Ray (56) joined easyJet in March 1996 as Managing Director and in 2000 Ray was appointed Chief Executive as the airline prepared for its flotation on the London Stock Exchange in November 2000.

Prior to joining easyJet, Ray had 27 years of experience in the airline industry at Air New Zealand. In his career with Air New Zealand he held various positions within the engineering business unit, formed their cargo business unit and had responsibility for marketing, sales and operations within the Americas market. His last role at Air New Zealand was as General Manager of Strategic Planning, where he was responsible for the identification, evaluation and implementation of corporate development options, including the concept development and planning of a start up ''value based'' (low-cost) airline serving short-haul routes within the Australasian market. Ray is a New Zealand national.