Jet Airways promoted Jayaraj Shanmugam as its Chief Commercial Officer.
Since joining Jet Airways’ in mid-2015 and as Sr. Vice President of Products & Services, Shanmugam has been instrumental in sharpening the organization’s focus towards delivering superior guest engagement experience together with a host of outstanding, innovative initiatives, the airline said.
He will be based at Jet Airways’ headquarters in Mumbai and report to the CEO.
In his new role as Chief Commercial Officer, Shanmugam will be responsible for leading Jet Airways’ commercial teams to maximize revenue streams and use its market reach, people capabilities and brand appeal to accelerate the airline’s reputation for service excellence and efficiency.
“Specifically, his responsibilities will cover areas of product enhancement, guest services, passenger and cargo sales, marketing as well as corporate communications. He will also oversee other critical functions such as airport and in-flight services, catering, revenue management, cabin crew and e-commerce,” the company said.
Jet Airways, one the pioneer of the Indian skies, has found the going tougher in recent years due to a downturn in the market and strong competition from more nimble-footed competitors.
Rivals like Indigo and SpiceJet have cut into Jet Airways’ market share with innovative pricing and offers, while Jet continue to position itself as a ‘full service’ operator.
“A well-qualified and seasoned aviation professional, Shanmugam, 53, brings more than two decades of rich, hands on experience gained at best-in-class signature brands within the global aviation and telecommunication sectors, including, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways and Maxis Berhad, to his new role.
“Having led and managed large format teams across multiple geographies in diverse roles spanning sales, services and operations, Mr. Shanmugam possesses a proven track record of orchestrating customer service and customer experience strategies, as well as service innovation and business strategy,” the airline said.
A Singapore national by birth, Mr. Shanmugam is a MBA (Marketing) from the Nanyang Business School and graduated with Honours Degree in Political Science from the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Naresh Goyal, Chairman, Jet Airways, said: “I am delighted at Jayaraj’s appointment as the Chief Commercial Officer of Jet Airways. He has been a key member of our Executive management committee and brings a wealth of experience pertaining to global best practices and service orientation, together with his contemporary, out-of-the box approach to manage our growing operations. I wish him luck and look forward to him working closely with our entire management team and the Jet Airways family”.