‘When employees respond together…’: IndiGo's outgoing CEO thanks colleagues for teaching him this single most important life lesson

New Delhi: Ahead of stepping down, IndiGo's outgoing CEO Ronojoy Dutta has penned a heartfelt note to fellow colleagues in which he thanked them all for being instrumental in teaching the single most important lesson during his stint with the airline carrier. Dutta, 71, will retire on 30 September after guiding IndiGo through the turbulent Covid period.  

In an exit note, Dutta said: "The single most important lesson I learnt at IndiGo is that when the employees of a large company respond together in unison to a crisis, their contributions show up in unexpected ways and with unanticipated force across multiple dimensions and the company as an entity emerges, not weaker as a result of the crisis, but stronger than ever before."

He thanked his colleagues for being instrumental in teaching him this "valuable and uplifting life-lesson". "As I reflect on my own thoughts and feelings at the time of departure, I recognise in my mind a surge of respect for the quiet and often unacknowledged contributions you make to the company day after day, and I know I will always carry a legacy of gratitude, kinship and affection for all of you in my heart," Dutta said.  

IndiGo, which is counted among the budget airlines, on May 18 informed that Dutta would be stepping down and he would be succeeded by Pieter Elbers. Announcing his retirement, Dutta had then said that IndiGo would in the good custody of Elbers and that the future for IndiGo employees was secure and bright. "I would like to thank all the employees at IndiGo for the kindness and affection they have shown me over the past four years. As I move forward to the next chapter of my life, I will look back with nostalgia, fondness, and a tinge of separation regret," he said.

Elbers is likely to take charge as the next CEO on 6 September. Since 2014, Elbers has served as the President and CEO of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Air France – KLM Group. He started his career at KLM in 1992 at their Schiphol hub and over time, held several managerial positions in both The Netherlands and overseas in Japan, Greece and Italy. After he returned to The Netherlands, he was appointed as the Senior Vice President of Network and Alliances.