfield said in a news release, “Mark’s abilities as an airline chief executive are evident in the phenomenal growth and success of Hawaiian Airlines over the course of his leadership.”

Hershfield added, “Peter Ingram has been an important part of Hawaiian Airlines’ growth and success for the past 12 years, and we are confident in his deep knowledge of the airline, the industry and the community.”

Ingram joined Hawaiian as chief financial officer in December 2005, six months after its emergence from bankruptcy. In 2011, he became chief commercial officer, overseeing marketing and sales, revenue management and network planning, loyalty programs and cargo, according to the airline.

“I am humbled by the board’s confidence in me and excited by the opportunity to lead an incredible team as Hawaiian’s CEO,” Ingram said in the news release. “Mark has been an inspirational leader for our company and mentor to me and many others and I will be proud to continue pursuing the strategy for growth and success that we have been following for the last several years.”