Tony Fernandes CEO Blog

I've been reflecting on a lot on the Lotus journey; the highs and lows, the setbacks and the sweet victories. It has been quite and emotional journey for CEO Riad Asmat as well so I've asked him to share his thoughts here.

When two worlds collide

It’s funny that this is what it seems like at this moment. Don’t worry it’s not depression setting in nor is it a depressing story that I am about to tell but more of what is going around me as an individual with some form of benefit of experiencing two similar working worlds within a span of six years. The first five being in an aspiring national automotive car producer and the last year in an aspiring formula one team.

Let’s dial back a bit to when it all began. Sometime in July 2009, I landed on a very peculiar but interesting project when I was with Proton. I guess with my little bit of know how and as a solution provider in my role there, my then leader decided that I should play a part a little project. Lo and behold, this little project was called the Malaysian F1 Project and the people behind were Tony, Kamarudin and Nasa.

An interesting project at that point as I was at the time, already contemplating leaving Proton as I believed that as part of the turn-around team we had done all we could (two of my closest team members had already left by then as well). Anyway, the brief given to me was work with them, and assist where possible in their attempt to get the final entry into the F1 world championship. I then had the taste of working with true entrepreneurs, and with Tony to boot, “can we get it done – yesterday”, “let’s go for it”, “I’ll make the call”, “its not over till its over”, etc. etc. Hahaha…A huge departure from the culture of a GLC – not an entrepreneur’s favorite word – but I was where I was.

So we plodded on, worked on the entry, submitted the entry and waited. I wasn't sure if we had done enough. The waiting period then allowed me to go back into my GLC mode, quite safe I must say with multi-level approvals, numerous papers to be done, run through, etc. Yes, some peace at last only to be broken when I received a call whilst I was out with my kids for dinner one night.

This I recall clearly and fondly to a certain degree of course, “Yo my man, its Tony.”

I replied in my most gracious GLC way, “Yes, Dato’ Sri”.

“We freakin’ got it! We’re in, we’re in F1, we’ve got the final slot.” Needless to say, he was estatic.

I immediately congratulated him and his team but one thing that always stuck to me during that conversation was that Dato’ Sri thanked me too. Now, I’ll be honest getting a thank you from where I came from was a rarity especially from the leaders (sorry, it’s the truth and if any of the leaders are reading, ask everyone around you to verify especially the ones who were closest to me over there) so as unnatural as it may have been, I actually felt quite good and happy at the same time.

A couple of days past and I was invited to attend the official announcement by the Prime Minister. There was now a team in the world championship with about four people then. A huge task at hand but nevertheless in my very short experience of working with them, anything seemed possible. I wished them the best and headed back into my little world. Quite serene I must say, we were re-strategising plans as well as focus, a new Chairman at helm, some launches in foreign markets, the usual stuff and yes, not to forget my family vacation.

Weeks passed, and during my vacation I received a call from Tune’s corporate communications asking me for my attendance at the Singapore GP. “Huh?” was my thought, then the insistence that I should be there came and my then leader said the same to me to see what was happening, etc. So, I accepted the invite and found myself in a hospitality area in the Singapore GP where I was greeted by Tony, Din and Nasa. It was a good celebration of sorts with them making a statement of being there the following season. Eyebrows rose, queries all around, curious thoughts, predictions, etc. Welcome to the world of F1!

Fast forward, I then was offered the CEO role from the shareholders and the first hurdle I faced was my own self to be honest. Choice then, GLC comfort zone or into the unknown? I didn’t take long though and made the jump. Looking back at it all, I have no regrets. Work quadrupled overnight, stress levels tested on a daily basis, learning curve as steep as it could be but again no regrets. Continually I am still learning but with guidance from the shareholders it’s been an eye-opener, challenging (ups and downs) but a fun ride thus far. Well, enough with my start but I had to share with you all that I was in a Proton, worked on its turn-around with the Leader, experienced the ups and downs but had the opportunity to move on.

