Star Alliance CEO: Local business leader is a star media performer

The Singapore Airshow, which ended yesterday, brought the "who's who" of the global aviation industry to town – among them this week's shortlisted candidate for the Hong Bao Media Savvy Awards 2018.

Dr Jeffrey Goh, the CEO of Star Alliance, submitted himself to a live Bloomberg interview from the Airshow and dealt with the questions with the confidence and style befitting a global CEO; a worthy candidate for the Hong Bao Media Savvy Awards 2018, the winner of which will be announced at a special ceremony in May.

We launched the Hong Bao Media Savvy Awards to recognise local Senior Business Leaders for their communications skills, and to showcase authentic and credible home-grown communicators. These are shining examples for other local business leaders to follow, and to build a culture of excellence in communication, to maximise the potential of Asian companies in the Asian Century.

Admittedly, the St Joseph's Institution's old boy barely scrapes in as a local business leader. Clearly his many years in the UK, Canada and Germany have shaped his media and presentation technique. Further, we would offer some additional media training pointers, such as avoiding uttering the names of competitors ("I cannot speak for OneWorld or SkyTeam…" at 1:58-2:03).

But I have shortlisted him for the Hong Bao Media Savvy Awards 2018 this week because:

1. Confidence – The interview took place at the crowded, noisy Singapore Airshow Aviation Leadership Summit with other delegates swanning around. Dr Goh was not distracted. He came across as confident and relaxed.
2. Clear theme – His message that Star Alliance has been listening to its customers, or was improving or focusing on a seamless customer experience, featured in most of his answers. As a result, it shaped the theme of the interview and found its way into the title of the clip on the Bloomberg website.
3. Credible responses – While ensuring his message remained a common theme, he wasn't shy about addressing real world issues, such as infrastructure bottlenecks at airports and ownership structure of Alliance partners. This is an increasingly important skill. Senior Business Leaders must go beyond trotting out glib corporate lines. That's just not credible. They must demonstrate their ability to grasp real-world issues.

In sum, Dr Goh is not just a local business leader who has risen to head a global organisation – in this case, Star Alliance – he is also an excellent example of a local business leader who has the potential to be a global media star.

Each week until April 30, 2018, we are shortlisting a local corporate figure who has demonstrated excellence in a media appearance for the Hong Bao Media Savvy Awards 2018.

Click on the link below to enter yourself or another Senior Business Leader.