Cathay opens a new IT office in Qianhai, Shenzhen

Its largest office in the Chinese Mainland spurs greater digital innovation and cooperation across teams in the Greater Bay Area

July 9, 2025 -- Cathay was delighted to welcome the opening of its new Digital and IT office in Shenzhen at Qianhai Kerry Centre with an official ceremony earlier today. The event was hosted by Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the Shenzhen Municipal Government Jiang Likun and Deputy Director General of the Qianhai Authority Wen Ping, together with members of Cathay’s executive leadership team including Chief Executive Officer Ronald Lam, Director Chinese Mainland Arnold Cheng, and Director Digital and IT Lawrence Fong. ​

Following the establishment of Cathay’s Guangzhou IT office in 2024, the opening of the Shenzhen IT office marks another strategic move by Cathay in the Chinese Mainland, strengthening collaboration between its teams in Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Shenzhen as part of its digital development in the Greater Bay Area (GBA). This also reflects Cathay’s unique position of having deep roots in Hong Kong, being proudly part of China and connecting the world by contributing to the development of a world-class digital ecosystem within the region.

Leveraging Qianhai’s strengths to advance digital development in the GBA

As a leading pilot zone committed to speeding up in-depth Shenzhen-Hong Kong integration, Qianhai benefits from national policies as well as its own resource-pooling capabilities, making the new office there a key part of Cathay’s digital transformation. Cathay’s Ronald Lam said: “Digital transformation is crucial to Cathay’s future success. The new Shenzhen IT office will synergise with our Hong Kong headquarters and Guangzhou IT office, leveraging Qianhai’s position as a regional innovation hub to accelerate our digital development and expand our leading technological capabilities.”

Dual focus on infrastructure and talent development

Spanning over 25,000 square feet, the Shenzhen IT office is Cathay’s largest office in the Chinese Mainland. Designed around the themes of collaboration, intelligence and innovation, it is equipped with advanced facilities to support a smart, efficient work environment. It also houses Cathay’s first “Innovation Space” for supporting technological research, development and product showcases. With custom furniture and an innovative set-up, the space is designed to foster ideation and collaboration.

In the future, to fully support Cathay’s digital transformation strategy, the office will focus on global system development, quality assurance and tech support, while also delivering digital solutions tailored to the Chinese Mainland market.

Cathay plans to expand its Digital and IT team in the Chinese Mainland to over 200 people by the end of 2025, doubling the team size compared to 2024. The Group will continue to extend the Digital & IT Graduate Trainee Programme to other cities in the wider GBA, partnering with universities to cultivate more skilled tech talent. Furthermore, the 8th annual Cathay Hackathon will be held in November 2025, fostering talent development in the aviation industry by bringing together young innovators from Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and beyond.

HK$100 billion investment to reinforce digital leadership and more

Cathay aspires to become one the world’s greatest service brands. The Group currently operates flights to over 100 passenger destinations worldwide. This includes 22 destinations in the Chinese Mainland, with HK Express also launching flights to Guiyang later this month. Meanwhile, Cathay Pacific was recently named among the world’s top three best airlines in the 2025 Skytrax World Airline Awards.

The Group has committed over HK$100 billion in investments spanning its fleet, lounges, cabin products and digital services. Cathay’s Lawrence Fong said: “Every year, more than HK$3 billion from that investment is dedicated to technological research and development, and digital innovation to enhance our operational efficiency and the customer experience. This year, we established Cathay Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary, to focus on developing cutting-edge aviation technologies and delivering innovative digital solutions for the industry, further solidifying our digital leadership.”

Looking ahead, Cathay will leverage its Shenzhen IT office to continue to foster aviation innovation and digital transformation in the GBA, contributing to the technological advancement and high-quality development of China’s civil aviation industry.

Cathay Group Chief Executive Officer Ronald Lam (fifth from left), Cathay Director Chinese Mainland Arnold Cheng (fifth from right), Cathay Director Digital and IT Lawrence Fong (fourth from left), Cathay General Manager Chinese Mainland Commercial and Operations Martin Xu (fourth from right), Cathay General Manager IT Solutions Annie Ling (third from right), Cathay General Manager IT Infrastructure and Security Rajeev Nair (second from right), Cathay General Manager Digital Ventures Navin Chellaram (third from left) and Cathay General Manager Digital Aldric Chau (second from left) marked the opening of Cathay's new Shenzhen IT office with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Cathay Group Chief Executive Officer Ronald Lam delivered a speech at the opening ceremony.

Innovation space at Cathay’s Shenzhen IT office

Cathay’s Shenzhen IT office

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