Mr Clark has been in the civil aviation business for his whole professional career, having joined British Caledonian in 1972.
In 1975, he moved to Gulf Air in Bahrain and subsequently in 1985 to Dubai where he became a member of the founding team of Emirates as Head of Airline Planning.
In 2003, he became President of Emirates Airline, driving the company’s continued rapid growth. Until COVID-19 hit the world in early 2020, Emirates was serving over 150 destinations in 85 countries with a fleet of 270 wide-bodied aircraft comprising the iconic Airbus A380s, and advanced Boeing 777s. Remaining at the helm, he guided the airline through its recovery from the pandemic.
Between April 1998 and March 2008, Mr Clark was also the Managing Director of Sri Lankan Airlines, the latter position resulted from Emirates' acquisition in April 1998 of a major stake in the airline with full management control.
Mr Clark is Chairman of the Emirates Airline Foundation, which he was instrumental in founding. The Foundation strives to improve the welfare of disadvantaged children of the world.
He holds a degree in Economics from London University and is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society. He also holds honorary doctorate degrees from the Universities of Warwick, Middlesex and Northumbria in the United Kingdom.
In the 2014 Queen’s New Year’s Honours list, Mr Clark was invested as a Knight of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) for services to British prosperity and to the aviation industry.
In November 2009, he was conferred an “Officier de la Legion d’Honneur” by the French government for services to transport and aviation, and he holds the 2009 Gold Award from the Royal Aeronautical Society for his contribution to civil aerospace. At the 2011 Airline Business and Flightglobal Achievement Awards, he was recognised as “Leader of the year”.
In 2013, he received the Center for Aviation (CAPA) Legends award and was inducted into the CAPA Hall of Fame. Mr Clark was named CAPA Airline Executive of the Year in 2022 for his individual influence on the aviation industry, strategic thinking, and innovative direction for the growth of Emirates and the industry.
In 2023, Future Travel Experience presented Mr Clark with its first-ever FTE Visionary Award in recognition of his influence in shaping the industry; and Air Transport World presented Mr Clark with the Lifetime Achievement Award.