Qatar hires new regional manager for Australia & NZ

Qatar hires new regional manager for Australia & NZ
By Alexandra Coulton


Qatar Airways has appointed Justin Kestel as its new regional manager for Australia and New Zealand.

Kestel (pictured above)  will lead all strategic and commercial aspects of the airline’s business in Australia and New Zealand, based out of Qatar Airways’ Melbourne office.

With over 10 years’ experience at Qatar Airways, his most recent role was as the regional manager of Indochina, based in Bangkok, responsible for the commercial business in Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.

He has also held previous roles with Qatar Airways in Perth, Sydney and Singapore alongside significant commercial aviation management experience and industry knowledge from previous roles at Flight Centre and Malaysia Airlines in Australia.

The airline has also hired a new manager of digital and marketing for southwest Pacific and North Asia, Ken Anon Lau, to the APAC team.

With 32 years of experience combined, including over 17 years at Qatar Airways, Kestel and Lau bring a wealth of experience and industry knowledge to their newly appointed positions.

“I am thrilled to continue my career with the best airline in the world, heading up one of Qatar Airways’ key markets. Having been at Qatar Airways for over 10 years I am eager to lead the Australia and New Zealand team,” Kestel said.

“I look forward to reconnecting with all of our valued trade and commercial partners, and working together to help further solidify the airline’s presence in Australia and New Zealand.”

Ken Lau

As a customer-centric and data-driven marketing professional, Lau will head up Qatar Airways’ regional marketing, digital, and loyalty division across the Southwest Pacific and North Asia region (Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and China).

Lau’s most recent role was based at Qatar Airways’ headquarters in Doha, as manager of loyalty marketing where he led the global marketing and communications for Privilege Club, the airline’s loyalty programme. Prior to joining Qatar Airways, he worked in advertising for over five years in both media and creative agencies, with Australian blue chip clients like National Australia Bank, GM Motors, Nestlé, and Target.

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