As the global trade organisation for the air transport industry, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) represents 230 airlines and employs 1,600 staff of 140 nationalities in 74 countries. But with headquarters in Geneva and Montreal, its corporate thinking has traditionally been biased towards western ideas and practices, with limited appreciation of important fast-growing markets, particularly those of India, China and other parts of Asia.

IATA faces the same problems as many other organisations around the world: how do we run operations in markets we don’t fully understand? And where do we find leaders able to grow local business, communicate with headquarters and manage local teams effectively while implementing global HR processes?