'Don't think women in your company would feel safe.' AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes hits online turbulence after he sits shirtless for meeting while getting a massage

"I don't think the women in your company would feel comfortable or safe in this context, and given you're the boss, they likely won't challenge you or say anything. Please for their sake, listen to the comments you've deleted on this post. You are clearly a smart leader that cares about culture but this isn't the way to create a supportive, safe one."

This was one of the many comments that came in response to AirAsia Chief Executive Officer Tony Fernandes posting a picture of himself (sitting shirtless) that showed him getting a massage while he was attending a management meeting. While the airline boss took to LinkedIn to appreciate the work culture of his company which allows him to mix work and pleasure, many on the networking platform were taken aback by the casual attitude of the CEO, and went on to question his leadership skills.

The 59-year-old top boss of AirAsia hit turbulence on the social platform after he shared a picture of himself sitting shirtless in a conference room attending a meeting while getting a massage. In the caption, he wrote, "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."


"We are making big progress and I have now finalized Capital A structure. Exciting days ahead. Proud of what we have built and never have lost sight of the finish," he added.

The post which went up on Monday has since been liked by 600+ people. Soon after it went up, many criticised it for being highly "inappropriate".

Anton Reyniers, whose LinkedIn bio describes him as a Creative and Communications Strategic Leader, slammed the post as "inappropriate entitlement to exemplary C Suite tone deafness in a single image." He wrote, "work at AirAsia, where meetings are as gross as our passenger experience.

Another user by the name of Vikram Arora wrote: "You may be a boss and have some good money and clout... But what is your culture, ethics or even personality? Expecting your response that your account was hacked or something."

Nathalie D Ramirez, whose bio says CGO @ Maker Lab, lambasted Fernandes. "A grown man, who is the chief executive of a publicly listed company, conducts a management meeting with his shirt off as he gets a massage. Remove “who is the chief executive of a publicly listed company” and it is still inappropriate," she wrote.

Another wrote: "I'm going to assume that this meeting took place long after the workday was over and most of the office was empty (except a few C-level), but at least put on a shirt for the photo.," commented another person.

A few users also lauded the CEO for "impressive work", and one even called him an "agent of change who endorsed body positivity."

A Malaysian entrepreneur, Fernandes is the founder of Tune Air Sdn. Bhd., which took over the first Malaysian budget airline, AirAsia.