Annual Report 2019

TASSAPON BIJLEVELD Executive Chairman, AirAsia Thailand Thai Tassapon Bijleveld, male, 52, is in charge of executive policy in the interest of sustainable growth. Tassapon was appointed CEO of AirAsia Thailand when the company was established in 2003. During his tenure, he was responsible for all aspects of the airline’s operations as well as boosting growth in Thailand. He was made Executive Chairman in May 2018. Before joining AirAsia Thailand, Tassapon was Managing Director of Warner Music (Thailand) Co Ltd for five years. Within three years, he turned the company around and positioned Warner Music (Thailand) at the top among international music companies in the country. It was also at Warner Music where he met AirAsia Group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes. Tassapon’s willingness to learn from scratch and his can-do attitude have led AirAsia Thailand to become the largest low-cost carrier in Thailand. Prior to AirAsia, Tassapon had more than 12 years of experience in the consumer product industry, working in various countries in ASEAN for two Fortune 500 companies - Adams (Thailand) Co Ltd and Monsanto (Thailand) Co Ltd. He spent five years with Monsanto as a pioneer, building it into a multi-million dollar business in just a few years. He began his career as an Assistant Product Manager in the confectionery division of Warner- Lambert Thailand Ltd, then became Senior Product Manager with several posts in Asia. Tassapon holds a Master’s degree in Marketing, and is currently a part–time lecturer at several leading universities in Thailand. 02 TASSAPON RIAD ASMAT CEO, AirAsia Malaysia Malaysian Riad Asmat, male, 48, was appointed AirAsia Malaysia (AirAsia Berhad) CEO on 10 January 2018 and is responsible for the management of the company’s Malaysia-based operations. He is also a Board member of AirAsia Berhad, Ground Team Red Sdn Bhd, Ground Team Red Holding Sdn Bhd, GTRSG Pte Ltd, BIGLIFE Sdn Bhd and Tourism Malaysia. Riad is one of Malaysia’s most respected young corporate leaders. He began his career in the Managing Director’s Office for Proton Holdings Berhad, where he was responsible for supporting and coordinating key initiatives conceptualised by the Managing Director in improving overall performance of the group alongside key strategic, operational and finance dimensions. In 2010, he switched gears when he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Caterham Automotive. In this role, he made tremendous achievements with the establishment of the Caterham F1 Team as well as Caterham Racing-GP2 which clinched numerous podium finishes in Monaco, Singapore and many more. Further to that, he also established a supplementary programme together with Arden Racing and created a team that competed in the World Series by Renault, finishing second in the Constructors Championship 2012. He then served as the Director of Corporate Planning, Strategy and Business Development at Naza Corporation Holdings Sdn Bhd from 2014 until 2017, before taking off to the skies with AirAsia. Riad pursued his studies at the Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Public Relations. He also holds a Masters of Arts from the esteemed university. 01 RIAD AIRASIA GROUP BERHAD ANNUAL REPORT 2019 59 ABOUT US AIRLINE CEOs