Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has appointed Mr Hareb Al Muhairy to the position of vice president, corporate communications.

Hareb, a UAE national, will be based at Etihad’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi and report to the airline’s senior vice president corporate affairs, Ms Belinda de Rome. 

In his new role, Hareb will oversee the airline’s expanding corporate communications team and be responsible for Etihad’s global media strategy as well as promoting the airline’s development and achievements as media spokesman.

Etihad chief executive officer, Mr James Hogan, said: “As the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, Etihad is committed to attracting and retaining top Emirati talent. Hareb has made a great contribution to the airline since he joined us in 2004, and with the skills and relationships he has developed in his time at Etihad, he is ideally suited to take on this senior role.”

Hareb joined Etihad after studying political science and management at the UAE University in Al Ain. He has held various positions in marketing and product development, as well being posted to London as business development manager. Since joining Etihad’s corporate affairs department in April 2009 as head of corporate communications, Hareb has been responsible for planning and implementing the media strategy for the airline in the Middle East.