SINGAPORE BUSINESS AWARDS 2017 OUTSTANDING CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR 2016 Mr Goh Choon Phong Chief Executive Officer Singapore Airlines Personal Background Mr Goh Choon Phong has been Chief Executive Officer of Singapore Airlines Ltd since 1 January 2011. He joined Singapore Airlines in 1990 and held senior management positions in various divisions in Singapore and overseas, ranging from Marketing to Information Technology to Finance and Cargo. Prior to his appointment as Chief Executive Officer, Mr Goh was Executive Vice President for Marketing & the Regions. He had earlier served as President of Singapore Airlines Cargo Pte Ltd from 2006 to 2010, Senior Vice President Finance from 2004 to 2006 and Senior Vice President Information Technology from 2003 to 2004. Mr Goh is Chairman of Budget Aviation Holdings Pte Ltd, which owns and manages low-cost airline subsidiaries Scoot and Tigerair, and is a Board Director of SIA Engineering Company. He is also a Member of the Board of Trustees of the National University of Singapore and Chairman-elect of the Board of Governors of the International Air Transport Association, where he is a Member of the Strategy and Policy Committee, Chair Committee and Audit Committee. He was a Board Member of Mount Alvernia Hospital, from 2006 to 2015, and Virgin Australia Holdings Limited, from 2014 to 2015. Mr Goh holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science as well as three Bachelor of Science degrees, in Computer Science and Engineering, Cognitive Science and Management Science, all from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Singapore Airlines Ltd With one of the world’s most modern fleets and a network spanning five continents, Singapore Airlines has earned a reputation as an innovative market leader, combining quality products with excellent service. The Company is listed on the Singapore Exchange and is a subsidiary of Temasek Holdings (Private) Limited. Singapore Airlines is the world’s most awarded airline. The principal activities of the Group consist of passenger and air cargo transportation, engineering services, training of pilots, air charters and tour wholesaling and related activities. Singapore Airlines is a member of Star Alliance, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) and the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group (SAFUG). Subsidiaries The SIA Group’s more than 40 subsidiaries and associate companies cover a range of airline-related services, from full-service and low-cost airline operations, to air cargo services, to aircraft and engine overhaul. Wholly owned subsidiaries include passenger airlines SilkAir, Scoot and Tigerair, as well as cargo carrier SIA Cargo, Singapore Flying College, and Tradewinds Tours & Travel. As the regional wing of Singapore Airlines, SilkAir is a full-service airline that operates flights within the Asia-Pacific region. Scoot and Tigerair are the Group’s low-cost subsidiaries, with Scoot focusing on medium- and long-haul services and Tigerair on short-haul services. Together, SIA, SilkAir, Scoot and Tigerair are able to serve all key market segments from Singapore. SIA Cargo serves destinations around the world with a fleet of Boeing 747-400 freighter aircraft. It also manages the cargo space on the SIA Group’s passenger aircraft. SIA also owns nearly 80% of SIA Engineering Company Limited, which is a leading provider of maintenance, repair and overhaul services. It provides services to SIA Group airlines as well as other airlines around the world, with a comprehensive range of in-house capabilities and joint ventures with leading original equipment manufacturers. Outside of Singapore, the SIA Group has investments in India-based full-service airline Vistara, Thailand-based low-cost carrier NokScoot and Australian full-service airline Virgin Australia. The SIA Group fleet, excluding associate airlines, comprises around 180 modern aircraft, with more than 200 aircraft on firm order (including recently announced commitments with Boeing that are in the process of being finalised). More than 30 million passengers were carried by the Group’s four Singapore-based passenger airlines in the 2015/16 financial year. Choosing SIA over pursue of PhD After completing his Master’s of Science degree, Mr Goh was faced with two options. The first option was to pursue a PhD in artificial intelligence and the second option was to return to Singapore to work for the airline. He was fascinated with the idea of doing research and contributing to knowledge creation. “Had I really [done my PhD], this could have led to a different career path for me, that’s the truth,” said Mr Goh in a media report. The SIA scholar joined Singapore Airlines as a cadet administrative officer in 1990. Since becoming CEO, Mr Goh has rolled out a multi-pronged approach that has involved strengthening its premium positioning through significant investment in the enhancement of Singapore Airlines’ high-quality products and services, forging