Kalanithi Maran-promoted budget carrier SpiceJet Ltd has roped in Sanjiv Kapoor, former advisor at now defunct private airlines of Bangladesh GMG Airlines, as chief operating officer (COO). He will take over the role on November 1, as per a stock market disclosure.
The new appointment comes three months after its chief executive Neil Mills quit the airline to become chief executive adviser at Philippine Airlines.
It also comes amidst negotiations between the budget carrier with several international airlines including Kuwait Airway for a strategic investment after the government opened up domestic aviation to foreign investment.
Kapoor started his career with Northwest Airlines in the USA in 1996 where he worked in several roles spanning corporate finance, business planning, procurement and operation.
After that, Kapoor joined consulting firm Bain & Company as a leader in their airline practice and most recently, he was on the board of GMG Airlines, Bangladesh as special advisor and led several initiatives towards productivity improvement, cost control, customer satisfaction and service quality.
GMG Airlines, the first private carrier in Bangladesh suspended operations in March 2012 and remains inactive till date.
Kapoor has also worked with Boston Consulting Group (USA) and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund Temasek.
He received an MBA degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an undergraduate degree in computer science from Dartmouth College, (USA).
