Tata Sons today announced Campbell Wilson’s appointment as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Managing Director (MD) of Air India. The Air India board approved the appointment of Wilson subject to requisite regulatory approvals.

Wilson, 50, has 26 years of aviation industry expertise across both full service and low-cost airlines. He is the CEO of Scoot, the wholly owned low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines (SIA).

Commenting on the appointment, N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Air India, said, “I am delighted to welcome Campbell to Air India. He is an industry veteran who has worked in key global markets cutting across multiple functions. Further, Air India will 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 off as a Management Trainee with 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. Mr. Wilson then served as the Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing of SIA, where he oversaw Pricing, Distribution, eCommerce, 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.

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

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Campbell Wilson, said, “It is honour to be selected to lead the iconic Air India and be a part of the 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 thrilled to join Air India and Tata colleagues in the mission of realising that ambition.”

Tata Sons is the principal investment holding company and promoter of Tata companies. Sixty-six percent of the equity share capital of Tata Sons is held by philanthropic trusts, which support education, health, livelihood generation and art and culture.

The conglomerate

In 2020-21, the revenue of Tata companies, taken together, was $103 billion (₹7.7 trillion). These companies collectively employ over 8,00,000 people. Each Tata company or enterprise operates independently under the guidance and supervision of its own board of directors. There are 29 publicly-listed Tata enterprises with a combined market capitalisation of $314 billion (₹23.4 trillion) as on December 31, 2021.

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