Virgin Atlantic's Shivani Singh on Women's Leadership in Aviation

By: Shivani Singh Deo, Country Manager- India, Virgin Atlantic

Aviation has long been associated with innovation, precision, and global connectivity. Today, it is also witnessing a notable rise in women taking on leadership roles and influencing the industry's direction across business, operations, and strategy.

Shivani Singh Deo, Country Manager- India, Virgin Atlantic, believes that women leaders are helping reshape the aviation landscape by bringing diverse perspectives, fostering collaboration, and creating environments where both people and businesses can thrive.

In an insightful conversation with Women Entrepreneurs Review Magazine, Shivani shares her views on the growing presence of women in aviation leadership, the lessons that shaped her career, and the importance of authentic leadership in building high-performing teams.

An accomplished aviation and business leader with over 17 years of experience across aviation, retail, media, and lifestyle sectors, Shivani has built expertise in commercial strategy, marketing, communications, and customer engagement, contributing to business growth and market expansion throughout her career.

Read the complete article below for deeper insights.

Q1. As more young women step into top leadership across India, how do you see aviation evolving, and what makes this moment significant for women shaping its future?

A. It's incredibly inspiring to witness more young women ascending to top leadership across India, signalling a truly transformative era for aviation. The past decade has seen a significant shift from mere inclusion to genuine empowerment, with women now prominently shaping the industry's future as decision-makers, innovators, and role models across all functions, from pilots to commercial leaders. This moment is significant because women leaders bring unique perspectives that foster inclusive, empathetic, and strategically robust environments.

Q2. From your 17-year journey, what defining experiences strengthened your resilience and shaped your leadership voice within such a high-stakes, performance-driven industry?

A. Early in my career, I often found myself needing to establish credibility quickly -sometimes as the youngest person in the room, and often in high-pressure environments. Learning to communicate with clarity and confidence, even amid uncertainty, was a defining shift.

Navigating periods of change -whether market challenges or organisational transitions, strengthened my ability to stay grounded and adaptable while continuing to deliver.

Strong mentors and allies have played an important role, reinforcing that leadership is also about creating opportunities for others to grow.

Q3. Aviation demands precision, speed, and constant adaptation. How have you balanced commercial strategy with empathy and collaboration to build high-performing, motivated teams?

A. Aviation's demands for precision and speed are undeniable, but I’ve found that high-performing, motivated teams thrive when commercial strategy is deeply rooted in empathy and collaboration. It's about recognizing that our people are our most valuable asset. 

At Virgin Atlantic, we actively embed initiatives like our Scarlet network for women's professional development, and our Springboard programme, which equips individuals with confidence, leadership skills, and resilience. These programs foster a culture where diverse perspectives are encouraged, and everyone feels valued.

By investing in our teams’ growth, celebrating achievements, and ensuring inclusive leadership is part of our everyday culture, we build the robust, adaptable teams needed to navigate complexity and sustain our premium service standards. This people-first approach is key to our commercial success and strategic scaling.

Q4. Building on that people-first approach, how have you cultivated cross-functional alignment across global and local teams to accelerate growth while sustaining a strong, unified culture?

A. Building cross-functional alignment across global and local teams comes down to clarity, communication, and trust.

I focus on ensuring teams understand the shared strategic priorities -whether that’s growth in India or enhancing customer experience, so everyone is working towards a common goal.

Consistent communication is key, supported by both structured forums and open dialogue across teams.

It’s also important to strike the right balance between global consistency and local relevance. Empowering teams with the flexibility to adapt to their markets, while staying aligned to a common direction, enables both speed and cohesion.

When that foundation is in place, alignment becomes more organic and effective.

Q5. For women aspiring to lead in aviation, where do you see the most exciting opportunities emerging today, and what mindset shifts are essential to truly excel?

A. Aviation today offers exciting opportunities across areas like digital innovation, sustainability, and commercial strategy- well beyond traditional roles. In high-growth markets like India, this creates space for fresh perspectives and new leadership pathways.

For women aspiring to lead, an important mindset shift is moving from waiting for certainty to embracing opportunity. Growth often comes from taking on challenges before you feel fully ready.

It’s also important to recognise the value of your own perspective. Different experiences bring different insights, which are critical in a fast-evolving industry.

Finally, building strong professional networks can play a key role in long-term growth and support. Most importantly, stay true to your values. Leadership is far more impactful when it reflects who you are, rather than who you think you need to be.

LAST WORD: What advice would you share with young women determined to build enduring leadership careers in demanding global industries while staying authentic?

For young women building leadership careers in demanding global industries, my advice would be to stay curious, be consistent, and invest in your own growth.

Focus on building depth in your expertise but also remain open to cross-functional experiences—they often shape the most well-rounded leaders.

Seek out mentors and sponsors who can challenge and guide you, and don’t hesitate to ask for feedback along the way.

Equally, resilience is key. Not every step will go to plan, but those moments often provide the greatest learning.

Most importantly, stay true to your values. Leadership is far more impactful when it reflects who you are, rather than who you think you need to be.