Mr. Naresh Goyal, a non-resident Indian national, is the chairman of the Company. He is also the chairman of the Board of Directors. Mr. Goyal holds a Bachelors of Commerce degree and after completing his education in 1967, Mr. Goyal joined the travel business and underwent extensive practical training with several foreign airlines.
Mr. Naresh Goyal has more than 38 years of experience in the civil aviation industry. Immediately after graduation in Commerce in 1967, Mr. Goyal joined the travel business with the General Sales Agents for Lebanese International Airlines. Subsequently, Mr. Goyal was appointed the Public Relations Manager of Iraqi Airways in 1969 and from 1971 to 1974 was the Regional Manager for ALIA, Royal Jordanian Airlines. During this period, Mr. Goyal also worked with the Indian offices of Middle Eastern Airline (MEA) where he gained experience in various areas including ticketing, reservations and sales. During this period, he underwent extensive training in all facets of the travel business and undertook considerable international travel on business. He was thereafter appointed Regional Manager of Philippine Airlines where he handled the commercial operations of the airline in India. With the wide experience, expertise and technical know-how Mr. Goyal acquired, he founded Jetair Private Limited (then known as Jetair Transportation Private Limited) in 1974 with the objective of providing sales and marketing representation to foreign airlines in India. Shortly thereafter in 1975, he was appointed Regional Manager of Philippine Airlines in India.
In Jetair, Mr. Goyal was directly involved in marketing studies and traffic development in the Far East, Middle East, and Europe, the U.K. and the U.S.A. Mr. Goyal has also been involved in developing studies of traffic patterns, route structures, operational economies and flight scheduling, all of which have made him an authority in the world of aviation and travel.
As Chairman of the GSA company, Jetair Private Limited and the other promoter group companies such as International Cargo Carriers Limited, National Travel Service and France Air Ltd. he has imparted expertise to these companies and further refined his knowledge of the operation of passenger and cargo services and promotion and development of tourism.
In 1992, as part of the ongoing diversification of his business interests, Mr. Goyal caused to be promoted our Company for operating scheduled air services in India.
Mr. Goyal in his capacity as Chairman, Jet Airways has won the 'Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Services' from Ernst & Young and also 'Distinguished Alumni Award-2000' for meritorious and distinguished performance as an Entrepreneur and also the 'Most Respected Company in Travel and Hospitality Sector'. Other awards conferred on Mr. Goyal include the 'Outstanding Asian-Indian' award for leadership and contribution to the global community given by the Indian American Centre for Political Awareness, 'Aerospace Laurels' for outstanding contribution in the field of Commercial Air Transport twice, in April 2000 and February 2004. The airline has also been given the 'Pride in Excellence' award from Boeing Company for maintaining the highest Technical Despatch Reliability for the second year in succession in April 2004. In August 2003, the airline was awarded the 'Superbrand' status by the world's leading authority on branding, the Superbrands Council.
In July 2005, Business Week selected Chairman, Naresh Goyal as one of the five leaders from India in their Asia Edition cover story "Stars of Asia - 25 Leaders at The Forefront of Change."
Chairman, Naresh Goyal received the first BML Munjal Award for Excellence in Learning & Development in the Private Sector category from the Honourable Minister for Civil Aviation, Shri Praful Patel along with a citation at a special function at Hotel Maurya Sheraton, New Delhi on January 6, 2006.
The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh presented the first NDTV Profit Business Award 2006 to Jet Airways, which was received by the Chairman, Naresh Goyal at a glittering function at Taj Palace Hotel on July 28, 2006. The award, in the aviation category, is to salute the men and women who fuel India's journey to the forefront of the World Economy.
Chairman, Naresh Goyal was accorded the prestigious TATA AIG – Lifetime Achievement Award at the Abacus-TAFI Awards ceremony organized during the TAFI (Travel Agents' Federation of India) International Travel Convention 2007, on Saturday 8th September, 2007 at the Sutera Harbour Resort in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.
Chairman, Naresh Goyal, was conferred with “Travel Entrepreneur of the Year” award at the 19th annual TTG(Travel Trade Gazette) Travel Awards. The awards were presented at a glittering ceremony and gala dinner on Thursday 25th October, 2007 at the Sofitel Centara Grand, Bangkok.
