AirAsia's CEO says he doesn't regret posting his shirtless photo on LinkedIn as he got a lot of publicity from it

• Tony Fernandes said he posted the topless photo on LinkedIn to show his company's flexible work culture.
• Fernandes said his PR team doesn't check what he posts on social media.

AirAsia's CEO Tony Fernandes said he doesn't regret posting his shirtless photo on LinkedIn as the viral post garnered him a lot of publicity.

Fernandes told CNBC in an article published on Sunday that he posted the controversial photo in October to illustrate the flexibility within the Malaysian airline's work culture.

"Initially I asked whether we could delay the meeting so that I could have a massage, I was in a lot of pain from a lot of flying. But the team said, we're okay, you know, nothing to hide. We'd rather not delay it. So I was actually posting to say, what an amazing culture we have," Fernandes said.

"Do I regret it? No. Got me a lot of publicity," he added.

The post, which has since been deleted, showed Fernandes getting massaged by a person in an apron, hairnet, and face mask. Fernandes appeared to be sitting topless in an office chair in a conference room.

"Was a stressful week and Veranita Yosephine suggested a massage," Fernandes wrote in the post, referencing AirAsia Indonesia CEO Veranita Yosephine. "Got to love Indonesia and AirAsia culture that I can have a massage and do a management meeting."

Fernandes' photo divided users, with some people commenting that he was promoting a friendly work culture while others criticized him for being unprofessional. In December, Fernandes made another controversial post on Instagram, where he said that he had to fly Singapore Airlines as AirAsia flights were full.

Fernandes told CNBC that he manages his own social media accounts and posts online without them getting reviewed by his PR team.

"I am transparent, and social media allows me to be very transparent. It has a disadvantage that people will misrepresent and misunderstand Tony Fernandes the persona," he said. Fernandes and AirAsia did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Fernandes is not the only CEO who sees the importance of leaders running their own social media accounts. At the 2023 World Government Summit, Elon Musk said CEOs should 'speak authentically' and write their own tweets.