OneReg appoints Port of Auckland chief executive as chair

OneReg has appointed Port of Auckland Chief Executive Officer Roger Gray as Chair.

The appointment comes as the New Zealand-founded aviation technology company expands in overseas markets.

Gray joins the board with more than two decades of leadership experience across aviation, ports, logistics and fast-moving consumer goods. He currently leads Port of Auckland and previously held senior executive roles at Lyttelton Port Company and Air New Zealand.

The move strengthens OneReg's governance as it builds on recent customer wins and expands beyond its home market. The company supports airports and airlines across New Zealand, Australia, the Middle East and the UK, and is moving into Europe.

OneReg has also established staff in aviation hubs including Dubai, Geneva and the UK to support its international customer base.

Growth push

The business provides compliance and regulatory assurance software for airports and airlines. Its system manages compliance, safety and regulatory data, replacing processes often handled through documents and email.

That issue was central to Gray's decision to take the role.

"Aviation is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the world, and much of that regulation is still being managed through documents and email.

That is a structural problem. It slows operators down, consumes regulator capacity and puts distance between the people accountable for safety and the evidence they rely on.

OneReg is exceptionally well positioned to solve this challenge. The team understands the regulatory challenge from the inside, has earned credibility with serious operators, and is building for a market well beyond New Zealand," said Gray, Chair, OneReg.

The appointment adds an executive with direct experience in safety-critical, infrastructure-heavy industries at a time when aviation groups face close regulatory scrutiny and operational complexity. For a company selling software into that environment, board credibility can carry weight with customers and investors.

Recent expansion has been supported by several commercial agreements, including OneReg's selection by Dubai Airports as a strategic partner for regulatory operations across Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport.

That contract gave the Auckland-headquartered company a reference customer in one of the busiest and most complex airport systems in global aviation. It also signalled that the business could win work outside its domestic market against more established international suppliers.

Air New Zealand link

OneReg also has a relationship with Air New Zealand. Its platform is deployed within the airline's Engineering and Maintenance divisions to help reduce administrative work tied to compliance processes.

Air New Zealand has also taken an equity stake in OneReg, backing the company as it grows.

Clinton Cardozo, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of OneReg, linked Gray's appointment to the company's international plans.

"Someone with Roger's depth of experience choosing to back OneReg and aviation compliance is a vote of confidence in where this company is going.

Roger has spent a large part of his career leading safety-critical organisations and understands the scrutiny that comes with that. His experience will help ensure we continue to scale with the same discipline and trust that got us here," said Cardozo.

OneReg's home market remains a priority even as it builds offshore operations. Its next focus in New Zealand is to work with airports and airlines to deepen engagement with the Civil Aviation Authority as the regulator pursues a digital transformation programme.

That points to a broader shift in aviation oversight, with regulators and operators under pressure to manage growing volumes of compliance information in a more structured digital form. For software providers, the opportunity lies not only in serving airlines and airports, but also in improving the exchange of information between operators and watchdogs.

Gray's background may prove relevant to that task. His career spans airline and port operations, where regulation, safety management and operational resilience are closely tied to day-to-day decision-making. Before joining Port of Auckland as Chief Executive Officer, he held senior leadership roles at Air New Zealand and Lyttelton Port Company.

For OneReg, the appointment signals an effort to strengthen governance as it evolves from a New Zealand-founded business into a broader international aviation software supplier. The company has built a footprint in Australasia, the Middle East and the UK, and has started to establish itself in continental Europe.

Its challenge now is to turn those footholds into sustained growth in a market where large airport operators and airlines tend to buy cautiously, especially when systems touch compliance and safety functions. Board appointments with sector knowledge can help address that concern by signalling familiarity with the operational and regulatory demands facing customers.

OneReg is headquartered in Auckland and is extending its reach across Australia, the UK, the EU and the Middle East.