After many rumours of names such as Alex Cruz becoming the CEO of the privatised Air India and Ilker Ayci backing off from the appointment, we finally know who will be appointed as the CEO and Managing Director of Air India. And it is none of the names that were brought up so far.

Campbell Wilson appointed as the new CEO and MD of Air India.

Tata Sons today announced the appointment of Mr Campbell Wilson as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Managing Director (MD) of Air India. The Board of Directors of Air India Limited has approved the appointment of Mr Wilson, subject to requisite regulatory approvals. As is known, in India, many senior aviation positions have to be cleared by the Government of India, as these are considered highly sensitive posts.

Wilson, 50, has 26 years of aviation industry expertise across full-service and low-cost airlines. He is currently the CEO of Scoot, the wholly-owned low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines (SIA). He has announced his intent to resign from the position and will leave the job by June 15, 2022.

Commenting on the appointment, Mr N Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Air India, said,

I am delighted to welcome Campbell to Air India. He is an industry veteran, having worked in critical global markets cutting across multiple functions. Further, Air India would benefit from his added experience of having built an airline brand in Asia.
I look forward to working with him in building a world-class airline.

Wilson started as a Management Trainee with Singapore International Airlines (SIA) in New Zealand in 1996. He then worked
for SIA in Canada, Hong Kong and Japan before returning to Singapore in 2011 as the founding CEO of Scoot, which he led until 2016. Wilson served as the Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing of SIA, where he oversaw Pricing, Distribution, Commerce, Merchandising, Brand & Marketing, Global Sales and the airline’s overseas offices, before returning for a second stint as the
CEO of Scoot in April 2020.

Mr Wilson holds a Master of Commerce (1st Class Honors) in Business Administration from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.

Speaking on occasion, Mr Campbell Wilson said,

It is an honour to be selected to lead the iconic Air India and be a part of the highly respected Tata Group. Air India is at the cusp of an exciting journey to become one of the best airlines in the world, offering world-class products and services with a distinct customer experience that reflects Indian warmth and hospitality. I am excited to join Air India and Tata colleagues in the mission of realising that ambition.

Wilson does fit the bill on many counts for Air India. Wilson has served as the country manager for many markets which have a service focus and has the chops for the back-end of an airline. However, he has not been involved in any service design aspects of a full-service carrier, and there, Air India will be his first gig. However, he is known to be a pleasant and down to earth person and very approachable.

He wrote a lengthy memo to his team before leaving.

What do you think of Campbell Wilson’s appointment with Air India?

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