Emirates rallies leaders

‘Beyond Better, Forward Together’ went way beyond a catchy tagline for Emirates’ Commercial Operations Management Conference, delivering action-packed, high-voltage sessions for more than 300 of its leaders and senior executives based globally and locally. 

Over two days this week, the audience were taken through an inspirational journey that mapped out Emirates’ solid strategy around fleet, destinations, products, and unimaginable growth – all wrapped around the airline’s hub Dubai. Dinner at the Museum of the Future, Dubai’s latest iconic attraction and a strategic partner of the airline, served as a fitting backdrop for the programme on day one. 

All of it was topped by an impromptu visit by HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group that brought the attendees to their feet.  

Invited speakers enlivened the conference with their take on aviation, tourism and the economy. Speakers included: HE Helal Saeed Al-Marri, Director General of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism; Arjun Vir Singh, Partner with Arthur D. Little’s Financial Services Practice; and Nawal K. Taneja, consultant and author with more than five decades of experience in aviation. 

Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer said: “We are once again firmly set on the path of a massive growth trajectory in travel, and Emirates is ready and revving up to optimise every opportunity, as is Dubai. This conference was one of our biggest platforms to rally our leaders and senior executives, who are also some of Emirates and Dubai’s biggest brand advocates globally. They’ve now witnessed first-hand the many exciting initiatives rolled out by the airline and the city over the past two years, thanks to strong and visionary leadership. We’re absolutely thrilled with what we’ve achieved in these two days – the energy, the spirit and the passion were palpable and simply phenomenal.” 

The conference was packed with presentations, slick videos, fireside chats, workshops, panels, and rousing keynote speeches. Besides Adnan Kazim, speakers from Emirates included Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline, Michael Doersam, Group Chief Financial Officer, Boutros Boutros, Divisional Senior Vice President Corporate Communications Marketing & Brand, Anand Lakshminarayanan, Senior Vice President Revenue Optimisation & Distribution, Trevor Chong, Vice President Route Planning & Economics, and Rogerio Leao, Vice President Fleet Planning and Research. 

Just in these past three months, Emirates has launched its highly anticipated Premium Economy to overwhelmingly positive feedback; signed a historic commercial agreement with United Airlines; invested over US$2 billion on its onboard customer experience, including new menus, vegan choices, cinema-in-the-sky experiences, unlimited caviar and Dom Pérignon, and upgrading its entire fleet of 120 Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s. The airline also committed US$350 million for the next-generation inflight entertainment solutions for its 50-strong fleet of A350s and even created a flutter with a new CGI brand ambassador – Gerry the Goose.