a multi- brand airline portfolio in which it has investments in both full-service and low-cost carriers (LCCs), adopting a “multi-hub” strategy in which it has investments with local partners in new airlines in emerging markets such as India and Thailand, and developing new business opportunities, such as the establishment of a joint-venture pilot training centre in Singapore with Airbus, the Airbus Asia Training Centre (AATC). “SIA has always been associated with the best service, best in-flight entertainment, luxurious fittings and offerings for our customers. It is almost a direct opposite to what LCCs would offer. For us to actually go into LCCs is one of the biggest shifts in the way of our operating philosophy of the past,” said Mr Goh, citing the foray into low-cost carriers (LCCs) as the more prominent and obvious change that SIA has undergone. Besides expanding its network connectivity, SIA is committed in delivering iimpeccable service to customers. “You talk to anyone who’s working here, there’s a lot of pride in the airline, in the company. That pride itself is motivation for us to want to maintain this status and the only way to maintain is to continually innovate and to improve. Otherwise everyone else will be improving and you can’t catch up with them. So there are a lot of innovation activities going on,” Mr Goh said. “We have always faced competition and today we are competing with airlines that have very deep pockets. We will of course continue to enhance our products and our network as they are important pillars of our brand promise, but the world’s best customer service is what truly sets SIA apart. We know that we must continue to focus heavily in this area to ensure we retain our leadership position.” Amid growing threats from full-service airlines in the premium business, and budget carriers in the regional space, SIA launched its own mid- and long-haul budget carrier, Scoot, which started flying in 2012. Under Mr Goh’s stewardship, SIA has also formed partnerships with other full-service airlines such as Lufthansa, to expand its global reach and network. Community Engagement Apart from supporting charities and non-profit organistions, SIA firmly believes in sponsoring initiatives that promote education, sports, the arts, the environment and conservation. Support is offered in the form of cash donations, complimentary or rebated air tickets, as well as staff volunteerism. In May 2015, SIA organized an A380 Charity Flight where more than 300 beneficiaries from the Community Chest of Singapore were treated to a flight on the world’s largest passenger aircraft. With a memorandum of understanding signed in 2015 with Child’s Dream Foundation, SilkAir is providing air tickets to Child’s Dream staff travelling to help improve healthcare and education for underprivileged children. In addition, a donation drive was organised to help SilkAir’s Nepal-based employees during the Kathmandu earthquakes in 2015. Special fares, together with free and discounted rates for carriage of relief supplies, were provided to volunteers of relief agencies travelling to Kathmandu. SIA also affirmed its longstanding commitment to help grow the Singapore arts scene through contributions to the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Dance Theatre, Singapore Lyric Opera, Singapore Chinese Orchestra and National Arts Council. In the educational sector, SIA has contributed $5 million to the JY Pillay Global-Asia Programme to raise local levels of research and fieldwork. SIA also contributes to the LASALLE College of the Arts, where the young and talented pursue an arts education. Since 2010, SIA has been the exclusive airline partner for the Harapan Rainforest Initiative. The large-scale project is aimed at restoring and protecting one of the world’s most threatened and bio-diverse ecosystems. Awards Mr Goh was conferred the 2016 Dwight D. Eisenhower Global Innovation Award by the United States-based Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) for transforming the airline to better compete in an increasingly tough environment. It is also the first time a BCIU award has been presented to a recipient from South-East Asia. Mr Goh was described as “a visionary whose transformational leadership has elevated and energised both the company's brand as well as its people" by the non-profit organization. The award is modeled after the late US president’s global view of commercial diplomacy. Also in 2016, Mr Goh was accorded the CEO Lifetime Achievement Award from the Airline Passenger Experience Association (APEX). In naming Mr Goh for the award, APEX noted SIA’s reputation as a trendsetting airline that has always been innovative with respect to the passenger experience. “The positive impact of SIA’s steps under Mr Goh’s leadership has not only benefited his airline, but has caused a positive ripple across the entire airline passenger experience industry,” said the award citation. In 2015, Mr Goh was named CAPA Asia Pacific Airline Chief Executive of the Year.