Datuk Kamarudin bin Meranun
Non-Independent Executive Chairman
Datuk Kamarudin Bin Meranun, Malaysian, aged 52, was appointed Director of the Company on 12 December 2001. In January 2004, he was appointed Executive Director and on 8 December 2005, he was re-designated as Group Deputy Chief Executive Officer. In 2012, Datuk Kamarudin was once again re-designated as Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer & President of Group Finance, Treasury, Corporate Finance and Legal, effective from 13 February. Thereafter, he was re-designated as a Non-Independent Non-Executive Director of the Company on 30 June 2012. In November 2013, he was re-designated as Non-Independent Executive Chairman of the Company. He is also Chairman of the Employee Share Option Scheme Committee of the Board.
Prior to joining the Company, he worked in Arab-Malaysian Merchant Bank from 1988 to 1993 as a Portfolio Manager, managing both institutional and high net-worth individual clients’ investment funds. In 1994, he was appointed Executive Director of Innosabah Capital Management Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Innosabah Securities Sdn Bhd. He subsequently acquired the shares of the joint venture partner of Innosabah Capital Management Sdn Bhd, which was later renamed Intrinsic Capital Management Sdn Bhd. Datuk Kamarudin received a Diploma in Actuarial Science from University Technology MARA (UiTM) and was named the Best Actuarial Student by the Life Insurance Institute of Malaysia in 1983. He received a B.Sc. with Distinction (Magna Cum Laude) majoring in Finance in 1986 and M.B.A. in 1987 from Central Michigan University.
Datuk Kamarudin received the Darjah Panglima Jasa Negara (PJN), which carries the title Datuk, from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on 21 November 2013. He is a Non-Independent Non-Executive Director of both Tune Ins Holdings Berhad and AirAsia X Berhad and also a Director of Yayasan Pendidikan Titiwangsa.
Tan Sri Dr. Tony Fernandes
Non-Independent Executive Director and Group Chief Executive Officer
Tan Sri Dr. Tony Fernandes CBE, Malaysian,aged 50, was appointed Group Chief Executive Officer of the Company in December 2001 and was re-designated as a Non-Independent Non-Executive Director on 30 June 2012 and subsequently as Non-Independent Executive Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of the Company in November 2013. He is also a member of the Employee Share Option Scheme of the Board. He was the Financial Controller at Virgin Communications London (1987-1989) before moving on to be a Senior Financial Analyst at Warner Music International London (1989-1992), Managing Director at Warner Music Malaysia (1992-1996), Regional Managing Director, Asean (1996-1999) and Vice President, Asean at Warner Music South East Asia (1999-2001).
He was admitted as an Associate Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in 1991 and became a Fellow Member in 1996. In 1999, the Sultan of Selangor bestowed on him the title Setia Mahkota Selangor for his contributions to the Malaysian music industry. He also received the Recording Industry Person of the Year 1997 award from the Recording Industry Association of Malaysia.
Since launching AirAsia, he has received numerous state awards as well as accolades from international press and industry observers. Within Malaysia, he has been awarded the title Dato’ by the Sultans of Negeri Sembilan and Pahang; Dato’ Seri by the Sultan of Perak; and the title Tan Sri, one of the country’s highest honours, from a former Yang di-Pertuan Agong. He also received an Honorary Doctorate of Business Innovation from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) in March 2010.
Internationally, his outstanding contributions to the French aviation industry were recognised with the title Officier of the Legion d’ Honneur in April 2010, followed by the Commander of the Legion d’Honneur in November 2013, the highest rank of honour that the French Government can bestow on non-French citizens. In 2011, he was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
From the industry, he was presented the Airline Business Strategy Award 2005 and Low Cost Leadership Award by Airline Business and named Asia Pacific Aviation Executive by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) for the years 2004 and 2005. He bagged The Brand Laureate Brand Personality Award for his exemplary performance, dedication and contribution to the aviation industry in Malaysia in 2006 and 2007. He was presented the CAPA Legend Award 2009 (Aviation Hall of Fame) for his influence in shaping the aviation industry’s evolution and the Airline CEO of the Year Award for 2009 from Jane’s Transport Finance for his success in leading and growing AirAsia into Asia’s largest and the world’s best low-cost airline.