Where the worlds collide

Firstly, the similarities, both dealt with cars. One you build over a minimum of 24 or 36 months (re-badging you can do within 18 months at the most) while the other in 6 months. Both have consumer related wants and needs although one more on expectations (the F1 one of course). So actually, it’s not much different except for the speed of things that needs to occur. I have now seen it all and I would like to focus on what happens next for us and although I had thought my ties were long gone when I left Proton then, theirs.

These last couple of months has probably been the most challenging in my role as the CEO of the team due to the sudden decision of my former company deciding to end the licensing agreement (on very trivial grounds I must say), the external attempts to destabilise our team’s well-being, the rumour mill continuously being fed by irresponsible people (we were going bust and will stop racing by Singapore). Nevertheless, true to our spirit, numerous stairs were climbed, doors went through, lifts taken to the highest levels there were and all in the name of truth and fairness.

What have I learnt? That success breeds uneasiness and at times jealousy. You guys may think I’m crazy but it’s the truth and the truth sometimes hurt. My favourite is this one in the maze of things “they’re not successful, they’re at the back, we can do better than that”. News flash! We went in with set expectations, else even I would not have risked my comfortable GLC job if I didn’t think so. It was a very simple, straightforward and transparent set of objectives; this will be everyone’s favourite bit (well almost) - “KPIs” were there.

Simply put: Best of new teams, 10th Placing in the Championship and a Professional Outfit. Oh and by the way, we did all these in our very first year! Sure we’re at the back but if you look at the history of some of the other teams, some didn’t even have finishes in their first ten races when they started. We raced our hearts out at all 19 races with the odd Q2 popping out and the best finish of 12th in one race. We’ve been consistent throughout with numerous milestones achieved.

Furthermore, in the course of the season, we also created another first when we put Nabil Jeffri into our car for an aero test session, making him the youngest F1 driver and the 3rd Malaysian F1 Driver. He more than held his own in completing the full day program for our team. His participation is a clear indication of our stated goal of developing young talent in motor sports. Fairuz Fauzy plied his trade as our third driver in our team, gaining invaluable experience in an F1 car. In addition, we now have seven Malaysian engineers working in our team in various roles such as aerodynamics, CAD design as well as stress analysis. Each of them play a prominent role in the cars’ performances this year, as well as in the cars’ design for next year. Other positions such as finance and marketing are also filled by Malaysians playing prominent roles – in line with our promise to provide talented Malaysians with opportunities on the global stage in a very competitive environment.

We’ve given Malaysia an F1 team to cheer on, we have delivered on our promises – getting a Malaysian-owned team in the Championship, providing opportunities for talented Malaysians, resurrecting a brand and making the nation proud. We have demonstrated our sincerity, our commitment and our professionalism throughout this season. We are even more determined now to continue on this journey that we have started where we are fully committed to make the world sit up and take even more notice of Malaysia – and what Malaysians can achieve.

For next year, with the new Redbull Racing back-end (gearbox & hydraulics) and the Renault engines, we believe we can propel the team into the midfield of the Championship from the beginning and improve further throughout the season.

One year on and more to come, thus, personally I really think it is most unfair when some parties (mostly misinformed) use the lack of performance as the main reason why we shouldn’t be who we are or where we are. But as I’ve learnt again throughout my very short working life is that, it is the way it is sometimes which is very unfortunate. We tend to prefer bringing people down through exposure of flaws rather than supporting or working together. Such is life sometimes.

Now, we find ourselves in the midst of sorting out unnecessary matters but as more news swirl around what our former partners are about to do or have actually done, it made me step back and think a bit on the challenges that they themselves face on their side. I really can’t imagine how hard it can also be over there especially when they were still aspiring to be a ASEAN automotive player, looking for a partner to help achieve that notion (need for knowledge transfer, technology transfer, new market penetration to name a few), turn around their sports car subsidiary, re-positioning their brand, well literally the whole works.

