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The Changing Face of Aviation

Alex Cruz, CEO at British Airways

British Airways chief executive and chairman Alex Cruz talks about how, in the fast-paced digital era, he’s transforming his business to take on challenger airlines and to compete on price while continuing to deliver on quality.  He says its vital to listen to both customers and the market to ensure a business is meeting its customers’ changing demands and be prepared to invest heavily. In his talk, Alex will note the changing face of air travel, how it is now more affordable than ever, and will speak about British Airways’ response – introducing new products and services for customers and improving customer loyalty, which he says is so important to the success of a business.

In 2016, Alex Cruz was appointed Chairman and CEO of British Airways. He began his career at American Airlines in 1995 in various group roles, including within its travel technology arm, Sabre. In 2000, he became a partner at Arthur D Little before setting up his own aviation consulting firm in 2002. In 2005, he joined Accenture as its head of aviation.

In 2006, Alex founded Clickair, a Barcelona-based airline, merging it with Vueling in 2009 and becoming Vueling’s Chairman and CEO. Vueling was acquired by International Airline Group (IAG) in 2013, with Alex joining the IAG Management Committee, on which he still sits. He is also a visiting lecturer at the IESE Business School in Madrid and the ESADE Business & Law School in Barcelona.

15

May

Tuesday

13:00 - 13:45

Seminar room 2

First Direct Arena, Leeds