Cathay Pacific has announced the appointment of Mr. Abhijit Abhyankar as the Regional Head of Customer Travel and Lifestyle. In his new role, Abhijit will oversee customer travel experiences, passenger sales, marketing communications, and lifestyle marketing initiatives across India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa (SAMEA).
With a career spanning over two decades in aviation and hospitality, Abhijit brings deep expertise in sales, marketing, and customer engagement to this role. Prior to this appointment, he served as the Regional Head of People for SAMEA., including Head of Marketing and Digital Sales – SAMEA, Regional Marketing Communications Manager – South Asia, and Area Sales Manager – Northern India. He also held the position of Country Manager – Africa and the Indian Ocean, based in Johannesburg.
Abhijit Abhyankar leads passenger sales, marketing communications, and lifestyle marketing for Cathay in South Asia (India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka), the Middle East (United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia), and South Africa.
With a career rooted in sales and marketing, Abhijit previously served as the Regional Head of People for South Asia, Middle East, and Africa at Cathay. He also held the position of Country Manager – Africa and the Indian Ocean, based in Johannesburg.
A seasoned sales and marketing professional, he began his career in the hospitality industry, working for leading hotels before transitioning to aviation with KLM (later merged with Air France) and Jet Airways. He joined Cathay Pacific in 2009.
Born and raised in Mumbai, India, he is currently based out of Cathay’s Regional headquarters in the city.
Abhijit began his career in the hospitality sector with Ambassador Hotel, Le Meridien, and Holiday Inn before transitioning to aviation with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and later Air France–KLM. He joined Cathay Pacific in 2009 as Corporate Sales Manager and has since played a pivotal role in strengthening the airline’s commercial and customer-facing strategy in the region.
Based in Cathay Pacific’s regional headquarters in Mumbai, Abhijit will lead the airline’s efforts to create seamless and enriching travel experiences for customers while building strategic partnerships in lifestyle, retail, and digital engagement.