In 2010, Tan Sri Tony was awarded the prestigious Nikkei Asia Prize in Tokyo for his contributions to the growth of Asia and the Masterclass Global CEO of the Year award at the 2nd Malaysia Business Leadership Award (MBLA). He was also named Forbes Asia Businessman of the Year 2010, the first Malaysian and Asean citizen to receive the award.
In 2011, Tan Sri Tony was named one of the most creative people in business by New York-based business magazine Fast Company and was on its Top 10 Most Creative People in Twitter list. He was also named CEO of the Year at the Annual Budgies World Low Cost Airline Awards held in London; and CNBC Travel Business Leader of 2011 at CNBC’s Travel Business Leaders Award Asia Pacific held in Singapore.
In 2012, he was bestowed the Individual Achievement of the Year award at the 1st Malaysia Achievement Awards 2012, organised by the Malaysia Achievement Organisation (MACA). He was also honoured with the Best CEO for IR - Mid Cap award by the Malaysian Investor Relations Association Berhad (MIRA); named as one of Malaysia’s outstanding CEOs by The Edge Billion Ringgit Club (BRC); and announced as GQ India’s International Businessman of the Year at the GQ Men of the Year Awards 2012 in Mumbai.
In January 2013, Tan Sri Tony was named a Malaysia Brand Ambassador by Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He went on to win Corporate Governance Asia’s Best CEO for Malaysia award - for the third year in a row – in March.
He is a Non-Independent Non-Executive Director of both Tune Ins Holdings Berhad and AirAsia X Berhad.
Aireen Omar
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer
Aireen Omar, Malaysian, aged 40, was appointed as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of AirAsia Berhad effective from 1 July 2012. Prior to this, she was Regional Head of Corporate Finance, Treasury and Investor Relations at AirAsia. She is a member of the Safety Review Board. She joined AirAsia in January 2006 as Director of Corporate Finance whereupon her portfolio quickly expanded to include Treasury, Fuel Procurement and Investor Relations functions.
Aireen was an integral member of AirAsia’s leadership team under Tan Sri Dr. Tony Fernandes and Datuk Kamarudin Meranun in mapping out the Company’s growth plans and implementing the strategy that helped AirAsia maintain its trajectory despite increased competition in the Asean skies. She has played a ritical role in AirAsia’s transformation into the biggest low-cost airline in Asia. Despite taking on Treasury functions in 2009, at the peak of the global financial crisis when credit lines were dry and the market volatile, she managed to raise funds for further growth of the entire AirAsia Group, facilitating both fleet expansion and the setting up of various joint ventures. She was a catalyst in innovating financing structures such as the Islamic French Single Investor Ijarah, which earned AirAsia global recognition for its leadership in the finance world. She also played an instrumental role in leading the team responsible for the equity private placement that raised more than half a billion ringgit in 2009.
Aireen is further credited for locking in financing at very competitive rates for the purchase of aircraft for AirAsia Group. This particular contribution allowed AirAsia to pull well ahead of competitors and reinforce its strategic advantage. Later, she was part of the team that negotiated the purchase of 200 Airbus A320neo aircraft from Airbus which was announced at the Paris Airshow in 2011. Under her leadership, too, Investor Relations was restructured to facilitate greater transparency and improved engagement with the investment community.
Before joining AirAsia, she worked for nine years in the financial industry, beginning her career at Deutsche Bank Securities Inc, where she was an Associate from 1997-2000 in New York and London, her last position being at the Equity Arbitrage Proprietary Trading Desk focusing on international equities, equity derivatives and equity-linked products. Upon returning to Malaysia in 2001, she worked in several major local financial institutions, including Maybank Group.
Aireen holds an Economics degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science and MA in Economics from New York University.
Dato’ Abdel Aziz @ Abdul Aziz bin Abu Bakar
Non-Independent Non-Executive Director
Dato’ Abdel Aziz @ Abdul Aziz Bin Abu Bakar, Malaysian, aged 61, was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of the Company on 20 April 2005. On 16 June 2008, he was re-designated as a Non-Executive Chairman and, subsequently as a Non-Independent Non-Executive Director in November 2013. He is also a member of the Audit Committee and Nomination and Remuneration Committee. Prior to this, he served as a Director of the Company from 12 December 2001 to 11 October 2004; and then as an Alternate Director to Dato’ Pahamin Ab. Rajab from 11 October 2004. Dato’ Aziz is currently the Executive Chairman of VDSL Technology Sdn Bhd. He served as the Chairman of Performance and Artistes Rights Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PRISM), a collection society for performers of recorded music, and the Academy of Malaysian Music Industry Association (PAIMM) for more than 10 years until end 2012 and January 2011, respectively.
