Industry Veteran Campbell Wilson Appointed Air India CEO: Who Is He?

Founding CEO Scoot, Campbell Wilson.

(Photo: Samarth Grover/The Quint)

Air India has finally got its first foreign national Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in Campbell Wilson, the founding CEO of low-cost airline Scoot, months after Tata Sons took over the debt-laden national carrier.

Turkish Airlines chief Ilker Ayci had first been appointed the Air India CEO by the Tatas, but he had declined the offer on 1 March, following which Tata Sons chief N Chandrasekaran had taken over as Air India chairperson.

Commenting on the appointment, N Chandrasekaran said,

“I am delighted to welcome Campbell to Air India. He is an industry veteran having worked in key global markets cutting across multiple functions. Further, 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.”

But who is Campbell Wilson? Will he be able to turn things around for Air India?

Fifty-year-old Wilson has 26 years of aviation industry expertise across both full service and low-cost airlines.

While having started off as a management trainee with Singapore Airlines (SIA) in New Zealand in 1996, Wilson has worked for the SIA group for more than 15 years in countries such as Japan, Canada, and Hong Kong.

Notably, SIA is a partner in Vistara, an airline owned by the Tatas.

After working as a management trainee with SIA, Wilson then returned to Singapore in 2011 as the founding CEO of Scoot, which he led until 2016.

He then served as the senior vice president of sales and marketing of SIA, where he oversaw pricing, distribution, e-commerce, merchandising, brand and 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's in Commerce (1st Class Honours) in Business Administration from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.

Meanwhile, speaking on his appointment, Wilson, said:

“It is an honour to be selected to lead the iconic Air India and be a part of the highly respected 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 excited to join Air India and Tata colleagues in the mission of realising that ambition.”