Two of flyadeal’s dynamic female leaders took to the stage in Riyadh with inspirational career insights encouraging women take up a diverse range of roles in aviation, one of the world’s largest and dynamic industries.
The annual Women in Aviation General Assembly provided digital and analytics professional Rawan Aljehani and strategic marketing colleague Hazar Hafiz with a platform to share personal experiences and achievements that have helped empower them in their respective roles.
Both work for Saudi low-cost airline flyadeal which is the fastest growing carrier in the Middle East.
Their stories aimed to inspire young students and women in the audience about jobs beyond the cockpit that are shaping the future of the aviation industry.
The day-long conference at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre brought together over 300 delegates from leading aviation companies in Saudi Arabia and the region, together with educational establishments and graduates and undergraduates exploring careers in the industry.
Rawan Aljehani, flyadeal Head of Digital, Data & Business Intelligence, said: “With our ability towards paying attention to detail, structured thinking and strong analytical skills, the technological side of aviation is just a natural environment for women to unleash our full potential.
Aljehani added: “Aviation needs more women with technical expertise as these roles will help define the future of airlines, airports and aviation systems. flyadeal has given me the opportunity to excel in my specialist area of data analysis, able to use my skills and fuse it with the business side of running an airline. In applying the technical know-how with a commercial hat on, it’s been a fascinating, challenging, motivating and inspiring journey.”
A data scientist and business intelligence specialist with experience in statistics, market research and reporting, Rawan joined flyadeal as a revenue management analyst almost since the airline’s inception eight years ago.
Since becoming head of the department 18 months ago, she has been spearheading the company’s digital mandate and adopting business intelligence applications to support the airline’s commercial performance and overall strategic decision making.
Hazar Hafiz, recently promoted to flyadeal Head of Marketing and Customer Experience, explained: “Understanding customers, their booking behaviours, their experiences, and securing feedback are extremely important in all industries, especially service-led sectors such as aviation. The proactive measures and methods applied to ensure ongoing improvements and reflect a commitment to continuously exceed customer expectations is the drive and energy I enjoy in such a fast-paced and challenging environment.”
With over 18 years’ marketing experience working across the Kingdom’s healthcare, real estate, FMCG and retail sectors, Hazar entered the airline business in 2022 and has since worked on several initiatives to elevate the flyadeal brand.
“Just three years as a relative ‘newcomer’ in the aviation industry, I have seen firsthand multiple opportunities that women can embrace across commercial, procurement, HR, operations, customer service, safety, finance and much, much more within an airline. It’s an exciting industry which I know now that once in it, it’s difficult to leave,” added Hazar.
flyadeal currently employs 1,800 staff, with one-third being female working across various disciplines in office-based roles and operational, including pilots, engineers and cabin crew.
Steven Greenway, flyadeal Chief Executive Officer, said: “flyadeal is a pioneering environment creating opportunities for all, given our industry is so diverse and an economic driver of growth. Saudi Vision 2030 has done just that with a focus on building a vibrant aviation ecosystem in the Kingdom.
Greenway added: “We have women who have embraced roles across our business and demonstrated they can truly make a difference in their chosen fields. Rawan and Hazar have embodied the spirit of working in a dynamic industry where they have the opportunity to carve out successful careers.” -TradeArabia News Service
