No Such Thing As A Nine-To-Five For Virgin Executives

Sir Richard Branson (R) and CEO John Borghetti (L) are seen exiting the A330 airplane during a rebranding launch. Photo: Getty/Don Arnold

Damon Kitney at The Australian has a great profile piece out today on Virgin Australia’s chief financial officer Sankar Narayan, which gives a unique insight into executive life at the top of the aviation industry.

In a wide-ranging article, Narayan tells Kitney a little bit about the work load, and the flexible hours that the men and women under boss John Borghetti are expected to keep.

“It is a 24-7 role. The message I give to my team is that if you want a 9-to-5, five-day-a-week role, I’m sure there are other industries other than Virgin,” he told The Aus.

“That is not what is required. When we send emails or are sent them, we do respond notwithstanding what time of day or day it is. Because passengers fly us 24-7. How can we as executives not be switched on 24-7?

“Very often you see lots of emails flying around on either a Saturday afternoon or a Sunday afternoon. Saturday morning you need to think about what you have to write on Saturday afternoon,” Narayan said in the article.

While admitting Borghetti is a hard task-master, Narayan also said he’s not unreasonable.

“Demanding being expecting strong outcomes, but not impossible outcomes. Impossible to someone who doesn’t know it can be achieved,” he said of his boss.

Read the full article here.

Now Read: Singapore Airlines Has Bought Another Big Chunk Of Virgin Australia

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