Few people are aware how their dreams or ambitions will turn out when they are very young. Tony Fernandes, Air Asia CEO, is no different. In 1977, when he was very young, Malaysian Fernandes was sent by his parents to Manchester in the UK. Naturally, besides studying he had other activities, the proof of which he collected and kept in a box.
When Fernandes returned to Malaysia, so did his box of dreams. But he soon forgot it in his busy life. Thirty years later, he had a chance to show the box to an old pal he grew up with. When he opened it, the box contained an airplane ticket, a ticket stub to watch the Formula 1 race, a ticket stub to watch a football tournament and a music cassette.
At the age of 49, Fernandes seems to have fulfilled all his ambitions – according to his dream box. Today, he heads an airline company, he founded and owns the Malaysian Caterham F1 racing event, he is a majority shareholder of the English football team, Queens Park Rangers, and he was vice-president of Warner Music Southeast Asia (1999-2001). "I never expected it to happen," said Fernandes in Malaysia last week.
