Tata Sons picks Campbell Wilson as Air India’s new boss: 5 facts about him

Tata Sons on Thursday announced the appointment of Campbell Wilson as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) of Air India. According to a statement issued by the flagship carrier, Wilson’s appointment has come after relevant regulatory approvals.

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A former head of Singapore Airlines’ budget carrier Scoot, Wilson resigned from his previous position to take the position as Air India boss.

Here are five things you need to know about the new boss of Air India:

1. Wilson holds a Masters of Commerce degree in business administration with first class honours from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.

2. At the start of his career in 1996, he worked as a management trainee with Singapore Airlines (SIA) in New Zealand. It is important to note that SIA is a partner in Tata-owned Vistara airline. Later, he went on to work for the same first in various countries including Japan, Canada and Hong Kong. Furthermore, he was appointed as the founding CEO of Scoot in 2011 till 2016.

3. As per the Tata Sons statement, Wilson also served as SIA’s Senior Vice President (Sales & Marketing). As part of the position, he managed the pricing, distribution, merchandising, branding, marketing, eCommerce, and global sales of the company.

4. In 2020, Wilson returned as the CEO of Scoot which he undertook until his resignation to lead Air India.

5. The 50-year-old New Zealander has a massive career span of 26 years in the aviation industry with expertise in both full-service and low-cost airlines.

Speaking about his new role, Wilson said, “Air India is at the cusp of an exciting journey to become one of the best airlines in the world.”

Air India Chairman N Chandrasekaran has also lauded Campbell’s appointment as Air India’s boss. Praising his expertise, Chandrasekaran said that the industry veteran has worked in key global markets cutting across multiple functions.

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“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,” he added.

Earlier this year, Tata Sons had appointed former Turkish Airlines chairperson Ilker Ayci as Air India CEO. However, Ayci denied undertaking the role at the Indian airline only two weeks after the appointment.