Singapore Airlines (SIA) chief executive Goh Choon Phong has been named Person of the Year by Orient Aviation, a commercial aviation news magazine for the Asia Pacific.

The recognition for Mr Goh, 55, received "unanimous endorsement from his peers across all sectors of the industry", said Orient Aviation in a statement yesterday.

"It is a tribute to Mr Goh as a person and a leader that he has earned the professional respect of both airlines and the hard-nosed negotiators who are his suppliers," it added.

ANA Holdings chairman Shinichiro Ito took the title last year.

Mr Goh, who will receive the award at a dinner on Jan 25, joined SIA in 1990 after completing post-graduate studies in engineering and computer science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States.

He was promoted to chief executive in January 2011. He also chaired the International Air Transport Association's board of governors from June 2017 to this June.

Mr Goh's award comes during a year when SIA bagged the world's best airline title in a global survey of more than 20 million travellers in July by research firm Skytrax.

The airline is also undergoing transformation to stay ahead amid major challenges. This includes a re-look at the SIA brand, including the role of the Singapore Girl.

Mr Goh told Orient Aviation last month that the airline's digital transformation includes collaborating with start-ups and research institutions.

"We think we should be progressive ... if something comes along where we can leverage our reputation and database to be more relevant to customers while also creating revenue opportunities, why not?" he said.