Airport investor CASIL: Chief Operation Officer appointment

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China Airport Synergy Investment Limited (CASIL), the airport investor who successful bidded for the 49.99% stake of Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in France, today announced the appointment of famous Chine

China Airport Synergy Investment Limited (CASIL), the airport investor who successful bidded for the 49.99% stake of Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in France, today announced the appointment of famous Chinese academic and think tank Professor Victor Fung-Shuen SIT as Senior Advisor, while Asia aviation expert Tom Wong is joining CASILโ€™s leadership as Chief Operation Officer.

Prof. Sit is known as a planner specialist of airport planning and development in Greater China. He has spent nearly 40 years on China studies, covering Chinese economy, industrial development policies, urban theories and planning, regional development, as well as transformation of society and politics. As a member of major economic strategy think tanks in China and the Hong Kong SAR, Prof. Sit has been actively involved in the planning and consultations of the Hong Kong International Airport, and provided advisory to the planning and development of the airports of the key cities in Southern China, including those in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Macau and Hainan.

Mike Poon, Chief Executive Officer of CASIL, said, โ€œIt is our honor to have Prof. Sit joining our advisory committee. Prof. Sit began his researches focusing on the bonding between China and the rest of the world, and the โ€œshiftโ€ of the global economy back in the 80โ€™s, among other issues that have led to todayโ€™s โ€œBelt and Road Initiativesโ€. We believe his strategic insights and intelligence on China development, esteemed knowledge and experiences in airport planning will uniquely position CASIL to advise the airports we invest in on strategic issues like developing connections to create routes where China has become a major point of engagement, as well as managing the environmental, social and economic impacts in order to create sustainable value.โ€

In joining CASIL, Tom Wong brings a 30-year experience in the Asia aviation industry. He spent 14 years with Cathay Pacific Airways, where he headed the commercial, operational and corporate functions. He also acted as the carrierโ€™s India Country Manager, and Head of Cargo Sales for Hong Kong and China. Tom then held various senior roles in a number of airlines, air logistics companies and airport operation consultancy, including Managing Director Hong Kong and Macau of DHL Supply Chain, Chief Executive Officer of SATS Hong Kong, a Singapore Airlines subsidiary which manages ground handling services, and Director of Viva Macau Airlines. Tom has recently facilitated a number of active players in the region to implement their business strategy, which include supporting the startup of a Guangzhou based cargo airline under a major Chinese aviation group, and driving the development and execution of North Asia sales and operational strategies for Jet Airways (India) HK.

โ€œDuring his career, Tom has acquired expertise in all aspects of aviation-related management from corporate planning to operations management, business development and strategic investment. His all-round operations and management experience is an invaluable asset for the development of CASIL. We believe his expertise in commercial development will definitely facilitate the airports we in to capture their potential upside,โ€ Mike Poon commented.

CASIL is building up its portfolio of airport and related investment in Europe and other parts of the world. Its acquisition of a 49.99% stake of Toulouse-Blagnac Airport was voted โ€œDeal of the Year 2015โ€ at the audience poll at Global Airport Development Conference 2015. The transaction was the first airport privatization project in France, which also marked the first overseas airport acquisition by a Chinese consortium.

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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