Air New Zealand taps digital chief as next CEO to steer firm through challenges
New CEO Appointment: Air New Zealand has appointed Nikhil Ravishankar as its new chief executive, replacing Greg Foran, who will leave in October. Ravishankar, previously the chief digital officer, will take over amid ongoing supply chain and engine maintenance challenges affecting the airline's earnings.
Ongoing Challenges: The airline continues to face significant hurdles including competition from Australian carriers, delayed aircraft deliveries, and grounded jets, which are expected to impact earnings through 2025.
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- Contract Scope and Duration: Accenture Federal Services has secured a 4.5-year contract to support the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Electronic Health Record Modernization program, which is expected to enhance healthcare delivery for over 9 million veterans.
- Strategic Technology Transformation: The initiative aims to replace outdated systems with the modern Oracle Health Electronic Health Record system, designed to create a seamless and secure lifetime health record that ensures service members receive high-quality care as they transition to veteran status.
- Industry Experience and Collaboration: Accenture brings extensive experience in EHR modernization across both commercial and public sectors, having advanced complex transformations for major health systems through partnerships with leading technology providers, thereby strengthening its technical and clinical expertise.
- Commitment and Vision: Accenture Federal Services emphasizes its dedication to leveraging deep technical expertise and a long-standing relationship with Oracle to help the VA achieve its ambitious goals, ensuring that every veteran receives a modern and effective healthcare experience.

- Contract Scale and Impact: Accenture Federal Services has secured a 4.5-year contract to support the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program, aimed at enhancing healthcare delivery for over 9 million veterans, marking a pivotal milestone in VA's healthcare transformation.
- System Integration and Transformation: The initiative will replace legacy systems with the modern Oracle Health Electronic Health Record system, creating a seamless and secure lifetime health record that ensures service members receive high-quality care as they transition from active duty to veteran status, thereby improving nationwide healthcare efficiency.
- Technological and Partnership Advantages: Accenture will leverage its proven experience in modernizing EHRs across both commercial and public sectors, collaborating with leading technology partners to advance this complex transformation, thereby enhancing its technical, clinical, and operational expertise to improve the care experience for veterans.
- Strategic Commitment and Vision: The CEO of Accenture Federal Services emphasized that this partnership represents a significant commitment from the company's global and federal leadership to accelerate VA's operational and clinical transformation through advanced technology upgrades, ensuring that every veteran receives the modern healthcare experience they deserve.
- Investment Rating Upgrade: UBS has designated Accenture (ACN) as a Top Pick, with analyst Kevin McVeigh highlighting the potential of generative AI and strong alliances (approximately 60% of revenue) to drive revenue and margin growth.
- Cloud Computing Advantage: Accenture's cloud business, which accounts for over 50% of its revenue, is expected to continue benefiting from AI innovations as legacy systems are revamped to leverage AI capabilities, enhancing its market competitiveness.
- Generative AI Momentum: The momentum of generative AI, contributing around 10% of revenue, is anticipated to accelerate as companies transition to multi-year implementations, presenting long-term revenue growth opportunities for Accenture.
- Optimistic Industry Outlook: McVeigh notes that IT spending is expected to stabilize in 2026, with generative AI reshaping infrastructure and cloud migration; despite challenges in employment and rapid transformation, companies that can swiftly adjust strategies are poised for outsized growth.
- Tariff Reduction Impact: The White House's announcement to cut India's import tariff from 25% to 18% is expected to enhance trade relations between the two countries, driving up stock prices for IT consulting firms, particularly those with significant operations in India like Accenture and Infosys.
- Stock Performance: Following this news, Accenture's stock rose by 1%, Infosys increased by 4%, and Wipro surged by 7%, reflecting market optimism regarding the prospects of the Indian IT sector.
- Strategic Cooperation Commitment: As part of the agreement, India committed to purchasing more American goods and ceasing Russian oil imports, which is viewed as a potential measure to alleviate the war in Ukraine, further solidifying U.S.-India economic ties.
- Market Reaction: In addition to IT consulting firms, manufacturing stocks like Apple also saw a 2% increase, indicating a broad positive market response to the improvement in U.S.-India trade relations, which could stimulate growth across multiple sectors.

Participating Companies: Several companies, including Accenture, Acentra Health, and Deloitte, are voluntarily participating in a collaborative initiative.
Focus Areas: The initiative aims to address key health and wellness issues, with a focus on improving outcomes and enhancing community health.









