LONDON, October 28, 2014 –
The 2014 World Branding Awards gave special recognition to Tony Fernandes,
AirAsia Group CEO, naming him “Brand Builder of the Year” for his outstanding
work in building the low cost airline brand.
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| Tony Fernandes receiving the award from Chairman of World Branding Forum, Mr Richard Rowles |
AirAsia was also named
“Brand of the Year” in the airline category. The airline was the only regional
winner, having scored the highest for a low cost airline in Malaysia,
Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. 68 brands from 25 countries
were honoured at a glittering awards ceremony at the prestigious One Whitehall
Place in London. Global winners include Apple, Coca-Cola, Del Monte, Heinz,
HSBC, Louis Vuitton, McDonald’s, Samsung, Sony PlayStation and VISA.
AirAsia Group CEO, Tony
Fernandes said, “It’s an honor for me to receive this award and I would like
to thank the World Branding Awards for the prestigious recognition. Branding
has always held a special part in my heart and we are very proud to be where we
are in just a little over a decade.
“AirAsia is what it is
today due to the can-do attitude of each and every person that makes up the
AirAsia family. Every single one represents the brand, showing the world how we
do things differently via constant innovation and I share this award with them.
Our innovative trait is the key in elevating our brand and sets us apart from
the rest of the field,” Tony added.
Richard Rowles, Chairman
of the World Branding Forum said, “It takes years to build a strong brand, and
brands that make the list at these awards deserve recognition. Their works inspire those who work in the branding industry, and these are also brands that
have a strong relationship with consumers. In addition to a brand valuation,
voting by consumers show that connection that winning brands have with the
general public.”
Under Tony’s leadership,
AirAsia has grown into a world-class and innovative brand with revolutionary
low fares, premium products and high quality services. His drive, creativity,
enthusiasm of driving liberalization across the region has opened countless new
markets for AirAsia, bringing affordable air travel to millions of travelers and high growth levels to countless tourism destinations in a remarkably short time.
The airline’s tenacity in
breaking the norm of air travel and its insistence on constant innovation has
made it the most significant airline brand when it comes to low cost travel.
After taking over the then
struggling airline in late 2001, Tony and his management grew the airline which
has now flown more than 250 million guests to date. From a fleet of two
aircraft, one destination and staff of 250, the AirAsia Group now operates a fleet
of over 170 aircraft and 90 destinations.
The 2014 World Branding
Awards was organized by the World Branding Forum, a global non-profit
organization which produces, manages and supports a wide range of programmes
covering research, development, education, recognition, networking and
outreach. It is also involved with research and development, the implementation
of standards, best practice guidelines and tools, as well as other relevant
branding initiatives.
The awards recognized some
of the best global and national brands for their work and achievements.
Uniquely, winners were judged through four streams: brand valuation, consumer
market research, public online voting, as well voting by the World Branding
Forum Advisory Council, which is made up of luminaries from the world of
branding.
