Datuk Kamarudin Meranun is the co- founder of AirAsia. Together with his business partner and long-time friend Tony Fernandes, he acquired struggling domestic airline AirAsia in December 2001 and relaunched it as a pioneer of budget travel in Asia, building AirAsia into the world’s best low-cost carrier. He is the Non-Independent Executive Chairman of AirAsia Group Berhad, taking the lead in engaging with the government, aviation regulators and airport authorities of Malaysia.  Before  being  designated  as Executive Chairman, he was AirAsia’s Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer.

Before joining AirAsia, Datuk Kamarudin worked at Arab-Malaysian Merchant Bank from 1988 to 1993 as a Portfolio Manager, managing both institutional and high net- worth individual clients’ investment funds. In 1994, he was appointed Executive Director of Innosabah Capital Management Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Innosabah Securities Sdn Bhd. He subsequently acquired the shares of the joint venture partner of Innosabah Capital Management Sdn Bhd, which was later renamed Intrinsic Capital Management Sdn. Bhd. He graduated with a Diploma in Actuarial Science from University Technology MARA (UiTM) and a BSc with Distinction (Magna Cum Laude) majoring in Finance in 1986 and an MBA in 1987 from Central Michigan University.

He received the Darjah Panglima Jasa Negara (PJN), which carries the title Datuk, from the Malaysian King in November 2013.