Old habits die hard so I’ve continued to follow them through the news, friends, etc. and since then, they themselves have had missed opportunities with partners, re-starting with former partners, re-kindling possible relationships with once selected partners, new approaches to product developments, quality, etc. That’s a whole lot for one to handle in one go, so I emphatise and at times sympathise with their predicaments. Furthermore, stories on their push for consolidation of the local automotive industry must also be taking a toll especially on the notion of having to prove one’s worth versus the others in the market who seem to be in front and are already doing very well in the market.

How similar it is to my side of the coin? Very much, because everything has to happen at once and time seems never being on one’s side. Of course the trick to it all is to have a plan and objective but more importantly, people to make them happen. I think they can do the same if they put their minds to it, and not get distracted which unfortunately can occur easily when one becomes complacent and rely too much on outside assistance. In analysing what is happening, I hope they don’t get too distracted with being in F1 because as mentioned earlier they have a lot on their plate already. Also, just as a note from my year of experience in F1, it’s a lot of money to invest in, takes up a lot of time, nothing is for free and if you don’t have a clear objective than best to stay clear.

Anyway, there will be people who will claim or state who am I to give advice to them; except that I actually do feel responsible in one sense as I did play a role in the turn around over there (blood, sweat and tears were shared then). At one point, in my view; although a small chance, if they really want to be part of F1, maybe we could have rekindled the relationship and see if we could work together again. It would have been less of a gamble, two Malaysian entities working together to reach greater heights and best of all ‘free’ (well almost – except for the one year sponsorship which was about 1% of our total budget). In addition, we are guaranteeing progression for next year – we won’t be at the back but we’re realistic enough to also say that we won’t be world champions either, yet! Made sense right?

Truth be told, whilst in discussions, they opted otherwise and all I have to hope now is that no one falls into the trap of complacency especially towards convincing promises made by others. People may sound convincing and promise the world but trust me it’s really not everything. We have done our very best in just our first year (some will discount the “best” parts but I really don’t care at this moment) and we are going to do more next year as it was always planned to be so and our duty is to ensure that we stick to the plan and execute it.

Everyone has seen what we’ve done for the brand – there’s nothing negative about it for sure – and the best part, we were actually free for some parties! The true Malaysian way, no? But don’t worry too much about us, we’ll do fine for next year. It’s understandable as described earlier that they themselves have a full plate already. Nevertheless, F1 can be a costly bet for anyone and I think it's always better to hedge one’s bet as I've also learned that failure is not an option in this game especially in the eyes of the people and the world.

I can only assure one thing though, from my point of view, no party will push us around on what needs to happen to us in the next few weeks, months or years. We are in control of our future and plans are in place to push ourselves further. Heck, we hope to spring a few surprises for sure and will again compete with the best there is next year. Either way, we’ll see anyone and everyone on the track and see who is the team to beat.

Call me if anyone likes to chat further and have a free moment, anytime ...

I'm sitting in my car park listening to a CD by the two of the greatest musicians in our time - Carol King and James Taylor. Don't want to leave such a great CD.

"So Far Away" is one of the greatest songs ever written. Funny how songs can accurately reflect your mood because this is how I feel right now about settling disputes with MAS.

We just want to fly where we want but they spend all their time trying to stop us. Kinda sad that such a great company is so focused on stopping a fellow Malaysian company from growing.

Actually I have no dispute with Malaysia we just want to fly.
Is the sky only for MAS?

Is the high street only for CIMB? No, it’s not.

Is the mobile phone service only for Celcom? No it’s not.

Saudi Arabian government has just given Malaysia 28 flights a week to Jeddah but because MAS objects to us flying there, lower income folks who could get a low fare still can't go. We will survive because we have such innovative people in the company.

But I feel for people who could go to Mecca (via Jeddah) more often with our low fares. How different it is in Indonesia, where both Gardua and low-cost carrier Lion Air fly to Jeddah.

