15 questions with AirAsia X

Josie Chin heads up investor relations at AirAsia X. The long-haul budget arm of AirAsia won the award for best IR for an IPO in South East Asia in IR Magazine’s 2013/2014 Asian research.

Josie Chin (Left) with her colleagues at the IR Magazine Awards and Conference - South East Asia 2013

1. How long have you been in IR?
Since September 2013 – this is my first IR experience.

2. What did you do before joining the profession?
My roles have always been very people-oriented, from client servicing to business development in various financial institutions, including a credit rating agency, fund houses, banks and insurers.

3. Which qualifications do you hold, and which matters most?
I have a degree in banking and finance as well as a master’s in financial management. Although the education provides the basic know-how, the right attitude and perseverance take you a long way.

4. How is your IR team set up?
We are very lean but I have a good team mate supporting me. 

5. What is the relationship between the AirAsia X IR team and the IR team at parent AirAsia?
We work together and constantly communicate. Each team provides a weekly report that is consolidated and disseminated to group-wide management, so everyone is well informed on both IR teams’ activities and industry news. Investor roadshows and conferences, however, are conducted separately.

6. How many roadshows and investor conferences do you usually take part in each year?
Post IPO in July 2013, we have participated in close to 10 investor roadshows or conferences. We aim to do at least one a year in the US and London and more regular events in Asia.

7. Do you use social media as part of your IR program?
All IR team members within the group use the group IR twitter account @AirAsia_IR.

8. Who do you report to?
IR is part of finance and reports to the CFO as well as the CEO.

9. What is the most popular question from investors and analysts right now?
When will AirAsia X turn around?

10. Do you hold investor days?
It’s something we would definitely like to consider for the future.

11. What’s been your biggest challenge over the last year?
I came in from a totally different industry and needed to quickly grasp the airline business as well as industry jargon.

12. What’s your favorite thing about doing IR?
Meeting investors and analysts in different countries and sharing with them the AirAsia X business model of a long-haul, low-cost carrier, which the company has pioneered in this sector.

13. And your least favorite?
I would still consider myself to be a newbie in this role so each day is a great learning curve with amazing new experiences.

14. Where do you see yourself in five years?
I’m aiming to be a more experienced and savvy IRO who can contribute new ideas to make the role even more interesting. I want to go with the flow: things may turn out unexpectedly, which is how I ended up in a role I really enjoy.

15. If you could pass on one IR lesson, what would it be?
Be sincere and continue to engage with investors and analysts even in the most challenging periods.