The chief executive of Etihad Airways, voted “World’s Leading Airline” by World Travel Awards, has been elected to the board of the International Air Transport Association. The move is aimed to widen representation of carriers from the fast-growing Middle East at IATA.

Hogan has held the top job at Etihad since September 2006. He has overseen rapid growth of the UAE’s national airline over the past four years, adding 33 new destinations and 35 new aircraft, and increasing the number of passengers carried each year from 2.7 million to 7.2 million.

For the past two years, Etihad has been voted “World’s Leading Airline” by World Travel Awards, and last month it was voted “Middle East’s Leading Airline”

In July 2008, he signed one of the largest aircraft orders in history for up to 205 aircraft worth approximately US $43 billion at list prices, to meet the airline’s ambitious long-term growth plans.

He started his career in 1975 at Ansett Airlines, and subsequently held senior positions with bmi, Hertz, Forte Hotels and Gulf Air.

At Hertz, his roles included directorships of the marketing, sales and operations divisions. In 1995, based in London, he joined the executive management committee as Vice President, Marketing & Sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa.

In 1997, James became service director for bmi British Midland, leaving in 1998 to join the Granada Group as worldwide sales director, where he sat on the board of Forte Hotels.

He returned to bmi in 1999 as chief operating officer. There he was responsible for flight and ground operations, sales and marketing, commercial, cargo, engineering and handling service companies, and was a member of the Board.

Hogan moved back to his native Australia in 2001, where he was appointed chief executive of the Tesna consortium, which was created with the aim of acquiring Ansett Airlines from administration, before joining Gulf Air in 2002, where he served as chief executive for four years.

He is a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and a former non-executive director, and member of the Board’s audit committee, of Gallaher Plc.