New Board Of Directors Join Airasia Aviation Group Limited To Add Strategic Value

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Mr. Thandalam Veeravalli Thirumala Chari, a senior finance professional and Ms. Khoo Gaik Bee, HR maven, join AAAGL as Independent Non-Executive Directors

(L-R) Mr. Thandalam Veeravalli Thirumala Chari & Ms. Khoo Gaik Bee
AirAsia Aviation Group Limited (AAAGL), the holding company for Capital A’s airline group, announces the expansion of its board of directors with the appointment of Mr. Thandalam Veeravalli Thirumala Chari and Ms. Khoo Gaik Bee as Independent Non-Executive Directors.

The addition of the two new board of directors will bring additional skill sets in line with its plan to strengthen the board. The airline group recently posted significant performance improvements across all key metrics, including a 633% increase in the number of passengers and a notable load factor of 84% in Q222, akin to its pre-pandemic levels. AAAGL is now charting a steady course to return to 100% capacity on the majority of its most popular routes by the first quarter of 2023.

Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim, Chairman of AAAGL said: “We are delighted to announce the appointment of two new board of directors, Mr. Chari and Ms. Khoo, both of whom bring a wealth of expertise in line with our continued focus on governance, human capital and diversity. Both have over 40 years of invaluable experience in the areas of financial, technology and human resources which are critical to support our next phase of progress and development.”

Commenting further, Bo Lingam, Group CEO of AAAGL said: “The combined strength of the newly formed board bodes well for AAAGL to deliver positive returns to our shareholders and most importantly, add greater value to our guests. It is certainly an exciting time as the world is now finally reopening and we have much to contribute to the local and international tourism and economy, everywhere we fly.”

In addition to the two new directors, AAAGL board of directors comprises Tan Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim, Suvabha Charoenying, Lim Serh Ghee, Francisco Ed. Lim, Tan Sri Dato' Sri (Dr.) Mohamad Norza Zakaria and Tharumalingam a/l Kanagalingam.

Mr. Thandalam Veeravalli Thirumala Chari, Independent Non-Executive Director
Mr. Chari is a senior finance professional with over 40 years of experience in the Technology and Telecom sectors across Asia Pacific.

He has overseen successful strategic transformations of organisations and received accolades for the highest profits and return on invested capital (ROIC) in the industry.

After spending 20 years with Hewlett Packard in senior Business Unit roles and nine years with Axiata Group as Group Chief Financial Officer of Celcom and Axiata, he is currently serving as a consultant to a National infrastructure provider, a plantation group and a global forensics and valuation company. He has also consulted for a large listed airport company, a global system integrator and a semiconductor fabrication entity.

Mr. Chari holds an MBA from State University of New York at Buffalo, a Fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants UK (CIMA), and a member of the Chartered Accountants of India.

Ms. Khoo Gaik Bee, Independent Non-Executive Director
Ms. Khoo Gaik Bee has strong credentials and brings a wealth of experience from a progressive 40 years career spanning the entire spectrum of Human Resource Management.

The first four years were in the employment of a Statutory Board of the Singapore Government, followed by a career as a human resource consultant in an international consultancy firm.

Subsequently, she moved into the Group HR function of a public listed conglomerate with interests in construction, property development, education and health. She was also instrumental in successful merger and acquisition integration exercises for the company where she led the negotiations with the established unions of the workforce to achieve the merger objectives.

During her tenure, she was a member of the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) Council and a panel member of the Malaysian Industrial Court. She was also a Member of the Accreditation Board of the Women Institute of Management (WIM) Professional Manager Certification Program.

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