AirAsia India Appoints Non-Executive Chairman

Subramanian Ramadorai, CBE, has been appointed as Non-Executive Chairman of AirAsia India.

Passionate about skills development on a national and state level, Mr. Ramadorai, commonly referred to as ‘Ram’ was appointed in 2011 by the Indian Government as the Advisor to Prime Minister - Dr. Manmohan Singh in the National Council on Skill Development.

In June 2013, he took over as the Chairman of the National Skills development Corporation. He also serves as Chairman of the Bombay Stock Exchange and Vice Chairman of Tata Consultancy Services, a company he has been associated with, for the past 40 years. He took over as CEO in 1996 when the company’s revenues were at US$155 million and has since then led the company through some of its most exciting phases, including its going public in 2004.

In October 2009, he stepped down as CEO, leaving a US$6 billion global IT services company to his successor, while he took over the mantle of Vice Chairmanship of the company. Today, the company’s revenues stand at US$11.6 billion for year ended 31 March 2013, with an employee base of over 276,000 of the world’s best trained IT consultants in 44 countries.

Subramanian Ramadorai, CBE said, “I am honored to receive this appointment and am excited by what the future holds for AirAsia India. I look forward to working with the executive team led by Mittu and supporting the company’s growth and advancement into the market in the future.”

In recognition of Ramadorai’s commitment and dedication to the IT industry he was also awarded the Padma Bhushan (India's third highest civilian honour) in 2006 and the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for his contribution to the Indo-British economic relations in 2009.

Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, Group Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia said, “We are delighted to welcome Ramadorai, a giant in the Indian industry as our non Executive Chairman. He is an exceptionally experienced executive with a proven track record of building and grooming dynamic, young and energetic teams. His ability to upscale will be critical as we grow the business and we look forward to the additional perspective and expertise he will be able to share as we embark upon the launch of AirAsia India.”

Among his many interests, Ramadorai is also passionate about photography and Indian classical music.

The appointment is subject to appropriate approvals, including by the Government of India.