Bangkok--27 May--AirAsia
Dato’ Sri Dr. Tony Fernandes, Malaysian, aged 47, was appointed Group Chief Executive Officer of the company in December 2001. He is also a member of the Employee Share Option Committee of the Board.
He was Financial Controller at Virgin Communications London (1987 — 1989), and moved on to be Senior Financial Analyst at Warner Music International London (1989 — 1992), Managing Director at Warner Director at Warner Music Malaysia (1992 — 1996), Regional Managing Director, ASEAN (1996 — 1999) and Vice President, ASEAN at Warner Music South East Asia (1999 — 2001).
He was admitted as an Associate Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in 1991, and became a Fellow Member in 1996.
In 1999, DYMM Sultan Selangor Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah bestowed him the title ‘Setia Mahkota Selangor’, for his contributions to the Malaysian music industry. He was the recipient of the ‘Recording Industry Person of the Year 1997’ by the Recording Industry Association of Malaysia.
With AirAsia, he received accolades from international press and industry observers such as ‘Airline Business Strategy Award 2005 and Low Cost Leadership’ by Airline Business and ‘Asia Pacific Aviation Executive’ by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) for the year 2004 and 2005.
In July 2005, he was conferred the Darjah Datuk Paduka Tuanku Ja’afar (DPTJ) which carries the title Dato’ by the Negeri Sembilan’s Yang DiPertuan Besar Tuanku Ja’afar Tuanku Abdul, for his services rendered to the betterment of the nation and community. In 2006 and 2007, he bagged ‘The Brand Laureate’ Brand Personality for his exemplary performance, dedication and contribution towards the aviation industry in Malaysia.
In 2007, he was bestowed the Darjah Sultan Ahmad Shah Pahang (DSAP) which carries the title Dato’ by the Pahang’s KDYMM Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Sir Abu Bakar Riayatuddin Al- Muadzam Shah for his services rendered to the betterment of the nation and community. In 2008, he was again honoured by the Sultan with the Darjah Kebesaran Sultan Ahmad Shah Pahang Yang Amat Di Mulia which carries the title Dato’ Sri.
The ‘CAPA Legend Award 2009 (Aviation Hall of Fame)’ recognized his influential actions for directly shaping the way the aviation industry has evolved, and the ‘Airline CEO of the Year Award for 2009’ from Jane’s Transport Finance was for his success in leading and growing AirAsia into the world’s best low-cost airline and Asia’s largest.
He received an Honorary Doctorate of Business Innovation from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) in March 2010 for his role in changing the face of aviation and benefitting travelers and economies locally and in the region. He was honoured with the title of ‘Officier of the Legion d’ Honneur’ by the government of France in April 2010, for outstanding contributions to the French aviation industry. It is the highest rank of honour that the government of France can award to a non-French citizen. And in May 2010, he received the Nikkei Asia Prize for his contributions to the region.