Incorporated in 1972, Singapore Airlines (SIA) has evolved into one of the world’s most awarded travel brands, well-recognised globally for its exemplary service standards and impressive in-flight experiences. With the aviation industry becoming increasingly dynamic and competitive, SIA is always on the lookout for leaders with energy, passion, fresh ideas, and a keen spirit to keep the airline soaring.

And Varun is one such person. Wanting to turn his passion for aviation into a career, Varun took up the SIA-SINDA Undergraduate Scholarship to join Singapore’s flagship carrier in pursuit of his dreams.

Upon graduation, development opportunities abound for scholars to develop as a Generalist or Specialist. Generalists will have opportunities for job rotation across different key business functions to build a breadth of knowledge and acquire a broad range of transferable business skills. Specialists, on the other hand, can build deeper technical expertise as go-to experts and look forward to posting within their field of specialisation.

Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Varun sees SIA as not only a great way to fly but also a great place to start his career!

Varun Moorthy

Letting His Dreams Take Flight

“Like every Singaporean, SIA holds a special place in my heart,” Varun shared. Growing up, he always had a deep sense of admiration for the iconic flagship carrier, as a testament to the excellence upheld by Singapore on the global stage.

“I wanted to know how SIA achieved her world-class accolades,” he added. This sparked his interest in an aviation career with SIA.

He was further convinced by the accounts of his friends working in SIA. “They shared about a fulfilling career where one is exposed to SIA’s diverse business functions such as commercial, operations, customer servicing, sales and branding. Not only that, but SIA also provided ample rotational opportunities for employees as part of their career and professional development,” he enthused.

So, when Varun chanced upon the SIA-SINDA Undergraduate Scholarship on the BrightSparks portal, he was completely sold on it. It was a decision that he has never looked back on.

SIA allowed Varun to pursue his choice of study and even sought his preferences for job placement before graduation. “I did my degree at the University of Bristol, which has a renowned Engineering department that is well-funded in their research by the government and private entities like the National Composites Lab (UK) and Airbus,” Varun raved, “It provided me the opportunity to delve into cutting edge research that could one day revolutionise manufacturing and engineering!”

Naturally, one would expect Varun to work in the engineering division after graduation. However, he developed a knack and interest for data analytics in university and decided on his first role as a data analyst in the Customer Contact Services Department (CCSD) when he joined SIA three years ago.

“Our managers go the extra mile to support our needs and ensure development opportunities are available to each of us. This was how I got to participate in all the projects I was interested in at CCSD, and subsequently a job rotation to my current department, Group Planning,” he explained.

Soaring To New Heights

Currently, Varun is Senior Executive Strategic Planning & Business Development at the Group Planning Department in SIA.

He and his team are responsible for the development of SIA Group’s strategic plans, the tracking of Management Dashboard key performance indicators (KPIs), and the review of investments and ventures.

As part of his everyday work, Varun performs research and analysis on assigned topics, ranging from a new business sector, an investment opportunity to a white paper on the Group’s response to a strategic impetus, as well as collating the KPIs, organising strategy sessions and administering capital injection or investment disposal activities.

While every day is a busy day for Varun, he finds a sense of purpose in his work. “SIA always strives to better itself in a highly competitive aviation ecosystem. Thus, there are always challenges for me to rise to and play my part in this journey regardless of the role I’m playing,” he said.

The Sky Is the Limit

Varun hopes to become an aviation industry expert and help SIA soar to greater heights. “I don’t see climbing the career ladder as a means to an end. Instead, I want to see more, do more and learn more!” he said.

Indeed, SIA supports its employees by equipping them with skillsets through various trainings or certification programmes relevant to their roles. “I have personally attended multiple courses on Product Ownership (PO), Tableau software and COPC Workforce Management (WFM), to name a few,” he added.

Not only that, but Varun has also set his sights higher. “I wish to seek opportunities outside my comfort zone and continue with job rotations to other departments and roles to better understand the cogs that make SIA tick!”