AirAsia CEO receives flak for sitting shirtless during meeting

AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes gets a massage during a management meeting (Image: Tony Fernandes/LinkedIn)

AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes has received flak for attending a virtual meeting shirtless while getting a massage. In his LinkedIn post shared earlier this week, Fernandes praised Indonesia and the work culture at AirAsia that allowed him to get a massage while attending a management meeting. However, many in the comments section criticised the act as unprofessional.

Fernandes, 59, said that he had a stressful week at work and decided to relax with a massage at the suggestion of his colleague – AirAsia Indonesia CEO Veranita Yosephine. “Got to love Indonesia and AirAsia culture that I can have a massage and do a management meeting,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post that has since been deleted.

The Malaysian entrepreneur’s picture shows him receiving a massage at his desk while attending the virtual meeting.

Some CEOs need to stay off LinkedIn pic.twitter.com/O4VAee5IRO— Anoop Menon (@godsonlymistake) October 17, 2023

“I don't think the women in your company would feel comfortable or safe in this context, and given you're the boss, they likely won't challenge you or say anything. Please for their sake, listen to the comments you've deleted on this post. You are clearly a smart leader that cares about culture but this isn't the way to create a supportive, safe one,” wrote one commenter.

“A grown man, who is the chief executive of a publicly listed company, conducts a management meeting with his shirt off as he gets a massage. Remove ‘who is the chief executive of a publicly listed company’ and it is still inappropriate,” said another.

Several other comments slammed Fernandes for the inappropriate act and the post even made its way to X, where it has received thousands of shocked reactions.