SITA appoints global leaders in Singapore

SITA announced the appointment of Sumesh Patel as SITA President Asia Pacific. He will be responsible for developing and driving the strategic direction for SITA in the region.

Sumesh is a global leader in the air transport industry with decades of experience working with airports and airlines across the world. Prior to this role, he was Vice-President of Business Management, Asia Pacific at SITA. He has guided teams in the design and implementation of major IT initiatives to meet the exacting needs of Asia Pacific’s leading airlines and airports.

His appointment is part of an organizational change which includes the appointment of Ilya Gutlin as President of the Air Travel Solutions division of the organization. Ilya will lead a global team in the development and delivery of products and services to SITA’s 2,800 airline, airport and government customers. Part of this division includes hundreds of software developers located across the world who together design and support mission-critical systems for the world’s air transport industry.

Ilya previously held the role of SITA President Asia Pacific at which time he drove growth and promoted innovation with SITA’s customers across the region. Prior to this he held the role of Vice-President of Airport Solutions and was the architect of SITA’s ‘Intelligent Airport’ vision. Both Sumesh and Ilya will be based at SITA’s Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore and Sumesh will join the Senior Leadership Team reporting directly to SITA’s CEO.

Barbara Dalibard, CEO SITA, said: “The Asia Pacific region has a strong role in the development of the air transport industry as airlines and airports look to technology to support the region’s fast growth. These two appointments solidify SITA’s dedication to the region and will ensure innovation and a keen focus on our customers. Sumesh’s deep knowledge of customers in APAC and his broad experience of SITA and leadership experience combined with Ilya’s drive to develop our products and solutions mean that we are poised for success.”

Sumesh began his career with SITA as an engineer in Mumbai, moving to sales in South Asia before working in both the areas of communications and airport business at SITA. He holds an MBA from the National University of Singapore.

Ilya began his career at Ernst & Young before joining SITA as a financial controller. He graduated with distinction with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University in Montreal. He also has a CPA from Canada and completed an Executive Leadership Program at INSEAD.