From 1981 to 1983, he was the Executive Director of Showmasters (M) Sdn Bhd, an artiste management and concert promotion company. He subsequently joined BMG Music and was General Manager from 1989 to 1997 and Managing Director from 1997 to 1999. He received a Diploma in Agriculture from Universiti Pertanian Malaysia in 1975, a BSc in Agriculture Business from Louisiana State University, USA in 1978 and MBA from the University of Dallas, USA in 1980.
He is also a Director of Yayasan Astro Kasih.
Dato’ Fam Lee Ee
Independent Non-Executive Director
Dato’ Fam Lee Ee, Malaysian, aged 53, was appointed an Independent Non-Executive Director of the Company on 8 October 2004. He is also a member of the Audit, Remuneration and Nomination Committees of the Board. He received his BA (Hons) from the University of Malaya in 1986 and LLB (Hons) from the University of Liverpool, England in 1989. Upon obtaining his Certificate of Legal Practice in 1990, he has been practising law since 1991 and is currently a senior partner at Messrs YF Chun, Fam & Yeo. Dato’ Fam also serves as a Non-Independent Non-Executive Director of AirAsia X Berhad.
Amit Bhatia
Independent Non-Executive Director
Mr. Amit Bhatia studied Economics at Cornell University, USA, following which he joined Credit Suisse First Boston in London. He incubated the Swordfish group of companies in 2005 as Founder and Senior Managing Partner and is Chairman of Hope Construction Materials, the UK’s largest independent supplier of concrete, cement aggregates and asphalts.
Mr. Bhatia is Vice Chairman of English Premier League football club Queens Park Rangers. He is additionally Chairman of its UK charitable program QPR in the Community Trust which reaches 100,000 children per year. He is Founder and Benefactor of his own UK registered charity Global Relief Initiative whose work reaches out to all parts of the world.
Stuart L Dean
Independent Non-Executive Director
Mr. Stuart L Dean graduated magna cum laude from Duke University in 1975 with a BA in Economics and Political Science and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He obtained an MBA from Harvard in 1979.
Mr. Dean has over 35 years of experience working across GE businesses in the US and Asia in senior positions in sales, marketing, product general management, services marketing and general management. He retired from GE in April 2015. He started in an advanced sales and marketing entry program in GE Appliances in 1979. He was the Marketing Manager for the Dishwasher business in 1973. He was appointed Specialty Appliance Manager with responsibility for developing a new line of high-end built-in appliances called the GE Architecture Line. He then was appointed Product General Manager in 1988. In 1991, he served as Vice Chairman Larry Bossidy's Staff Executive, supporting Larry for the six separate GE businesses. He took a business development role in Singapore in late 1991 and became President of GE Capital, Southeast Asia, in 1993. Mr. Dean became President, GE Indonesia in February 1995. In May 2002, he was given responsibility for all of ASEAN, based in KL.
Dato Sri G.Gnanaraja
Independent Non-Executive Director
Dato Sri G.Gnanaraja brings a wealth of experience in investment and has a strong record of helping businesses grow and transform in the corporate industry. His strengths are in strategic and financial planning. He has extensive expertise in general management, structured finance, corporate finance and bridge financing across multiple markets including in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and India. He holds a degree in Bachelor of Laws from the University of Hertfordshire (UK).
He is a corporate-trained, multi-disciplined professional, especially well-versed with the socio-economic and political environment in ASEAN. He advises many corporations on the importance of observing political environment in the business world. This extensive global combination of experience has enabled him to act as a Senior Advisor to a number of public and private companies in the Asia-Pacific region.
In Malaysia, he was conferred the highest senior state title Sri Sultan Ahmad Shah (SSAP) that ranks first in order of award which carries the prestigious title of “Dato Sri” by His Royal Highness Duli Yang Maha Mulia Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Abu Bakar Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mu’adzam Shah.