Tony Fernandes criticised for Massage Photo during Meeting

AirAsia’s boss Tony Fernandes drew criticism after he posted a shirtless photo of himself getting a massage while attending a management meeting.

In a now-deleted post on LinkedIn, the businessman was seen sitting in a conference room attending the video call.

He is shirtless while a woman in a face mask massages his neck.

Mr Fernandes captioned the image:

“Was a stressful week and Veranita Yosephine suggested a massage.

“Got to love Indonesia and AirAsia culture that I can have a massage and do a management meeting.”

Ms Yosephine is the boss of AirAsia’s operations in Indonesia but it is unclear who Mr Fernandes was speaking to in the video call.

The image drew criticism, with many questioning Mr Fernandes’ decision to share the post.

One user said on X: “So unprofessional and disrespectful.

“He should be setting an example of good work ethics and culture, not flaunting his body and privilege.”

Another simply wrote: “Some CEOs need to stay off LinkedIn.”

Others called it “gross” and said it “impacts work ethics”.

But others were less scathing, with one person joking that the image was a good example of how “working from home” should be.

Born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tony Fernandes is the son of a Goan father and a mother of mixed Indian and Asian-Portuguese descent.

Educated at Epsom College, one of Britain’s top private schools, Mr Fernandes bought the budget airline AirAsia from the Malaysian government for less than $1 in 2001.

He is also the founder of the Caterham F1 Formula One team, which began racing in 2010 as Lotus Racing and raced in 2011 as Team Lotus.

On July 2, 2014, Caterham F1 was sold to a Swiss and Middle Eastern consortium.

Mr Fernandes is a West Ham United fan and was involved in talks regarding a potential takeover of the club in May 2011.

He went on to become a majority shareholder of Queens Park Rangers.

On July 10, 2023, it was announced that Mr Fernandes no longer held any shares in QPR’s holding company, QPR Holdings Limited, and would no longer have involvement in the club.

Dubbed by some as Malaysia’s answer to Richard Branson, Mr Fernandes is not averse to publicity stunts.

A wager between the two airline tycoons led to Mr Branson dressing up as a stewardess serving passengers on AirAsia flights.

According to Forbes, Mr Fernandes is worth $335m (£275m). However, that marks a significant decline since 2014, when he was worth almost double that, at $650m.