Mount Sloane
John Robert Slosar is the former Chairman of Swire Group and its subsidiaries Swire Pacific, Swire Properties, Cathay Pacific, and HAECO. He held these roles until November 6, 2019.
Biography
He grew up in Ohio, USA[1], and obtained economics degrees from Columbia University in the United States and the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. He joined the Swire Group in 1980. In the early years, he was involved in Cathay Pacific’s management and was stationed in Hong Kong, the United States, and Thailand. In 1996, Slosar was appointed Managing Director of Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering. In July 1998, he was transferred to Swire Beverages as Chief Executive Officer. Swire Beverages focuses on Coca-Cola production in Greater China. Under his leadership, Swire Beverages turned from loss to profit and became one of the world's top five beverage enterprises[2].
Starting in May 2006, he became a director of Swire. In July 2007, he was appointed to replace Tony Tyler as Chief Operating Officer of Cathay Pacific and joined the board. In December 2010, as then-CEO Tony Tyler moved to become the CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Slosar succeeded him[3], becoming CEO of Cathay Pacific. He also became Chairman of Swire Beverages and Dragonair, effective March 31, 2011.
On February 8, 2018, Swire A (0019), Swire B (0087), HAECO (0044), Cathay Pacific (0293), and Swire Properties (1972) issued a joint announcement stating that Slosar would retire as Chairman and Director of Swire Pacific and its listed subsidiaries Swire Properties and HAECO, effective July 1 that year. However, he would remain as Chairman and Director of Cathay Pacific.
On November 6, 2019, he stepped down from his roles as Chairman and Executive Director.
Swire Taipan
In 2014, Swire Group Chairman Christopher Pratt announced his retirement. The major shareholder, the Swire family, appointed Slosar as his successor as Chairman of Swire Pacific, Swire Properties, HAECO, and Cathay Pacific. The role of CEO of Cathay Pacific was taken over by COO Ivan Chu[4][5][6], effective March 14, 2014.
Traditionally, chairmen of British conglomerates like Swire and Jardines are referred to as “Taipan” and are usually British nationals. Slosar, born in the United States, became the first American to assume the Chairman role at Swire[6], which was considered rare[5].
Swire Group disclosed that Slosar’s annual salary, including various allowances, amounted to HKD 10.17 million, along with performance bonuses, provident fund, and housing allowance[7].
Coca-Cola
As Slosar previously served as CEO of Swire Beverages, he has strong ties with Coca-Cola. After becoming CEO of Cathay Pacific, he was known for always placing a bottle of Coca-Cola on the table during press conferences or interviews, as a form of product placement advertising[8].
Personal
Slosar is married with two children. His daughter, Dana Slosar, won the sixth season of *Asia's Next Top Model*.
His wife, Joy, is Thai and worked as a flight attendant for Cathay Pacific in the early 1980s. She was once selected as the company’s brand ambassador[9].
References
- ↑ John Slosar, Cathay Pacific Flightglobal
- ↑ 史乐山让国泰增添活力 Orient Aviation
- ↑ 湯彥麟離國泰史樂山接棒 Apple Daily, December 4, 2010
- ↑ 白紀圖退任太古(00019.HK)主席 史樂山接任 AASTOCKS, August 16, 2013
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 史樂山明年接任太古系主席 Ming Pao, August 17, 2013
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 太古委任首位美籍「大班」 Sing Tao Daily, August 17, 2013
- ↑ 史樂山年薪1017萬任太古主席 Wen Wei Po, February 22, 2014
- ↑ 中環在線：太古史樂山 記招毋忘擺可樂 Apple Daily, May 14, 2014
- ↑ 中環在線：老公史洛薩接任太古主席 國泰空姐變大班太太 Apple Daily, August 19, 2013