After more than four decades at the heart of Singapore’s aviation success story, Changi Airport Group’s Senior Vice President for Airside Concessions, Chandra Mahtani, is set to retire. Changi Airport Group has announced a leadership transition that will see new executives step up to guide the commercial and airside business into its next phase of growth, as the airport prepares for the opening of Terminal 5 and a future defined by experiential travel, omnichannel retail and intensified hub competition.
A Veteran of Changi’s Commercial Transformation
For 42 years, Chandra Mahtani has been closely associated with the evolution of Changi from a regional airfield into a benchmark-setting global hub. Joining the airport in its formative years, she has witnessed and helped shape each major expansion, from the early terminals to the launch of Jewel and the rejuvenation of existing facilities. Her tenure reflects the broader arc of Singapore’s ambition to become one of the world’s premier aviation gateways, anchored by a strong commercial proposition and consistently high service standards.
Mahtani’s work in airside concessions has been central to Changi’s reputation for turning the airport experience into a destination in itself. Under her leadership, the airside retail and F&B mix has continually evolved to match shifting passenger profiles and preferences, from the rise of luxury travel retail to the growing importance of local brands and experiential concepts. Her role demanded a delicate balance between commercial yield, passenger satisfaction and the operational demands of a busy hub airport, particularly during periods of rapid traffic growth.
Colleagues within Changi Airport Group describe her as a steady hand during both expansion and downturns, particularly the sharp disruption brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. As global traffic collapsed, lease structures, retailer support, and long-term planning all needed to be recalibrated. Mahtani was among the leaders who worked with partners to maintain a viable commercial ecosystem, ensuring that, when travel rebounded, Changi’s concession portfolio would be ready to scale back up quickly.
Forty Two Years of Service in a Changing Aviation Landscape
Mahtani’s 42-year journey mirrors a period of profound change in aviation. When she began her career, duty free and airport retail were largely transactional, focused on traditional categories and price-driven sales. Over the decades, the environment shifted toward curated experiences, brand theater and digital integration. Changi, often at the forefront of these developments, pioneered integrated landside and airside precincts, seasonal campaigns and partnerships that blurred the line between airport, mall and tourist attraction.
As Senior Vice President for Airside Concessions and, more recently, Terminal 5 commercial planning, Mahtani played a key role in these transformations. Planning commercial areas for a new mega terminal requires long lead times and a strong sense of where travel retail is headed, not just where it is today. That involves forecasting passenger flows, aligning retail clusters with airline gate banks, and building in flexibility so that spaces can adapt to future categories and concepts that may not yet exist.
Her career has also spanned multiple economic cycles and industry shocks. From the Asian Financial Crisis and SARS to the Global Financial Crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, Changi’s commercial performance has often needed rapid reassessment. The experience earned from these episodes has been invaluable in designing concession frameworks that are resilient, with a focus on long-term partnerships rather than purely transactional leases. As she prepares to retire, that institutional knowledge is being codified and passed on to a new generation of leaders within Changi Airport Group.
Driving Changi’s Signature Experiences and Events
In recent years, Changi has amplified its focus on high-impact experiences to differentiate its commercial offer. One example was the World of Wines and Spirits showcase, staged in collaboration with Lotte Duty Free, which spotlighted premium labels and immersive tastings for affluent travelers and loyal customers. Senior leaders from CAG’s commercial division, including Mahtani in her role as Senior Vice President for Airside Leasing, played a visible part in positioning such initiatives as signature events in the regional travel retail calendar.
These occasions illustrate how Changi has moved beyond traditional duty free to offer curated, storytelling-driven experiences. Limited-edition products, cross-category collaborations, and art-led installations are now regular features in both terminal concourses and off-site activations. Mahtani’s airside concessions team has worked alongside pricing and commercial strategy units to ensure that these initiatives translate not only into brand equity but also into sustainable revenue growth.
Changi’s focus on experiences is also closely linked to loyalty and dwell time. By creating compelling reasons for passengers to arrive earlier or linger longer, the airport boosts spending while reinforcing its reputation as more than just a transit point. Initiatives of this nature involve complex coordination with brands, airlines, and operational departments, and have become a hallmark of the commercial strategy built during Mahtani’s time in leadership.
Leadership Transition at a Pivotal Moment
The announcement of Mahtani’s retirement comes as Changi Airport Group is in the midst of a larger evolution at the board and senior management levels. Singapore’s Ministry of Finance has confirmed changes to CAG’s leadership, including the appointment of experienced business figure Lim Ming Yan as deputy chairman, ahead of his assuming the role of chairman. That broader transition underscores how seriously Singapore takes the governance of its flagship aviation asset at a time of intense international competition.
Within the commercial division, Mahtani’s retirement is accompanied by a planned handover of responsibilities to a refreshed leadership bench. CAG has been steadily building its internal pipeline of executives with backgrounds spanning retail, data analytics, real estate and digital commerce. This approach reflects the broader recognition that the airport of the future must marry physical infrastructure with sophisticated demand forecasting and omnichannel engagement, from pre-trip shopping to home delivery and loyalty integration.
The leadership transition has been framed as an opportunity rather than a disruption. By staging the handover over a defined period, Changi Airport Group aims to ensure continuity for brand partners, concessionaires and airlines. For the travel and tourism sector in Singapore, this stability is essential. Changi remains a key driver of visitor arrivals, business travel and cargo flows, and its commercial performance contributes significantly to the broader hospitality and tourism ecosystem.
