GURUGRAM, India, 11 November 2024: Air India Group has announced management changes due to the merger of Air India and Vistara, which is scheduled for 12 November 2024.
Vinod Kannan, Vistara’s Chief Executive Officer, who has also been the Chief Integration Officer for the full-service airlines’ merger, will continue in this role post-merger. He will be a member of the Management Committee and report directly to Air India CEO Campbell Wilson.
Deepak Rajawat, Vistara’s Chief Commercial Officer, will take up the Chief Financial Officer role at the newly enlarged Air India Express, reporting to CEO Aloke Singh.
He will also support Group CFO Sanjay Sharma in strategic initiatives and projects. Consequently, Mr Vikas Agarwal, the current CFO of Air India Express, will move to a new role in Air India.
Captain Hamish Maxwell, SVP of Flight Operations of Vistara, has assumed an advisory role to Air India Express CEO Mr Aloke Singh. Captain Pushpinder Singh, Chief Operations Officer of Air India Express, returns to flying. A successor will be announced in due course.
Deepa Chadha and Vinod Bhatt, SVP of HR & Corporate Affairs and Chief Information Officer of Vistara, respectively, will take on senior roles at other Tata group companies.
Vistara CFO Niyant Maru, who worked beyond his superannuation date to complete the merger, will retire at the end of his current term.
All other Air India Group chief executive roles and reporting lines remain unchanged.
Announcing these transitions, Air India CEO & MD Campbell Wilson said: “Over the past two years, the four Tata airlines have worked hard to prepare for and execute one of the most complex mergers in aviation history, consolidating from four airlines to two in the context of dramatic growth and wholesale transformation. As we approach the end of that process, we are delighted to formalise a Group leadership comprising colleagues from all four antecedent airlines to drive the next phase of our journey. I would also like to acknowledge those who, whether retiring or taking up other roles within the Tata group, have contributed significantly to the consolidation process and, over many years, to the DNA of what is now the new Air India.”
