Kingfisher Airlines objective of profitable growth is intertwined with its ability to be consistently safe, reliable and customer friendly in its operations, supported by a world class Board of Directors.
Dr Vijay Mallya
Dr. Vijay Mallya holds a PhD in Business Administration, is a well known industrialist. He took over the reins of UB Group at the young age of 28 and has been instrumental in growing it into a multinational business conglomerate. Dr. Vijay Mallya is the Chairman of the UB Group and several other public companies in India and abroad and has won wide recognition from distinguished institutions.
Capt. G.R. Gopinath
Capt. G.R. Gopinath, is a Graduate from National Defense Academy and an ex Army officer who was in active service in 1971 in the war against Pakistan. He took early retirement in 1979 to pursue his diverse interests. A pioneer in the areas of organic farming and sericulture, he has several inventions to his credit. He was awarded the "Rolex Award for Enterprise" in 1996 for his contributions to organic farming. Deccan Aviation Limited (DAL) was incorporated and established as the first heli-charter company in India 1995, under his direction. Under his vision and guidance DAL made its first foray into providing no-frills, low-cost airline service in India in August 2003.
Capt. K.J. Samuel
Capt. K.J. Samuel, is a Graduate from National Defense Academy is a recipient of the 'Sena Medal' for gallantry. After being commissioned into the Indian Army in 1971, he fought in the 1971 war against Pakistan and is an experienced helicopter pilot. He took voluntary retirement in 1992, as a Lieutenant Colonel. He is a qualified flying instructor and a DGCA Examiner. He is the co-promoter and co-founder of DAL.
Mr. A. K. Ravi Nedungadi
Mr. A. K. Ravi Nedungadi a Chartered and Cost Accountant joined the UB Group in 1990 as the Corporate Treasurer. Within two years, he became the Group Finance Director of the Group's international business managing the businesses of UB International, which included the paint giant Berger Jenson and Nicholson, spanning 27 countries. As the principle leadership resource of UB Group, he was instrumental in concluding the acquisition of Shaw Wallace & Co, Bouvet Ladubay, Whyte & Mackay, Air Deccan, etc. and has been deeply engaged with the creation of Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. he is a recipient of many awards of excellence including the Udyog Ratan Award, CNBC TV18's - CFO of the Year - M & A, etc. and is on the Board of several companies, both in India and overseas.
Mr. Vijay Amritraj
Mr. Vijay Amritraj, a recipient of the Padma Shri, a designated United Nations Messenger of Peace and a recipient of the International Sportsman of the Year Award for the year 1987, was the youngest player to play Davis Cup for any country. He subsequently served India in the Davis Cup for 20 years and led India to Davis Cup finals twice in 1974 and 1987. Vijay founded the BAT (Britannia Amritraj Tennis) Academy in India and also held the position of President of the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals).
Mr. Anil Kumar Ganguly
Mr. Anil Kumar Ganguly is a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He has over four decades of experience in various facets of corporate management, such as finance, accounting, audit, taxation and corporate affairs, and also has rich experience in sales and marketing in India as well as overseas and knowledge in areas of corporate financing, management, corporate governance, audit, taxation, international marketing, and project control. He was the whole time Director of Britannia Industries Limited and was the Managing Director of Nabisco Brands (Malaysia). He was also the President of the India Builders Corporation Group of companies. He is also a philanthropist and is involved in social welfare activities relating to education and child health.
Mr. Diwan Arun Nanda
Mr. Diwan Arun Nanda is the Chairman and Managing Director of Rediffusion DYR. He is a Gold Medalist from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and started his marketing career with Levers before he co-founded Rediffusion, one of the leading advertising agencies in India. He also served as a member of the Air India board.
Dr. Naresh Trehan
Dr. Naresh Trehan is India’s leading Cardio Thoracic and Vascular Surgeon. He founded the Escorts Heart Institute & Research Centre and is its Executive Director. He has been conferred both Padmashree and Padmabhushan awards by the Government of India. He has also been a Professor of Surgery at the New York University Medical Centre.
Mr. Piyush Mankad
Mr. Piyush Mankad is a distinguished member of the Indian Administrative Service and has served in the Cabinet Committee in the Ministry of Finance. He also serves on the board of various companies as an Independent Director.
Mr. G.N. Bajpai
Mr. G.N. Bajpai, served for 3 years as the chairman of Securities and Exchange Board of India, (SEBI). Mr. Bajpai was earlier the chairman of the Life India Corporation of India. Mr. Bajpai is credited with streamlining the securities watchdog and market regulator. Under his stewardship, SEBI improved its procedures for enforcing compliance to ensure market integrity and for protecting the interests of investors and India became one of the few countries to introduce 'straight through processing' (STP) in the stock market. It was during his tenure that the derivatives market in equities has grown and developed.
Mr. Subhash Gupte - Vice–Chairman, the UB Group
Before joining the UB Group ten years ago, Mr. Gupte has spent over 25 years in the civil aviation industry and has served as the acting Chairman and Managing Director of Air India. He came on board Kingfisher Airlines as a strategic direction provider to the company.