As a Malaysian I want MAS to be the best in the class just like I want the same for CIMB, Petronas, and Celcom. And when you see SIA and Cathay and Garuda doing so well it is a shame that MAS’ only ideas are to stop AirAsia growing.

I had the privilege of watching the semi-finals between our world squash champion Nicol David and Alison Waters last Saturday. It is always a joy to watch Nicol in action; to see her lightning quick moves and superior court-craft.

Nicol was trailing for most of the first set when she caught up at 10-10 and was awarded a let. The set went on evenly to 11-11 and then 12-12. She finally overcame Waters with a 14-12 victory. Nicol fell behind again in the second set, trailing 7-10 but caught up to make it 10-all before winning 12-10. Waters took the third set before Nicol wrapped up the game, 11-7 in the fourth. Excellent play by two talented athletes that kept us on the edge for over an hour!

Nicol covers her bases well. You won’t recognize any signature Nicol moves because she’s a real all-rounder and that makes her tough to beat. But above all I think her biggest strength is her steely mental endurance.

When Nicol is down she does not quiver. She does not sulk or throw tantrums as many racket-sports athletes are wont to do. She is disciplined and single-minded in her goal. And that is to win. This is the hallmark of a true champion.
Another thing about Nicol is that she is that good because she competes with the best. Waters was a formidable opponent and no pushover. Even Nicol admitted that she had to “dig deep” into her reserves to beat Waters. That probably would've made her victory that much sweeter.

We can all learn from winners like Nicol. Never say die even when you’re down and when the prize doesn’t seem within reach. Like running a marathon. Often you just need to suck it in, turn the corner and you’re home free.

I see plenty of talent and potential around me but I am often disappointed by their lack of fighting spirit and self-belief. Sometimes it’s baffling. And yet, Malaysia has fighters like Nicol who compete at international tournaments – no breaks, no concessions.

If only all Malaysians companies were more like Nicol David. We would have many more world champs.

I’ve always been a strong believer in market forces. When they are not manipulated to serve a few clever bankers they have that canny ability to set the right price.

Subsidies, in my view are a form of market manipulation. You could say it is benevolent market manipulation because there is that noble aim to make life easier for those living with less. It also gives the warm cosy feeling when you know there is the state there to watch your back when the price of oil goes a little berserk.

All well and good, but subsidies are a rather crude tool for providing citizen welfare which has become a bane to economic growth and I fully support proposal to scrap them

As popular with voters as they are, a startling 70 per cent of subsidies are enjoyed by the rich who don’t actually need them. I find this unreal and frankly a little embarrassing -- it’s sort of like a young man beginning to earn his own keep and yet refusing to move out of his folks’ place.

Subsidised petrol for one has become a real menace to our economic progress. Artificially cheap petrol keeps people happy for as long as the government can afford it but it threatens to break the bank account when the price of oil catapults to insane levels as it is wont to do in recent times. And so here we are today realizing that it’s time to grow up and live in the real world where we pay real prices.

It will be inconvenient at first because of the adjustments we will have to make. But in the long term companies will be forced to innovate, improvise and think creatively to bring down costs. Surely that can’t be a bad thing.

I do hope that the savings from subsidy cuts will be spent wisely. We have invested plenty on multi-lane highways but not enough in education, universities and meaningful R&D so it makes sense to channel more money there.

My final, but no less important point on the subject is let us not just look at the obvious RM103 billion we can save by ending direct subsidies. There are the less obvious indirect subsidies that companies like Malaysia Airlines receive through state support and preferential treatment.

MAS still gets its turf well protected and of course this distorts the market prices of air tickets. When government departments book tickets with MAS, they pay full fares when they could be getting discounts if they booked through travel agents. All airlines operate from the starting point of full fares but give discounts according to the volume of ticket bookings. When government departments are forced to pay full fares each time it begins to look like a subsidy to me.

