Vistara board names Vinod Kannan as new CEO of airline from Jan 1, 2022

September 14, 2021: Leslie Thng, chief executive officer, after leading Vistara for more than four years will move on to take up a senior appointment with Singapore Airlines from January 1, 2022. The board of the company TATA SIA Airlines Limited has named Vinod Kannan to succeed Thng effective January 1, 2022.

Kannan is currently serving as Vistara’s chief commercial officer. He joined the airline in June 2019 as chief strategy officer and currently heads amongst others network planning, revenue management, marketing, customer experience and cabin service functions. He started his career with Singapore Airlines in 2001 and has held various senior positions in the airline.

Prior to joining Vistara, he served as Chief Commercial Officer for Scoot the budget airline subsidiary of the Singapore Airlines Group. He has handled global network planning and has spent 8 years running operations in Indonesia, Italy and Saudi Arabia. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from the National University of Singapore and University of California, Los Angeles.

Vistara’s chairman Bhaskar Bhat said, "Leslie has led the airline through a significant phase, with the start of international operations and the entry into service of various aircraft including the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Vinod will lead Vistara in its next phase of growth, building on the strong foundation laid by Leslie. This Company continues to benefit from the strong commitment of the two partners Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines to Vistara.”