Chairman, Naresh Goyal was awarded the prestigious "Man of the Year Award" by the Aviation Press Club (APC) at its 30th Anniversary on Wednesday, April 09, 2008, in Belgium. The Aviation Press Club is an influential club of Belgian Aviation Journalists. Mr. Goyal has been re-elected to IATA Board of Governors for the year 2008-09. He has earlier served on the Board of Governors of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), from 2004-2006.
Mr. Ali Ghandour, a Jordanian national, has been a Director of the Company since February 1998. Mr. Ghandour is a qualified aeronautical engineer from New York University, U.S.A. Mr. Ghandour has over 50 years of experience in the civil aviation industry. He was an advisor to the late King Hussein of Jordan and was earlier the Chairman of the Royal Jordanian Airlines. He has also been associated with the development of a number of airlines in the Middle East.
Mr. Victoriano P. Dungca, an American national, has been a Director of the Company since January 1999. Mr. Dungca holds an MBA from Cornell University, U.S.A. and is a Certified Public Accountant from the U.S.A. Mr. Dungca has had a long and distinguished career with Philippine Airlines and retired as its Executive Vice President. He is currently a financial advisor based in California, U.S.A.
Mr. Javed Akhtar, an Indian national has been a Director of the Company since March 1993. Mr. Akhtar holds a Bachelor of Arts degree. Mr. Akhtar is a well-known poet, lyricist, screenplay and scriptwriter and is a famous media personality. Mr. Akhtar has won the Filmfare Award thirteen times, and is a five-time National Award winner for the best lyricist.
Mr. Iftikar M. Kadri, an Indian national, has been a Director of the Company since February 2000. Mr. Kadri holds a Bachelors degree in Engineering from Pune University. He is a member of the Council of Architecture, New Delhi and a Fellow of the Indian Institute of Architects and a fellow of the Indian Institute of Interior Design. Mr. Kadri set up his practice as an architect in 1960 and is actively involved with the problems relating to rebuilding of dilapidated buildings in Mumbai and exploring technological solutions for mass housing schemes. He was also a member of the Steering Committee appointed by the Government of Maharashtra to suggest strategies for solving the housing problems of Mumbai. Mr. Kadri was awarded a citation in 1993 as an Outstanding Architectural Engineer by the Institution of Engineers in India. He is also the general secretary of the prestigious Nehru Centre in Mumbai.
Mr. Charles Arthur Adams, an American national, has been a Director of the Company since September 2003. Mr. Adams hold a Bachelors of Science degree in Marketing from the University of Hartford, U.S.A. and has 40 years of experience in the aviation industry. After a distinguished career in the United States Army, Mr. Adams joined Trans World Airlines, or TWA, in 1965 and held numerous management positions with TWA in the U.S.A., Europe and Asia. He retired from TWA in 1991 and subsequently then joined United Parcel Service, or UPS, as the Executive Vice President for UPS Yamato Japan. He retired from UPS in 2003 as President, Asia Pacific.
Mr. P.R.S. Oberoi, an Indian national, has been a Director of the Company since March 2004. He is a graduate in Hotel Management from Lausanne, Switzerland. He is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of EIH Limited and he is also the Chairman of Oberoi Hotels Private Limited and the major shareholder of EIH Limited. Besides providing leadership for the management of Oberoi hotels across six countries, Mr. Oberoi has been instrumental in pioneering the development of new Oberoi hotels and resorts. Mr. Oberoi is credited with placing India on the international luxury traveller’s map and redefining architectural and design standards in luxury hospitality.
Mr. Aman Mehta, an Indian national, has been a Director of the Company since September 2004. Mr. Mehta holds a Bachelors degree in Economics from Delhi University. He joined the HSBC group in 1968. He subsequently held several senior positions with the HongKong Shanghai Banking Corporation and was appointed Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Asia Pacific in January 1999, a position he held until his retirement in December 2003. Mr. Mehta is also a member of the governing board of the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, and of the Indian Council for Research and International Economic Relations, New Delhi. Mr. Mehta serves as an independent director on the boards of several companies in India as well as in the UK, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Mr. Satyan G. Pitroda, an Indian national, was appointed a Director of the Company on December 21,2004. Mr. Pitroda holds a Masters degree in Physics from India and a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, U.S.A. Mr. Pitroda began his illustrious career at GTE and formed Wescom Switching Inc. In 1980 Wescom was acquired by Rockwell International where Mr. Pitroda became Vice President, overseeing Rockwell’s telecom business worldwide. He held this position until 1983.