Invariably you will find that where AirAsia is not allowed to fly, consumers have to pay higher fares. Just look at what it costs to fly to Melbourne compared to Sydney. Because of restrictions, a return ticket to Sydney from Kuala Lumpur at full fares today, is over 70% higher than what it would cost to fly to Melbourne. This is really an indirect tax on consumers which we’ve long lifted from other strategic industries like telecommunications. Celcom competes and fight with the likes of Maxis and DiGi and I think Celcom CEO, Datuk Seri Shazalli Ramly is doing a great job standing up against his very formidable challengers. Over time Celcom will only improve.

So I see no point if we embark on a half-hearted reform by only dealing with one dimension of market subsidies. There needs to be on the whole, a more liberal, lively and fairly regulated market place. Only then will we see a real transformation of Malaysia’s economy.

Over the last seven months much has been said about me Din and Naza and our venture into Formula One.

“Why?” and “Are you afraid of failure?” were the most common questions.

I’ve never written about this. But an article in Malaysian Insider has prompted me to. There have been many jokes about Lotus which I personally find quite funny. Kenny Sia did a hilarious one on why we couldn’t win which I use in many of my presentations.

But it is his second article on Lotus that actually seriously resonated with us and vindicated our thoughts. The second one was still funny but really was quite nasty. It made me feel that the reason for going into Formula One was right. For too long we have been a nation of losers and we always whack those who try. We ridicule them instead of celebrating ambition, innovation and guts.

It has been a great few weeks for Malaysian sport; Nicol David at the KL Squash Open and Lee Chong Wei at the All England Men’s Singles – two worthy champions. And over the weekend, who would have thought that a Malaysian car could come three places from getting a point in the world championship after only two races?

And that’s why we did this.

As a nation we need to believe that we can do anything. That we can be the best. Our kids need to stop worshiping the Manchester Uniteds , Ferraris , and Steve Jobses of other lands. Stop thinking that heroes only come from abroad. We must start believing that we, Malaysians, can. That we can compete and be the best in the world.

Look at AirAsia. Everyone laughed at us. Look at us now. The world’s best low cost airline; accomplished in just eight years. Who is laughing now?

So to all the cynics give Malaysia and Malaysians a chance. Embrace the brave, the visionaries, the dreamers and the innovators. Embrace positive energy.

It’s much better than just writing negative stories. Go out and make a difference. Don’t just hammer those with a positive attitude. Change today and go out and make a difference.

Anita Gabriel, the Star reporter sent me this recently and just thought it would be nice to put up a new post. This interview happened a while back in 2007 with my good friend, Sir Richard Branson but the key message is here to stay today and we are realising everything in every way. Will we do a Virgin Atlantic? We're on our way.

Video links for the interview with Branson as follows:-

Check back next week as I unveil the winners for the challenge of naming the route. Being home is definitely exciting.

Am reflecting on Merdeka day. It has been a busy few weeks with Krispy Kremes introduction on our planes and announcements on Abu Dhabi and Chengdu. We are gearing up to pave the way ahead for AirAsia as a whole. Was just reading the comments on the post for the women pilots of AirAsia and it it dawned on me that not enough has been said about the other women of AirAsia. Just had to take time to say a few words on how we are dispelling the myth that in Asia, only males can dominate the business world and profession of importance and AirAsia is going to be that catalyst of paradigm shifts.

At AirAsia, this does not only mean women in our flight operations have a window to excel but it also extends to our women engineers as well. We have wonderful women engineers who also stand tall among their male counterparts and challenge the notion that certain jobs are stereotyped to certain genders alone. The women engineers do not take any shortcuts nor given any slack when compared to the men and they have performed admirably. Where required, they have been out in the field, grunting their way to excellence in a normally dominant male field and they have shone as well. This is proves that women too can achieve success regardless the playing field as long as they have been given the opportunity. They are living testament that defies the myth that only men can succeed in any career regardless of the physical demands or perceptions of the public in general.

