Tony Fernandes CEO Blog

Once in a while some asks me: what do you consider the best thing you have accomplished in your life?

It's a question that always makes me reflect. And it happened again recently at Epsom College during a lecture.

I believe that probably the most satisfying moments for me have been the development of people. Seeing a boy who carried bags for us at AirAsia and is now a pilot, or a call centre agent who is now a head of operations gives me immense pleasure.

But in all this Lotus mess, one of the highlights of has been the development of Riad Asmat, our CEO at Team Lotus.

I met Riad when I went to meet the CEO of Proton, Syed. Riad made such an impact on me that within five minutes, I said to him: why are you wasting your time here, come work for us.

He was then special assistant to the CEO. But in my mind, I figured Riad was way smarter. No ego. No hangups. Decisive. And a young man who believed in doing real work rather than what others thought about him. Made rational decisions and had a great persona about him. Very honest and smart but terribly under utilized at Proton.

Riad was the raw diamond that I love polishing into a sparking gem.

In the last year, he has proved himself many times over. He has shown that he can go from being just a glorified secretary to sitting in the same room as the bosses of Ferrari, McClaren, Red Bull and Williams. Not just holding his own in such company, but contributing to the discussions and resolution of issues. This coming year, I expect him to really come into his own and dazzle all as he moves from Malaysia to Lotus headquarters in Norfolk, England.

It's a lesson to all: There's tremendous talent in all your organizations. Identify it. Provide the opportunities. Use it. And watch them take flight.

Riad, well done. I'm proud of you.

Lotus returns to F1 and a rebirth at Cosworth. Just to share some videos and pics during this time off before heading to Jerez on Wednesday. An extremely proud moment for Malaysia and it's a sign of things to come.

A prosperous year ahead and it's going to be a rocking start to a great lunar year to boot. Happy Valentine's Day and signing off with love.