Positioning for Terminal 5 and Future Growth
One of the defining priorities for the new leadership team will be the commercial strategy for Terminal 5, Changi’s next-generation facility that will significantly expand capacity. As planning and enabling works progress, decisions on tenant mix, space allocation and digital backbone will shape the airport’s competitiveness for decades to come. Mahtani’s involvement in early-stage T5 commercial planning provides an important bridge, allowing her successor to inherit a framework grounded in experience, yet flexible enough to adapt to evolving trends.
Terminal 5 is expected to incorporate lessons from Changi’s existing terminals and Jewel, including the integration of nature, art, and entertainment with shopping and dining. The challenge for the incoming commercial leadership lies in designing spaces that feel distinct yet recognisably “Changi,” while also addressing sustainability, operational efficiency and changing passenger behavior. Increasing self-service processing, biometric journeys and off-airport check in will influence where and how passengers spend time in the terminal, and therefore where commercial zones should be located.
From a growth perspective, the timing of the leadership change aligns with Changi’s rebound from the pandemic-era travel slump. Passenger traffic has steadily returned toward, and in some months surpassed, pre pandemic levels, with connectivity restored to a wide network of cities around the world. Capitalising on this recovery while preparing for the next wave of growth, especially in Asia Pacific, requires both continuity in strategic direction and fresh thinking in execution, which the new leadership is expected to provide.
Implications for Travel Retail and Airline Partners
Changi’s commercial evolution has long been watched closely by travel retailers, brands and airports globally. The retirement of a senior figure like Mahtani is therefore of interest beyond Singapore. For international brands, the leadership transition at CAG is a signal to reassess partnership strategies, pipeline projects and category innovation plans at the hub. While the overarching vision of Changi as an experiential, premium travel retail destination is not expected to change, different leaders often bring new ideas on contract structures, promotional formats and data sharing.
Airline partners, too, are paying attention. The revenue generated through retail, F&B and services contributes materially to the airport’s financial strength, which in turn supports competitive aeronautical charges and investments in passenger and airline facilities. A cohesive commercial strategy helps ensure that non-aeronautical revenues remain strong, particularly important as the industry confronts cost pressures from fuel, labor and sustainability requirements. Maintaining this balance will be a key task for Changi’s new commercial leadership.
There is also a broader ecosystem impact. Travel agencies, tour operators and hospitality players in Singapore often build itineraries around Changi’s attractions, whether that is an extended layover in the transit area or a visit to Jewel as part of a city break. The sustained development of Changi’s commercial and experiential offer thus has direct implications for the visitor economy, reinforcing the need for a smooth and well signposted leadership transition.
Safeguarding Changi’s Brand in a Competitive Region
The Asia Pacific region remains one of the most competitive markets for hub airports. Rival gateways are expanding terminals, investing in new retail concepts and courting airlines to anchor long haul connectivity. For Changi, retaining its edge involves more than hardware; it hinges on delivering a distinctive brand of hospitality, efficiency and discovery that travelers associate with Singapore. Leaders like Mahtani have been instrumental in embedding that brand in every aspect of the airside experience, from store design and wayfinding to seasonal décor and service standards.
As the leadership baton passes to a new generation, Changi Airport Group must safeguard that brand equity while remaining agile enough to embrace new consumer expectations. Digital natives increasingly seek contactless journeys, personalised offers and content-rich storytelling, all delivered seamlessly across devices and touchpoints. Balancing these demands with the practical realities of security, immigration control and airline operations is a strategic challenge that will define the next chapter of Changi’s commercial strategy.
The transition also arrives during a period of heightened focus on sustainability. Passengers, regulators and investors are now more attuned to environmental impacts, from energy use in terminals to the sourcing of products sold in retail outlets. Decisions about materials, logistics, and even product curation in concession spaces are increasingly viewed through a sustainability lens. The new leadership will be expected to embed these considerations in commercial planning, ensuring that Changi’s famed retail theatre is aligned with global expectations on responsible growth.
A Legacy of Partnership and Innovation
As Chandra Mahtani prepares to close a 42-year chapter with Changi Airport, her legacy can be seen in the breadth and depth of partnerships that define the airport’s commercial success. Long standing relationships with international luxury houses, beauty brands, leading liquor companies and regional champions attest to the trust that has been built over time. Many of these partners have used Changi as a launchpad for new concepts, products and formats, confident that the airport’s management would work collaboratively to bring innovative ideas to life.
Her departure coincides with a moment when Changi is once again poised to redefine what a world class airport can offer, especially as Terminal 5 takes shape and digital innovation accelerates. The foundation laid by Mahtani and her peers, however, gives the incoming leadership a strong base from which to push boundaries further. For travelers passing through Singapore in the years ahead, much of what they will experience in Changi’s concourses will carry the imprint of decisions and strategies forged over the past four decades.
For the global travel community, the transition underscores a familiar pattern: as pioneering leaders who built modern aviation move into retirement, a new cohort must take on the responsibility of sustaining growth while tackling challenges that are more complex and multifaceted than ever. At Changi, that responsibility now rests with a refreshed leadership team tasked with ensuring that one of the world’s most admired airports continues to set the pace in passenger experience and commercial innovation, long after one of its longest serving champions has stepped aside.