In 1984, Mr. Pitroda returned to India and founded the Centre for Development of Telematics. In 1987 he became an advisor to the Prime Minister of India, with the rank of a Minister, on national technology missions relating to drinking water, literacy, immunization, oil seeds, milk and telecom. Mr. Pitroda was the founding Chairman of the Telecom Commission in India, responsible for national and international telecommunication operations, policies and administration, with over 500,000 employees. As the Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Pitroda revolutionized telecommunications in India and was successful in getting it accepted as a fundamental component of modernization of India.
In 2000, Mr. Pitroda was invited by the UN Secretary General to join a special Advisory Committee on Information and Communications Technology. Mr. Pitroda has recently been appointed a member of the National Advisory Council, in the Prime Minister’s Office in India under the chairmanship of Ms. Sonia Gandhi. Currently, Mr. Pitroda is the Chairman of WorldTel Limited. He is also the Chairman and Founder of several high-technology start-up companies in the US, Europe and India. Mr. Pitroda is also the founding Chairman of a non-profit Foundation for "Revitalization of Local Health Traditions in India." Mr. Pitroda holds over 50 worldwide patents.
Mr. Yash Chopra, an Indian national, has been appointed a Director of the Company since April 2006. Mr. Chopra has had a distinguished career spanning over five decades in the Indian film industry. His work has been recognized in India and overseas and he has received several prestigious awards for his outstanding contribution to Indian Cinema. These include the National and Filmfare awards, the BBC Asia Awards (in 1998 and 2001), the Dr. Dadabhai Naoroji Millennium Lifetime Achievement Award (in 2001), the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (in 2001) and the Priyadarshini Award to name a few. Mr. Chopra has also been awarded a Certificate of Recognition from the British Tourist Authority and British Film Commission for promoting tourism in the U.K. through his films. In 2005, Mr. Chopra was conferred the Padma Bhushan, one of the Country’s highest civilian honours.
Mr. Shah Rukh Khan, an Indian national, has been appointed a Director of the Company since August 2006. Mr. Shah Rukh Khan is a well-known Actor from the Indian Film Industry. He is the recipient of thirteen Filmfare Awards, three National Honours including Best Indian Citizen Award in 1997, Rajiv Gandhi Award for Excellence in 2002. In 2005, Mr. Khan was conferred the Padma Shri, one of the prestigious civilian honours conferred annually by the Government of India. He is also recognized as a cultural ambassador of India to the rest of the world.
Dr. Pierre J. Jeanniot, a Canadian national, has been appointed a Director of the Company since August 2006. Dr. Pierre J. Jeanniot is a prominent, distinguished and widely acknowledged contemporary leader of the aviation industry. Dr. Jeanniot was Director General and CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) from 1993 to 2002. He is now Director General Emeritus of IATA, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to international civil aviation. From 1984 to 1990 Dr. Jeanniot held the position of President and CEO of Air Canada. He is currently Chairman of Thales Canada Inc. Dr. Jeanniot has served on the Board of Directors of various airlines, telecommunications companies, airports, air navigation consultancies, and publishing houses. He is also President of Jinmag Inc., a management and investment company which he created in 1990, providing advice to various international civil aviation authorities and companies.
Mr. Saroj K. Datta (69), Executive Director, Jet Airways (India) Ltd., completed his education at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, with a post-graduate degree in Economics. After a two-year stint at the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) in New Delhi, Mr. Datta joined Air-India in November 1962. During his tenure with Air-India, Mr. Datta worked in various sections of the Commercial and Planning Departments of the airline. In 1980, he was appointed Deputy Director, Planning and International Department with overall charge of the Department. Mr.Datta joined Kuwait Airways in 1987 as the Planning and Economic Advisor. He returned back to India in September 1990 following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. In early 1991 he joined the Jetair Group of Companies, India’s largest General Sales Agent, in Mumbai as its Executive Director. Since early 1992, Saroj Datta has headed the Jet Airways project to set-up a private domestic airline conceived by Mr. Naresh Goyal, Chairman of the Jet Airways group following the liberalisation of the Civil Aviation Policy by the Government of India. Mr. Datta has brought to bear his many years of aviation experience into this project. Assisted by a group of dedicated professionals, Mr. Datta has meticulously coordinated the various activities leading to the setting-up of the airline culminating in the launch of Jet Airways, a leading private domestic airline in India on May 5, 1993. Mr. Datta is a member of the Board of Jet Airways and is the Executive Director of the airline.
