Kearney announces expansion of aviation sector expertise and capabilities

Global consulting firm adds four seasoned professionals to enhance its service for aviation clients in the Americas.

CHICAGO, May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- 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," said Phillip Bensel, partner and global lead for Kearney's aviation team. "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," said Mr. Davidson "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."

Mr. Gupta added: "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."

Mr. Malkani noted: "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."

Through its broader transportation practice, Kearney has long demonstrated sophisticated expertise and creativity in helping clients manage their physical assets, customer demands, and new considerations such as sustainability and digital transformation. To learn more about the firm's global efforts, please visit: https://www.kearney.com/transportation-travel

Aviation team expansion: bios

• Scott Davidson: Mr. Davidson has more than 15 years of experience as a senior strategic advisor to clients in aviation, aerospace, and next-generation mobility. He specializes in helping clients in the aviation sector pursue transformations related to enterprise-wide profit transformations, restructuring, customer experience enhancements, operations excellence, procurement support, and technology-led innovation. Prior to joining Kearney, he served as a managing director at a large consulting firm and, for more than 10 years, as a partner at a prominent aviation consulting practice. He holds a master's degree in engineering management from Dartmouth College's Thayer School of Engineering as well as a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Fairfield University.
• Claudia Galea: Ms. Galea is an industry and functional leader with more than 20 years of experience supporting aviation, aerospace, and industrial clients globally. Over the course of her career, she has supported clients on issues involving sustainability, aftermarket and procurement, flight operations and optimization, manufacturing process improvement and footprint optimization, and air traffic management. Ms. Galea comes to Kearney after serving as the global sustainability lead for aerospace, defense, and industrials at a global consulting firm as well as a senior manager at Global Boeing Services. Earlier in her career, she served in strategy and consulting roles and was a pilot and senior first officer at Air Malta. Ms. Galea is a doctor of business administration candidate at the Warwick Business School, focusing on sustainability and global aerospace supply chain innovation. She holds master of business administration degrees from both Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and Warwick Business School as well as a bachelor of arts degree in international relations from the University of Malta.
• Umang Gupta: Mr. Gupta is a senior aviation executive and advisor with a successful track record in developing and executing strategies, improving revenues, reducing costs, driving operational efficiencies, achieving transformations and turnarounds, and delivering strong results across various functions, business models, and geographies. Before joining the Kearney transportation practice, he served as managing director and global leader for the airline practice at a boutique aviation consulting agency. He also has served as managing director for pricing and revenue management at United Airlines, president of JetBlue Vacations, vice president for travel products at JetBlue Airways, director of market planning and revenue analysis at JetBlue, and manager of operations research at US Airways. He holds a master of science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in transportation and airline management, a master of business administration degree from INSEAD, and a bachelor of science degree from Punjab Engineering College.
• Chandresh Malkani: Mr. Malkani's expertise is in transportation, specifically in long-term transformation projects. He has led international projects, with experience in engineering, finance, negotiations, technology, and operations. His unique perspective as an engineer allows him to bring to his client projects true technical knowledge, such as aircraft purchases, engine specifications, and maintenance considerations. Mr. Malkani comes to Kearney from another prominent practice, where he spent the past five years as a principal working with many of the top North American transportation companies. He is also the founder of a specialized consulting firm. Prior to entering the consulting world, he worked at United Airlines, where he moved from finance to become the head of fleet strategy. Earlier in his career, he also served in analysis and engineering roles at Delta Air Lines. He has studied in the executive management programs at both Wharton Business School and INSEAD and holds a master of business administration degree from Georgia State University in finance and international business. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

About Kearney
Kearney is a leading global management consulting firm with deep-rooted expertise in strategic transformation. We work with more than three-quarters of the Fortune Global 500 as well as with government bodies and nonprofit organizations. As a global consulting partnership in more than 40 countries, our people make us who we are. We're individuals who take as much joy from those we work with as the work itself. Driven to be the difference between a big idea and making it happen, we help our clients break through.

To learn more about Kearney, please visit www.kearney.com.

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SOURCE Kearney