Campbell Wilson

Campbell Wilson is a New Zealand-born aviation executive who took over as CEO and Managing Director of Air India in mid-2022 following the airline's privatization by Tata Sons. Born in July 1971 in Christchurch, New Zealand, Wilson holds a Master of Commerce with 1st Class Honours in Business Administration from the University of Canterbury. He completed a Global Strategic Management course at Harvard Business School in 2016. Since taking the helm of Air India, Wilson has led the Vihaan.ai comprehensive five-year transformation program to establish Air India as a world-class global airline with an Indian heart.

Career History

• Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India (2022–2026)
• Founding CEO, Scoot (2011–2016 first stint), and CEO of Scoot (April 2020–June 2022, second stint)
• Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Singapore Airlines (2016–2020), where he oversaw Pricing, Distribution, eCommerce, Merchandising, Brand & Marketing, Global Sales and overseas offices
• General Manager, Japan operations, Singapore Airlines (2010)
• General Manager, Hong Kong operations, Singapore Airlines
• Vice President, Canada operations, Singapore Airlines (2006)
• Management Trainee, Singapore Airlines, New Zealand (1996)

Notable Achievements

Under Wilson's leadership, Air India placed the largest single order for new aircraft in aviation history, comprising 470 wide- and narrow-body aircraft. The transformation has involved a complete overhaul of equipment, product, technology, systems and culture, and dramatic network expansion. Wilson is steering the integration of subsidiary airlines Air India Express and Air Asia India into a single low-cost carrier, and the merger of Air India with Vistara. Wilson is known for driving the Vihaan.AI transformation, which aims to completely transform the airline group with a three-phase programme over five years, with 22,000 staff once mergers are complete.

What Campbell Wilson Could Bring to Air India as CEO

Based on his documented career, Wilson brought to Air India his extensive experience transforming low-cost airlines into competitive carriers while maintaining premium service standards. As the founding CEO of Scoot, Wilson helped build a casual and irreverent culture at the budget carrier within a broader, more conservative organization best known for its focus on the premium market, expertise directly applicable to Air India's need to operate both full-service and low-cost carrier models. His experience working in key global markets across many functions positioned him to modernize the airline's operations and technology infrastructure after decades of government underinvestment.