IndiGo, on Wednesday, named Vikram Singh Mehta as its new chairman. Mehta, who is on the board of the airline from 2022, takes over from Venkataramani Sumantran who helmed the airline through the Covid-19 pandemic period. Sumantran has exited the airline on completion of his five year term as a board member.
A former bureaucrat, Mehta served as chairman of Shell group of companies between 1994-2012. Later he took up the role as executive chairman of Brookings India and was also the senior fellow at Brookings Institution. Currently he is chairman of the public policy think tank Centre for Social and Economic Progress.
Mehta is known to be a people’s person who lays emphasis on deliverables. According to his colleagues from Shell, he had an interesting approach at the workplace. “He believed in deliverables, and if by any chance, he felt there was a slip somewhere, a message from the concerned team would go asking them to come for a “cup of coffee”, which essentially meant come for review,” said a person who has worked closely with Mehta.
A mathematics graduate from Delhi University, Mehta also holds two master’s degrees - one from Oxford University in politics and economics and the other in energy economics from Tufts University.
IndiGo hires former KLM executive for MRO
IndiGo also announced the appointment of former KLM executive Ton Dortmans to support the technical entry into service of IndiGo’s Airbus A350 aircraft as well as building up the airline’s overall maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities. IndiGo has ordered 30 widebody A350 aircraft as a part of its international expansion and these are due to enter its fleet from 2027. Dortmans worked 40 years at KLM of which last thirteen years he served as executive vice president of engineering and maintenance.