These women who have chosen to be engineers but more importantly to defy what constitutes what a female can do are great examples of stories worth telling.

Engineering Apprentice, Izyan Syazwani Mahfuz.

We call her Syaz. And at just 21, she's setting a prime example in aircraft engineering. She left Petronas to dabble in aircraft engineering based purely on her love for aviation and in her own words, "Most importantly I want to enjoy every work I do, learn sincerely, and fulfill my dream ie to follow my father's footstep and become an engineer." This Ampang lass finds the most challenging aspect of her job is in working with guys under the hot sun and for crazy hours. And in this insane smile she actually told me, "But having fantastic and helpful colleagues, they don't really matter anymore.". Izyan is really into live performances and scuba diving and has shared her dreams with us for three years already.

Izyan lasted just one year doing her foundation with Universiti Teknologi Petronas before finding her calling and her way into AirAsia. She has proven to be simply a fantastic new recruit and for her to brave a lucrative alternative with another corporate giant and work on equal terms with men, Syaz is blazing her own engineering trail.

Engineer, Noorasykin Abd Aziz

Fourth among eight siblings, Noorasykin graduated from electronic engineering and just looking at her soar to her current heights is simply awesome. She's a volleyball enthusiast and definitely another great women engineering braving the demanding hours and physical exertions while all at the same time contending with men. And she has simply given us no excuse to doubt women being as capable or even more capable in a male dominated field. The reason she took up the offer? It was simply challenging.

The women of our senior management also stand out with our head of commercial, Kathleen Tan who is simply a woman general personified. Heading our commercial team, she has continued to play a prominent role in carrying the AirAsia flag high and continues to chart our commercial growth to stand among the world's best. Another woman who is a force to be reckoned with in our ranks is Aireen Omar who has been simply sensational in heading our corporate finance and garnering international awards in Islamic financing. Rafizah who's recently joined our ranks to head our ancillary income is also an excellent addition to the AirAsia family and a woman giant in her own right. These woman embody who and what AirAsia stands for which is a champion of equal rights and a platform of woman power and equality at it's best.

Why are we what we are? One of the reasons is that we practice meritocracy at every level where sometimes many Malaysian companies ignore what woman can contribute to the growth and sustainability of a company. We recognise this and were the first to allow the women of our cabin crew to retire at the same age as men. MAS, SIA and other legacy carriers do not share the same vision as us. We have been the first to have women pilots and we are going to chart new regions based on this belief. Not only that women power should prevail, but simply, that we are going places because we believe in making a difference with the best in any given field. Signing off by saying that women power absolutely rocks.

Merdeka is a great day for all of us and our nation. We are a proud 52 years old and I hope that Merdeka will also mean Merdeka to women, and to private businesses who compete with government linked multinationals (GLCs). It is my hope that Merdeka is to all irrespective of race, creed, colour, age or sex. In essence, more independence to all. Happy Merdeka!

On a flight back from London recently, I popped into the flight deck to say hello to the pilots. To my pleasant surprise I saw one of our up-and-coming female first officers, Shara sitting behind the controls. It's moments like these when I can't help but feel a bit like a sentimental fool. Shara is the first woman in Asean to fly the A340 and I'm really proud of her. Her achievement is a sign of our success at creating an environment of equal opportunity for women at AirAsia.

Hiring without prejudice against race and sex is in AirAsia's DNA. And I'm not just paying lip service to that ideal. Take a look at our top managers. Our Head of Commercial, General Counsel, Head of Corporate Finance, Head of Ancillary income and Head of Food&Beverage are all women.

Our gender neutral policy extends to roles out in the field too. Not many people realise that we were the first airline to extend the retirement age of female cabin crew to be on par with their male colleagues. I haven't seen other airlines in Southeast Asia changing their retirement policies. We may be sexy but we're definitely not sexist.

