James Hogan (b. 1956) is the Executive Chairman of Knighthood Capital Partners, a company offering business advisory, capital structuring and investment services in aerospace, aviation, travel and tourism, and hospitality. James grew up in Melbourne, Australia and graduated from the Ivanhoe Grammar School in 1975.

He began his career at Ansett Airlines, subsequently ascending the ranks to hold senior positions at a number of prominent businesses in the travel industry. In 1995, based in London, he joined the executive management committee of Hertz as Vice President, Marketing & Sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa.

In 1997, he became service director for BMI, leaving in 1998 to join the Granada Group as worldwide sales director, where he sat on the board of Forte Hotels. In 1999, he returned to BMI as chief operating officer, and was responsible for flight and ground operations, sales and marketing, commercial, cargo, engineering and handling service companies, and was also a member of the board. Returning to Australia in 2001, James was appointed Chief Executive of the Tesna consortium, which was created with the aim of acquiring Ansett Airlines from administration.

He joined Gulf Air in 2002, and served as Chief Executive for four years before being appointed President and CEO of Etihad Airways where he played a key role in overseeing the Abu Dhabi-based airline’s ambitious long-term growth plans, building a US$20 billion enterprise, and achieving the mandate from his shareholders to build a world-class diversified aviation and travel group. In 2017, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for ‘distinguished services to the aviation transport industry, to the development of tourism and trade linkages between Australia and the Gulf states, and to international airline associations’.

James was honoured by the British Travel & Hospitality Hall of Fame in 2014