My thoughts are with AirAsia, those onboard the missing QZ8501, their loved ones, and everyone who is saddened by this news. I wonder how AirAsia’s flamboyant and charismatic CEO, Dato’ Seri Tony Fernandes, is dealing with this–he calls it his ‘worst nightmare’ in a tweet–but I have a feeling that he is the sort of leader that people could find a measure of comfort in during such a crisis. Someone capable of coming up with solutions, and even in the face of tragic outcomes, he is the kind of leader who is the beacon of hope, providing strategies to restore hope and move forward.

Why do I say this? I do not know him personally, but six years ago, I attended his talk on the subject of branding, during which he shared many inspiring nuggets of wisdom and clever ideas. So this is how I developed an impression of him…