Women to Watch 2024: Chhavi Lekha, IndiGo

Chhavi Lekha

Vice president, corporate communications and brand reputation
Indigo
India

When Indian low-cost airline IndiGo made a CEO transition from Ronojoy Dutta to Pieter Elbers in 2022, Chhavi Lekha swooped in to ensure the leadership shift was communicated effectively. During this period, she proposed strategies that included storytelling to communicate the company’s emerging landscape, as well led media-training sessions to equip key stakeholders with relevant messaging. 

Lekha and her team also secured high-profile media engagements for the company during this period—over 100 stories scattered across international media. Meanwhile, the brand leveraged prominent spots at key events including the Paris Air Show and IATA’s AGM. 

These efforts and more managed to secure IndiGo some pretty compelling media results between January 2023 and August 2024. Most notably, the airline secured over 20,000 mentions in stories in a positive or neutral light, and 40% of these highlighted the airline’s economic growth. Meanwhile, CEO Elbers snagged an executive leadership award and the airline climbed to #31 in Brand Finance’s ranking of top 50 airlines.  

Working at a major airline, Lekha understands that communications isn’t just limited to external stakeholders. Within the company, she uses newsletters and intranet to communicate with some 40,000 employees, share company updates, and foster a sense of community. Language is tailored to target various internal departments, and data is leveraged to measure the impact of her work. Plus, she oversees an internal programme where leaders can connect with employees on a personal level. 

In an industry as technical as aviation, jargon and technical details can often fly over one’s head—particularly when it comes to media reporting of aviation issues, according to Lekha. To combat this issue, she introduced a knowledge-sharing series with stakeholders aimed at educating people on aviation processes. The first session in the series was held in Mumbai and covered the impact of monsoons on airline operations; the session was picked up by various Indian media titles.  

During Pride Month, Lekha oversaw the content for IndiGo’s in-flight magazine and internal DEI magazine to ensure that LBBTQIA+ folk were front and centre of communications. Additionally, she played a key role in promoting the airline’s new desk at Delhi Airport that facilitates check-in for passengers with special needs staffed by over 20 differently abled employees.