Volaris instructed Venari Partners to identify a credible shortlist of experienced aviation professionals for the Chief Commercial Officer role. They were specifically looking for a candidate with deep aviation pedigree coupled with a solid understanding of the commercial levers that underpin the success of a Low-Cost Carrier (LCC) strategy.
The main challenge to finding the right candidates for this role was that it is fundamental for all airlines to optimise their revenue generating strategy. Typically, the CCO has responsibility for all Sales, Distribution, Network Strategy and Pricing and Revenue Management strategy as well as developing the broader long-term commercial strategy. On top of this, it was also key to Volaris that this person not only possessed broad commercial aviation expertise but had also spent time at an LCC. Often aviation talent with no LCC experience struggle to adapt to the ‘no frills’ approach of an LCC. So, we had to be conscious of the candidates fit to the Volaris business model.
In addition to the above skills, the candidate had to be prepared to move to Mexico and had to be capable of quickly integrating into Volaris’ company culture.
Volaris chose Venari Partners as their search partner, as our pedigree for sourcing senior aviation talent is well-known. Our search methods ensure we can source talent from all over the globe and we proved this by sourcing a highly respected commercial aviation professional to help grow the company.
The chosen candidate; Carolyn Prowse, possesses a great understanding of commercial aviation and her time spent working as a consultant with easyJet meant she possesses the LCC experience. easyJet are, arguably, one of the most successful LCCs in the industry. Carolyn was a great choice for this highly coveted role.
All LCCs require a lean and highly talented work force to meet the demands of the competitive airline sector. They must keep operational costs as low as possible, run and effective network and drive revenue through increasingly innovative strategy.