Phee Teik Yeoh: Vistara's First CEO

Monday, 5th January 2015 at 07:11am

The man that Vistara owners had chosen to head the new airline had his patience tested to the edge during the months since the day of his appointment dealing with Indian bureaucracy.

Indeed, there is virtue in patience, as what he later realized after his airline was finally granted permit to operate early in December last year.

Phee Teik Yeoh, 46, doesn't easily give up when faced with challenges. The Indian bureaucracy is a challenge that he had to go through as head of a new airline in a market where all but one player suffer heavily losses and indebtedness.

According to a ministry official connected to aviation regulation, Mr. Yeoh showed traits inherent to a good manager and a leader who has strong personality and is always seeking explanation as to the reason of something that happens.

Since his appointment, he worked hard just to get the airline off the ground through constant meetings with regulatory officials, especially in its application for a permit to operate.

He said that he will work hard for the airline to become a major player in the aviation market in India. Though he was born and grew up in Malaysia, he disclosed that he is fond of Indian food. He recalled that when he was young, his family would always go on a food trip especially to Petaling Jaya outside Kuala Lumpur where they indulged on Tamil food.

He added that when he stayed in the United Kingdom for his job at Singapore Airlines London office, he would frequent to Hounslow and Southall areas which host a high number of restaurants and cafes offering a wide array of dining options, including Indian cuisine. When his subsequent job brought him to California in the United States, he would find his way to Cerritos enjoying Indian food.

With his job as head of Vistara, he would find himself stay most of the time in India to oversee its day-to-day operations. His airline currently operates its headquarters in the capital, New Delhi.

One of the most difficult challenges in his present job that he had to go through was to hurdle adversity from existing airline operators in India and bureaucracy. Most established local airline operators in the country were lobbying against the entry of any new players.

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