Kearney, a leading global management consulting firm, announced an expansion of capabilities focused on aviation, including the appointment of four senior aviation professionals. These aviation experts will strengthen Kearney’s ability to serve airlines and other aviation businesses, coupled with the firm’s industry-leading expertise in supply chain, sustainability, maintenance, and operations management.

The aviation team will be situated within Kearney’s transportation practice and will complement the firm’s global capabilities in guiding aviation businesses through challenges and opportunities during a vital period of transformation. This addition of talent is a demonstration of Kearney’s commitment to growing its aviation capability on a global scale and builds on the firm’s record of success and high-quality client service to European airlines.

Kearney has announced the appointment of four senior professionals with substantial aviation experience in both consulting and industry: Scott Davidson, Claudia Galea, Umang Gupta, and Chandresh Malkani.

“The aviation sector is in need of a transformation. The sector is experiencing strong tailwinds but is facing even stronger headwinds,” Phillip Bensel, partner and global lead for Kearney’s aviation team, said. “We are supporting our clients to help tackle these challenges by improving the customer experience, developing green products, optimizing network and operations, managing supply chain risk, and reducing cost,” he said. “Our investment is meant to bring our global aviation expertise to clients in the Americas, and Scott, Claudia, Umang, and Chandresh represent the core of what we do best: offering world-class experts who can execute client-specific projects and transformations with thoughtfulness and responsiveness.”

By combining the strong capabilities that the firm already offers with this enhanced aviation-sector knowledge, the new team will:

• Leverage Kearney’s multifunctional operations, maintenance, and supply chain expertise across multiple disciplines within the aviation sector
• Create a positive global impact by incorporating ESG and sustainability into all decisions and actions
• Accelerate the adoption of new digital technologies, business models, and analytics

“Our entire team is thrilled to join such a talented and experienced firm to expand the focus on serving the needs of the aviation sector,” Davidson said. “Airlines and other related businesses face significant headwinds due to cost pressures, shifting customer demands, labor constraints, new sustainability expectations, and legacy technology. Our focus is on helping them accelerate change by partnering from strategy design through to implementation at scale.”

When considering the sector’s sustainability implications, Ms. Galea observed: “Customers, regulators, shareholders, manufacturers, and airlines all agree that as the aviation sector continues to evolve, sustainability and responses to climate change must be front and center. The sector’s stakeholders are giving major considerations to operational, logistical, technical, engineering, capital expenditures, R&D, and management decisions. Kearney’s global commitment to sustainability reflects how it can assist all aviation businesses in meeting those demands, and I’m excited to contribute to those efforts.”

“Airlines and their partners, such as airports and service providers, are actively seeking to enter a new era of customer service and better management of their assets, routes, and overall operations. Thanks to the firm’s deep expertise in providing consulting services in supply chain management and operational excellence, Kearney is a natural fit to help clients navigate these opportunities, and we’re excited to begin working with those clients to meet their evolving needs,” Gupta added.

“Aviation businesses have differing and specialized needs. From low-cost carriers and private jet services to major multinational airlines, shifting operational needs and heightened demands for world-class customer service require partnering with experienced consultants who understand every detail of a client’s business. Kearney clearly offers that level of client support, and we’re excited to add to that capability in the months and years ahead,” Malkani noted.

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