AirAsia boss criticised for ‘unprofessional’ massage photo during meeting

The boss of AirAsia, Tony Fernandes, has faced a backlash for posting a picture of himself receiving a topless massage during a management meeting.

The former owner of Queens Park Rangers football club shared the image in a LinkedIn post, which has since been deleted.

The Malaysian entrepreneur wrote that it had been a “stressful week”, adding: “Got to love Indonesia and AirAsia culture that I can have a massage and do a management meeting.”

Fernandes’s photo has been roundly criticised across social media, with some describing it as “unprofessional”, as well as “inappropriate and absurd”, BBC News reported.

“He should be setting an example of good work ethics and culture, not flaunting his body and privilege,” one user added.

Another said: “Some CEOs need to stay off LinkedIn.” Others were less scathing; one user joked that Fernandes’s unusual office etiquette was how “working from home” should be.

Educated at one of Britain’s top private schools, Epsom College, Fernandes bought the budget airline AirAsia from the Malaysian government in 2001 for less than $1.

He went on to own QPR football club in west London, as well as founding the former Caterham F1 Formula One team.

Dubbed by some as Malaysia’s answer to the Virgin founder Richard Branson, the 59-year-old is not averse to publicity stunts. A wager between the two tycoons led to Branson dressing up as a stewardess serving passengers on AirAsia flights.

According to Forbes, Fernandes is worth $335m (£275m). However, that marks a significant decline since 2014, when he was worth almost double that, at $650m.

Fernandes is prolific on social media and notably used it to keep the public informed as he made his way to Surabaya in Indonesia to meet relatives of the passengers onboard the missing AirAsia flight QZ8501 in 2014.

The Guardian has contacted AirAsia for comment.