We were the first in Malaysia and I believe, Asia to recruit female pilots. To a lot of people this was quite radical. it is actually pretty darn cool too, if I do say so myself. It was great publicity for us and it boosted staff morale to know that they were working for a progressive company. But I assure you it was no publicity stunt. None of our girls would have earned their wings had they not passed the rigorous selection process. Safety knows no double standards.

We think it simply makes sense to practice meritocracy at all levels and I think it's short-sighted of Malaysian companies to not give more consideration to the very capable female work force.

Take flying an aircraft for example. I wonder why won't more airlines cast their hiring net wide to include women. I suspect this is just tradition that nobody feels compelled to challenge. In a way that line has been good for AirAsia as it means more in the talent pool for us to mine. When the industry was suffering from a pilot shortage we filled positions quicker by considering female applicants. You'd be surprised by the number of girls who dream of flying planes.

Piloting has absolutely nothing to do with physical strength, the only obvious advantage men have over women. Technical proficiency and aviation skills can be trained in anyone with the aptitude and this isn't gender defined. In fact, the bravado and machismo often associated with men is exactly the kind of trait that acts against being a good pilot. The qualities desired in a pilot are being able stay calm under pressure, being able to multi-task, confidence, capable of making solid decisions and trusting one's instincts.

Not quite the qualities found in a woman you think? Let me tell you about two women that will quell that belief.

First Officer, Ilyana Nazli Shah

Ilyana was convinced she would become a pilot after an invitation to sit in the cockpit during a flight to Langkawi for a family retreat. She was 16 when she took that AirAsia flight.

She enrolled in and qualified for the AirAsia Cadet Programme immediately after her SPM. A self- professed adrenaline junkie, Ilyana is one of our bright young sparks. At 23, she's been flying with us for almost four years, logged 2800 jet hours and become our first female pilot to fly the A330.

Being a pilot has instilled in her a sense of confidence, self-belief and responsibility. I feel very proud that AirAsia has given talented and determined young women like her such opportunities. Ilyana hopes that she and her female colleagues will eventually rise to management level and find a career as instructors in the academy. At AirAsia that wouldn't be impossible.

Senior First Officer, Shara Azlln Jalil

Remember that big question you're always asked as a kid? What do you want to be when you grow up? Shara's answer was a little unexpected of a girl. She wanted to be a pilot. Believing that was pretty much impossible in Malaysia at the time teachers and classmates would just smile politely each time she talked about her lofty dream.

For a while they were right. But that was before there was AirAsia.
After sitting for the SPM Shara set her sights on Japan to learn Japanese in the hope of studying aeronautical engineering. Her aviation dreams at least weren't over.
By the third month of her course her dad had told her of an airline willing to recruit female aviators.

Japan had to be for another day.

She immediately enrolled in the MFA and joined AirAsia after her private training.
"I chose AirAsia because it is a company that doesn't discriminate against gender and accepts that men and women are equally capable," she says.

Well said and how true.

Shara's now logged 2700 flying hours and earned the rank of Senior First Officer. But she still gets the sense from some men that she isn't as good as her male colleagues and it's a shame that even her instructor continues to be sceptical of female pilots. Of course she is no less qualified than the boys. Unfortunately, stereotypes persist. She reckons some men feel threatened by smart women and she's probably right. But I'm confident she'll make the rank of captain soon and you can bet I'll be the first male to salute her.

I spent the past week in France. Went to see Airbus and then took a few days off cruising on a boat with my dear friend Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the founder of the Easy Group. It was great fun.

Few know how we got acquainted. I had been working in Warner Music for 15 years. First as Warner Communication then Time Warner. In between, we merged with CNN and finally became AOL Time Warner. That was one merger too many for me and I was against it so in 2000, I stood in the Warner office in Rockfeller Center, New York and I quit. It was impulsive but then I knew that I didn't believe in their vision and I was having problems with my boss anyway so it was time to go. I had no idea what I was going to do but I just felt that the time had come for me to go. I guess I was always aware when my sell by date was.

