Fondly known as Ms Santan among her colleagues, Catherine Goh joined the AirAsia Group in 2014 as a Network, Charter, and Fleet Planner. She has since held several senior leadership roles, including Executive Assistant to the Group CEO, Regional Head of Inflight Catering, and Regional Head of Inflight Retail. Her breadth of experience and consistent track record of success have positioned her as a key contributor to the Group’s transformation and long-term growth.
Throughout her career at AirAsia, Goh has taken on increasingly complex and high-impact roles, driving both growth and operational excellence. One of her most notable achievements was transforming the Group’s inflight operations, encompassing duty-free, merchandise, and catering into a highly efficient and profitable business. During her tenure leading Duty Free, she revamped the business model and delivered an exceptional 200% growth, generating MYR31 million in revenue within just six months. This marked the highest per-passenger revenue in AirAsia’s 17-year history, alongside a penetration rate increase of over 50%.
As Chief Executive Officer of Santan, Goh oversees the Santan Food Service Company’s core initiatives, including AirAsia Group’s inflight catering operations, B2B partnerships with other airlines, corporate catering services, WiFi business, and supply chain management. Challenging long-standing perceptions of airline food as uninspired, she redefined the category by prioritising quality, authenticity, and care, even at 30,000 feet. By introducing AI-powered demand forecasting and digitised logistics, she significantly reduced waste, improved cost efficiency, and ensured consistent product quality across hundreds of routes and outlets.
Under her leadership, Santan expanded beyond inflight services into retail and e-commerce through bold innovations such as freeze-dried coffee and ready-to-eat meals, making authentic Southeast Asian flavours accessible anytime and anywhere. She is also leading the expansion of the AirAsia Grocer portfolio and cultivating strategic partnerships with brands including ZUS Coffee and PETRONAS, further diversifying and strengthening the company’s ecosystem.
Catherine Goh holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Marketing from Upper Iowa University, USA.
