Guy Bradley Set to Lead Cathay Pacific and Swire Coca-Cola as Patrick Healy Retires

Swire Pacific has announced a significant leadership transition, with Guy Bradley set to take charge of both Cathay Pacific Airways and Swire Coca-Cola from May next year. The move comes as Patrick Healy prepares to retire from the Swire Group after more than thirty years of service, marking the end of a long career at one of Hong Kong’s most influential conglomerates.

Bradley, who currently serves as chairman of Swire Pacific, John Swire & Sons H.K. and Swire Properties, will add responsibility for the group’s aviation and beverage bottling operations to his existing roles. The company said the leadership expansion reflects continuity in governance and a desire to maintain a unified strategic direction across its core businesses.

Patrick Healy, aged 59, will step down as executive director of Swire Pacific, chairman of Cathay Pacific and Swire Coca-Cola, as well as director of John Swire & Sons, effective May 13. His departure will coincide with Cathay Pacific’s annual general meeting, formally closing a chapter that has spanned decades of transformation within the group.

Healy joined the Swire Group in 1988 and went on to hold a wide range of senior positions across aviation, beverages, and industrial businesses. His career took him across Hong Kong, mainland China, and Germany, giving him broad operational experience during periods of expansion, restructuring, and global uncertainty. Within Cathay Pacific, he played a role during some of the airline’s most challenging years, including pandemic disruption and subsequent recovery efforts.

Guy Bradley’s appointment signals stability at a time when both Cathay Pacific and Swire Coca-Cola are navigating evolving market conditions. The airline continues to rebuild capacity and restore routes as global travel demand normalises, while the bottling business faces changing consumer preferences and cost pressures across Asian markets. Bradley’s long standing involvement in the group’s leadership is expected to support coordination across these businesses.

The Swire Group, known in Chinese as Taikoo, remains controlled by the Swire family. The business traces its roots to Liverpool in 1816, when it was founded by John Swire, before expanding into China in the nineteenth century under his son John Samuel Swire. Over time, the group has grown into a major presence in aviation, property, beverages, and trading, with Hong Kong at the centre of its operations.

As Healy prepares to retire, tributes are expected to highlight his contribution to the group’s resilience and long term strategy. For Swire Pacific, the leadership transition represents both continuity and renewal as it looks ahead to the next phase of growth under Bradley’s expanded role.