Aireen Omar was appointed as AirAsia Berhad’s Chief Executive Officer on 1 July 2012. She is also an Executive Director for the company.
She hails from Petaling Jaya, and is an Economics graduate of the London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) and also holds a Masters in Economics from New York University (NYU).
Aireen has been a member of the senior management team since 2006 and has been instrumental in shaping the development of AirAsia Berhad into one of the fastest growing and most highly-acclaimed airline globally.
She joined AirAsia as the Director of Corporate Finance and her portfolio expanded quickly to also include Treasury, Fuel Procurement and Investor Relations functions.
Aireen has made significant contributions to the organization throughout the years. When Aireen took on Treasury functions in 2009, it was the peak of the global financial crisis and credit lines were dry and the market volatile. Despite all odds, she managed to raise funds for further growth of the entire AirAsia Group, facilitating both fleet expansion and the setting up of various joint ventures for the airline.
Aireen is also responsible for locking in financing at very competitive rates for the purchase of aircraft for the whole AirAsia Group. Through this contribution, AirAsia has managed to pull well ahead of its competitors to reinforce its strategic advantage in the region.
Today, she oversees close to 7,000 staff at AirAsia Berhad, across 16 hubs in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and India; serving over 62 destinations across the region with a fleet of 78 Airbus A320.
Reporting directly to the co-founders of AirAsia; Tan Sri Dr. Tony Fernandes and Datuk Kamarudin Meranun; Aireen plays an integral part in mapping out AirAsia’s growth plans and maintain its trajectory despite increased competition around the region.
She began her career at Deutsche Bank Securities Inc, where she served as an Associate from 1997 – 2000 in New York and London, her last position being at the Equity Arbitrage Proprietary Trading Desk focusing on international equities, equity derivatives and equity-linked products. She returned to Malaysia in 2001, and served several major local financial institutions including the Maybank Group.
Aireen is a member of the Board of Directors of Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB), popularly known as Tourism Malaysia.
A recipient of the ‘Outstanding Achievement’ Award (CEO category) at the inaugural Malaysian Women of Excellence 2014 awards, ‘Masterclass Woman CEO of the Year’ award at the inaugural Selangor Excellence Business Awards 2014 and Corporate Treasurer’s 25 Most Influential Women in Treasury, Aireen continues to push the envelope of the region’s aviation industry with her determination, as she keeps AirAsia focused on its mantra; “Now Everyone Can Fly”.
