Mumbai: He is just 33, which makes him one of the youngest head of an airline in India. Mittu Chandilya, who will take charge as the chief executive officer of AirAsia in India from June 1, has made his mark in the fashion world, too.
Last year, readers of August Man, a fashion magazine in Singapore, elected him for the A-list award for style and elegance from amongst 300 participants.
Chandilya, who had a brief stint in modelling before charting a corporate career, had said after winning the award that fashion had been in his "blood and spirit" through his mother.
The MBA degree holder has no aviation background. "Mittu has always been a passionate follower of the aviation industry,'' Air Asia said in a statement. Chandilya’s last job was Principal and head of service practice at management consultancy firm Egon Zehnder in Singapore.
AirAsia group CEO Tony Fernandes is, however, more than convinced about his abilities. "Mittu is coming home to change Indian travel and make it affordable for all Indians to fly, " he tweeted. Fernandes also said he was an “outstanding young man with great entrepreneurial skills. He is very passionate about the low-cost carrier business and possesses the crucial understanding on how our business model work.''
Fernandes is known to select executives from non aviation backgrounds to head his airlines. Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of AirAsia X was a senior director of television channel while heads of his airlines in Thailand and Philippines worked in Warner Music before joining aviation.
15/05/13 Aneesh Phadnis/Business Standard
