Aviation veteran Campbell Wilson is the new CEO & MD of Air India

Tata Sons on Thursday announced the appointment of Campbell Wilson as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Managing Director (MD) of Air India. The Air India board has reportedly approved Wilson's appointment while subject to requisite regulatory approvals.

Wilson, 50, has 26 years of aviation industry expertise across both full service and low-cost airlines. He is the CEO of Scoot, the wholly-owned low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines (SIA).

Commenting on the appointment, N Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Air India 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."

Campbell Wilson started off as a Management Trainee with SIA in New Zealand in 1996. He then worked for SIA in Canada, Hong Kong, and Japan before returning to Singapore in 2011 as the founding CEO of Scoot, which he led until 2016. Wilson then served as the Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing of SIA, where he oversaw pricing, distribution, eCommerce, merchandising, brand & 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 of Commerce (1st Class Honours) in Business Administration from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. Speaking on the occasion, Campbell Wilson, said, "It is 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."

Founded by Jamsetji Tata in 1868, the Tata group is a global enterprise, headquartered in India, comprising 30 companies across ten verticals. Air India had pioneered India's aviation sector and its history is synonymous with the annals of civil aviation in India.