So I walked. I think my boss was really happy I did. I flew from New York back to London which, in many ways was my home as I had spent such a long time there.

I was watching the telly in a pub and I saw Stelios on air talking about Easyjet and running down the national carrier, British Airways (Sound familiar? Hahaha). I was intrigued as I didn't know what a low cost carrier was but I always wanted to start an airline that flew long haul with low fares.

So I went to Luton and spent a whole day there. I was amazed how people were flying to Barcelona and Paris for less than 10 pounds. Everything was organised and everyone had a positive attitude. It was then at that point in Luton airport that I decided to start a low cost airline. in January 2001, armed with one million I went about building AirAsia. The rest is now history.

So I owe a lot to Stelios. I emailed him a few times. He always replied but was not keen on investing. We became good friends after we met at the World Economic Forum.
Since then we have seen each other quite a few times. The great thing about Stelios is his humility and that's very endearing. He has moved on from Easyjet to Easyhotel, Easycruise, Easycinema, Easybus and even Easypizza.

I watched the Monte Carlo Grand Prix from his apartment. He is right above the start line as you can see from the pictures.

Stelios is like Richard who was also there. These are serial entreprenuers. They like to start a business and then move onto another one. I love his energy, his drive, his desire to have fun but above all, his humility.

A lot has been said about 1Malaysia. My views on that are very clear. I hope one day there will be 1Asean.

So I won't dwell on it. What I would like to focus on are the reforms implemented in the commercial sector by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's administration.

The removal of NEP requirements for 27 service sub-sectors represents a great start. I hope the rest of it will also wound down in time. But I hope more importantly, that the entire domestic economy is reformed.

My wish is that Datuk Seri Najib does a Margaret Thatcher. At present, there is too much vested interest, conflict and red tape that kill creativity, discourage innovation and provide little incentive for entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses. Before all of you jump on me and point to AirAsia's success, yes, we have survived and thrived, but AirAsia could be so, so much bigger and successful if we didn't have to deal with all these issues.

What are they?

1) Government-owned firms should be divested by the state. The government should facilitate the operations of businesses, not run them. I'm not saying GLC's should be sold to individuals like in the past but the public should own them. So instead of Khazanah owning 70 percent of several supposedly private entities, let the public own them. These companies should be put in charge and empowered, not led by civil servants. No matter how highly qualified, civil servants tend to have a singular mind-set which is that of regulators. When they are in charge of GLC's, they are likely to be conflicted in dealings with private firms such as AirAsia. Can Khazanah be really objective on issues regarding AirAsia when it owns MAS and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad?

2) If GLC's are 70 percent owned by the public and overseen by professional boards of directors, it is much more likely that the senior management, including the CEO will consist of qualified and experienced professionals --- people seasoned in the private sector and who will come into the job knowing that they can't rely on government intervention and protectionism. This can only help nurture the building of stronger and better brands.

3) Monopolies stifle and strangle innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. They should be broken up. Look at our airports, almost all under the control of MAB. We have 40-odd airports. Have they been effectively developed? Are they contributing as much to the national and local economies as they should? AirAsia has been stubborn and fought all this every inch of the way, but it has taken a toll on us as well. As for the country, how many good businesses have we lost? How many great entrepreneurs have just given up, tied up in knots by the tangles of red tape and the regulator-mentality of GLC's determined to protect their own turf rather than consider the broader national interest?

4) Private industries coupled with efficient marketing-driven GLC's will get us out of this rut. And then we can have firms that can go out there and be the best in Asean and then in Asia.

Good luck to our new prime minister. He has started off well but as the Beatles once said, it's a "long and winding road." He is right to focus on the economy. Attracting foreign investment is great but he would do equally well, if not better, to remove the shackles that prevent local talent from soaring. It is a Malaysian (note Malaysian) who will grow and drive this country. There is so much talent among our people. Liberate it.