‘Felt there is no better time than this to step off the treadmill’
MUMBAI:SETTING up Indigo and making it India’s largest airline all in a matter of 10 years has been “a sprint” and “not a marathon”, said Aditya Ghosh, who will step down as president and wholetime director of Interglobe Aviation Ltd on July 31.
“I had been talking to the founders, Rahul and Rakesh for a while. We have worked closely for nearly 16 years. So, it took me a while to convince them that I am actually serious about branching out and doing something different,” Ghosh, who is a lawyer by profession said in an interview, allaying concerns that he had a fallout with the founders amid several PR fiascos concerning Indigo passengers and grounding of Indigo planes due to snags in Pratt & Whitney engines. “I felt that there is no better time than this to step off the treadmill and think of my next adventure,” he said. Edited excerpts from an email interview:
How has the transition been for you personally, from being a lawyer to heading the largest domestic airline?
I was last a lawyer 10 years ago. I have been in this operating role for a decade now. The transition was smooth. It was even easier than I thought it would be because of the support I got from my colleagues. In the past 365 days, there wasn’t a single day when I did not learn something new.
A stint where each and every day I felt that I had one of the best jobs in the world because of the people I get to come to work with.
And finally, where I had a once in a lifetime opportunity to help create something that the world had not experienced before.
Where is Indigo headed after your departure?
With a solid track record, robust processes in place, an experienced leadership team and an army of passionate hard-working employees, Indigo is in safe hands. Of course, it will be up to the new leadership to shape the future.
Indigo’s entry into the longhaul international markets didn’t quite take off during your tenure. In hindsight, how would you look at this?
Now that there is a solid foundation, there are lots of new opportunities for the organisation to chase.
Why did you resign now, especially at a time when the airline is the market leader by miles, and is also looking to expand its operations?
It has been a difficult decision. One with mixed emotions. I cannot begin to describe the love and affection I have got from my colleagues. It is almost unreal!
As I wrote to my colleagues, I have been in this current role for ten years now. This has been a relentless and non-stop effort. It was not a marathon but a sprint. At the same time, it has been an amazing ride! I was having a lot of fun in creating something that this country had never seen before. Having said that, I had been wanting to do something new for a while. I had been talking to the founders, Rahul and Rakesh, for a while. We have worked closely for nearly 16 years. So it took me a while to convince them that I am actually serious about branching out and doing something different.
Having built a rock solid foundation where the organisation, as you said, is a market leader by miles, I felt that there is no better time than this to step off the treadmill.