Virgin Atlantic CEO: ‘In aviation, you need to be paranoid’
Shai Weiss, Virgin Atlantic’s CE, is just back from a corporate strategy meeting on Necker Island, Richard Branson’s private hideaway in the Caribbean. It is a fitting location for the airline, 51% owned by Branson’s Virgin Group, which has always traded on a maverick and glamorous image. Alongside senior bosses from US airline Delta, which owns the rest of the company, the “Necker Summit” is an annual chance to plot Virgin Atlantic’s future, and for shareholders to hold Weiss to account. “There are formal presentations, and yes there is pressure. But forging, cementing and strengthening our partnership is not just done in a meeting room. It is also done playing [dice game] Perudo after dinner,” Weiss says. Who wins the games of dice? “Of course, Richard. He must win. But once in a while we find another person who wins.” This year’s meeting took place shortly after last month’s day-long closure of Heathrow — where most of Virgin Atlantic’s flights start and finish — due to a power outage, and a subsequent Financial Times report that airlines could have to pay up to GBP1bn to improve the airport’s electricity resilience. Still, it would have been easier than previous gatherings: Virgin Atlantic reported its first profit since 2016 days after the summit wrapped up. The financial return was modest: £20mn in profit before exceptional items. But it was still a watershed moment for a company that has punched above its weight in branding and marketing but struggled to consistently make money. The return to profit came five years after Virgin Atlantic nearly went bust during the pandemic — after the UK government refused to offer it the same support handed to many other airlines — and three years after Weiss was diagnosed with cancer, which is now in remission. Given this back story, the CE does not hold back, describing a journey “from crisis to triumph”. The 57-year-old, born and raised in Israel, has a sense of showmanship that fits with the Virgin brand. He always pairs his suits with trainers, is one of the more outspoken British CEs and he knows the value of a good photo opportunity — including a selfie with the CEs of BA and Heathrow at a recent industry dinner. Story has more.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2025-04-07/oneworld/virgin-atlantic-ceo-2018in-aviation-you-need-to-be-paranoid2019
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Virgin Atlantic CEO: ‘In aviation, you need to be paranoid’
Shai Weiss, Virgin Atlantic’s CE, is just back from a corporate strategy meeting on Necker Island, Richard Branson’s private hideaway in the Caribbean. It is a fitting location for the airline, 51% owned by Branson’s Virgin Group, which has always traded on a maverick and glamorous image. Alongside senior bosses from US airline Delta, which owns the rest of the company, the “Necker Summit” is an annual chance to plot Virgin Atlantic’s future, and for shareholders to hold Weiss to account. “There are formal presentations, and yes there is pressure. But forging, cementing and strengthening our partnership is not just done in a meeting room. It is also done playing [dice game] Perudo after dinner,” Weiss says. Who wins the games of dice? “Of course, Richard. He must win. But once in a while we find another person who wins.” This year’s meeting took place shortly after last month’s day-long closure of Heathrow — where most of Virgin Atlantic’s flights start and finish — due to a power outage, and a subsequent Financial Times report that airlines could have to pay up to GBP1bn to improve the airport’s electricity resilience. Still, it would have been easier than previous gatherings: Virgin Atlantic reported its first profit since 2016 days after the summit wrapped up. The financial return was modest: £20mn in profit before exceptional items. But it was still a watershed moment for a company that has punched above its weight in branding and marketing but struggled to consistently make money. The return to profit came five years after Virgin Atlantic nearly went bust during the pandemic — after the UK government refused to offer it the same support handed to many other airlines — and three years after Weiss was diagnosed with cancer, which is now in remission. Given this back story, the CE does not hold back, describing a journey “from crisis to triumph”. The 57-year-old, born and raised in Israel, has a sense of showmanship that fits with the Virgin brand. He always pairs his suits with trainers, is one of the more outspoken British CEs and he knows the value of a good photo opportunity — including a selfie with the CEs of BA and Heathrow at a recent industry dinner. Story has more.<br/>
