Ahmad Jauhari clear about what MAS needs

KUALA LUMPUR: It has been five months since Ahmad Jauhari Yahya took over the helm of Malaysia Airlines to examine ways to turn around the loss-making national carrier.

After a sharp learning curve, given that he had no previous experience in the aviation industry, he is rather clear about what needs to be done.

"It's about survival and winning back the customers again," he says in an interview with Bernama.

On the matter of survival, Ahmad Jauhari, 57, certainly knows what he is talking about, because he learnt the art of it when setting out to participate in the Ironman Triathlon series about 10 years ago.

And survive he did. Although he didn't know how to swim at one time, he learnt to excel in the discipline, in order to participate.

The Ironman Triathlon is a harsh and gruelling race, not for the faint-hearted, as it consists of a 3.86 km  swim, a 180.25-km bike race and a marathon over 42.2 km, in that order and without a break.

The whole race usually takes about 17 hours to complete.

Ahmad Jauhari's slender frame belies the tenacity of someone who has taken part in four Ironman series since 2003, the last being in 2009.

"It's about the satisfaction of being able to complete the race," he said when asked why he chose such a challenging sport.

Ahmad Jauhari even changed his hairstyle to that of a crew-cut look after taking the plunge in the Ironman series.

"I found it easier that way as I didn't have to comb my hair after the swim," he said.

For his mission at Malaysia Airlines, he knows what his immediate priorities are: cut losses, weed out unprofitable routes, woo back premium customers, raise productivity among employees and boost their morale.

For someone who has been in the power generation business and with strong survival instincts, Ahmad Jauhari looks set to be the man of the hour to re-energise Malaysia Airlines to soar again in customer satisfaction and profitability.

Source: MOLE