Tony Fernandes CEO Blog

So much has been said about Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s 1Malaysia idea.

It’s the right way forward – in fact, I believe it’s the only way forward for this country we all call home. He has many obstacles to overcome to make it a reality. It’s very hard but hopefully he will pace himself and get Malaysia to where he – and, I’m convinced, all patriotic Malaysians – want our nation to be.

If there is any doubt that 1Malaysia is the right way forward for all Malaysians, take a look at AirAsia. Here is a thoroughly local company that has delivered immense benefits to the nation and to all Malaysians, not just any one race – Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans, Kadazans, and others (never quite understood that “others”).

There are many companies in Malaysia that are either Malay-dominated, Chinese-dominated or Indian-dominated. At AirAsia, we pride ourselves on being Malaysian-dominated. And that's why AirAsia thrives. We harness the strengths and talents of Malaysia – all of Malaysia -- and have built an amazing fighting force.

When Dato Kamarudin Meranun, Dato Aziz Bakar, Dato Pahamin Ab Rajab and I first thought of setting up AirAsia, we knew we would need the most talented Malaysians to make it work. We looked beyond race when we began hiring our staff. We sought out the best people – people with passion and conviction, people determined to demonstrate that Malaysians can make it on a global stage if only given the opportunity, people excited about rising to a new challenge. And that’s exactly why we’ve grown from a small airline into a global brand that’s making Malaysia proud.

Meet our Magnificent Seven:

Kamarulzaman Ahmad (Zaman) is someone I met at lunch. A 13-year veteran of Petronas. We had a good chat, and followed by a few more weeks of discussions, he’s now working with AirAsia. And he will be a key driver of AirAsia in the next 10 years.







Azran Osman-Rani and I also got together over a lunch (yep, all these lunches are why I have that weight issue!!). He was previously with McKinsey and Bursa Malaysia and with Astro. Now his success is legendary in helping us create AirAsia X as its CEO.






Sathis Manoharen I met on a flight to Los Angeles. He was in the oil and gas industry at that time. We had a great chat and, naturally, I invited him to join AirAsia. He did, and is now our Regional Head of Cargo – a business he started from scratch and which is already showing potential of becoming a pretty good contributor to our bottom line.





Jasmine Lee is a much more recent addition to the AirAsia family, joining as our Head of Commercial just under a year ago. But she’s fitted into our AirAsia culture like how a bird takes to the skies.

Aireen Omar is a graduate from the London School of Economics and with a Masters from New York University. She worked in New York before returning to Malaysia, doing some serious corporate finance work. But she was bored as well and when invited, came on board AirAsia in an instant. She’s now Regional Head of Corporate Finance, Treasury and Investor Relations.




Lau Kin Choy and I go back nearly two decades, back to our times in the music industry. He’s now our Regional Head of Innovation, Commercial and Technology.







Senthil Danapalan was with MAS, so he was still staying within the same industry when he came to AirAsia. But he can tell you how the work environment at MAS and AirAsia is like the difference between night and day. Senthil handles routes and airport policy at AirAsia X.

Malaysians all, these young, talented, dedicated and passionate people are the future of AirAsia. They, and the others like them in the AirAsia family, are the reason why we believe the future of AirAsia is shining bright. Now it’s up to them to take AirAsia to the next level -- from a Malaysian company to an Asean corporation.

In nine years, we have taken AirAsia from two planes to 86, from 250,000 guests carried in our first year to more than 100 million guests now, and from a staff of 250 to a family numbering almost 8,000 – in the process, creating careers and providing opportunities that rarely existed previously.

We began with a dream: creating a Malaysian company where talent, passion and dedication rather than race, creed or gender are the criteria for advancement. AirAsia has clearly demonstrated that Malaysians have talent – and all they need is the opportunity.

And now we’re dreaming the impossible again: Malaysia first, now Asean. Next stop – the world!!!