I regularly write about attention-grabbing government appointments within the airline business, however right here’s one which hits very near dwelling…
Tiffany Funk turns into the brand new Head of Flying Blue!
I don’t need to bury the lede right here, however Tiffany Funk has simply accepted a task as Head of Flying Blue, the loyalty program of Air France, KLM, and now Transavia. Ben Lipsey was beforehand Head of Flying Blue, and his position has now expanded to being SVP Loyalty, Digital & Knowledge.
There’s loads happening right here, so I don’t even know the place to start. I’ve labored with Tiffany since 2011 (till just some weeks in the past). We’re not huge into job titles right here at OMAAT, however she mainly dealt with the enterprise aspect of issues, and likewise ran our award consulting service, PointsPros.
It’s due to Tiffany that I’ve been in a position to dedicate my time to running a blog and masking the business, which is my ardour, with out having to fret a lot concerning the enterprise or income implications of no matter I wrote.
Along with that, and extra not too long ago, Tiffany was additionally Co-Founder & President of level.me, the award search startup (which PointsPros was built-in into). What she constructed there has been spectacular to observe.
However I’m not right here to write down some company biography, as a result of that wouldn’t do justice to my historical past with Tiffany. I imply, I used to be 21 years previous once we began working collectively! As you’ll be able to think about, that covers a really massive portion of each of our lives!
We’ve flown some improbable merchandise collectively –- and much more that have been not-so-fantastic, or downright indescribable. We’ve shared leisurely layovers and outright sprints, and stayed in some ghastly (and a few ghostly) resorts. I’ve dragged her from Chicago to Los Angeles by way of Charlotte, Paris, Beijing, Tokyo, and Taipei (clearly so we might maximize each US Airways Dividend Miles routing guidelines and Howdy Kitty), and she or he’s wrangled me into getting ready a four-course meal from the Polaris cookbook. We’ve had weeks the place we flew back-and-forth to all over the place from Managua to Beijing, spent infinite hours in airports and lounges, and have seen (or skipped) so many random corners of the world collectively.
Tiffany is sensible, motivated, loyal, and at all times decided to search out options to issues, and is an excellent strategist. She’s additionally actually sassy, so good luck to the oldsters at Air France-KLM, as a result of she’s loads to deal with, in one of the simplest ways potential. 😉
I feel it’s additionally necessary to provide some credit score to the 2 different Bens concerned right here (not me!) — Ben Smith and Ben Lipsey.
Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith is one-of-a-kind, as a pacesetter, a human, and an aviation geek. I first met him over a decade in the past, and had an opportunity to fly with him final spring as properly. I feel his single greatest ability, different than simply having a very good grasp on the business, is having the ability to encompass himself with nice folks.
He’s been unafraid to make daring hires, together with Air FranceCEO Anne Rigail and KLM CEO Marjan Rintel. Not solely have they finished a tremendous job, but it surely’s additionally spectacular given how few feminine executives are within the airline business in any respect, a lot much less on the CEO degree. He identifies folks with potential, and has given so many individuals wonderful alternatives within the business, and he nearly by no means misses.
The prime instance of that’s Ben Lipsey, who first met Ben Smith on FlyerTalk, began working at Air Canada proper out of school, and has labored with him ever since. Ben Lipsey is after all additionally a sensible and passionate aviation geek, however his experience goes far past that.
He treats loyalty as a buyer engagement engine, and never a value heart, nor as a steadiness sheet legal responsibility. In loyalty, he’s one of many “good ones,” and he has very clear opinions on the place the business has been getting it improper. So I’m very completely happy to see his new position, as a result of all too usually, loyalty is damaged off from the remainder of the corporate. Combining loyalty, digital, and information, might have some fairly cool implications for members.
I’m proud, and might’t consider somebody extra certified!
When Tiffany informed me about this chance at Flying Blue, I couldn’t assist however wholeheartedly assist her, and be very excited!
For those who ask me, manner too many airways simply don’t suppose exterior the field with how they rent folks. Heck, suppose again to when Ben Smith was appointed CEO of Air France-KLM, the place the considered hiring a non-French nationwide for the position appeared nearly inconceivable. But I’d argue that the airline is as properly run because it has ever been, and that was a fantastic selection.
Tiffany brings a singular perspective to her new place, and I feel between her and Ben Lipsey, it’ll be a really good steadiness. Ben has been working straight within the airline business his whole profession, whereas Tiffany has technically been working straight within the airline business for precisely zero of her profession.
As an alternative, she has labored in every part adjoining to that, which is beneficial from a loyalty perspective — she understands these applications higher than anybody from a shopper’s perspective, and likewise understands the co-brand bank card enterprise, the tech aspect of loyalty (by level.me), and so forth. Like, I at all times discover it a bit odd when somebody from an airline’s cargo division will get appointed to steer loyalty, or one thing. Inform us how you actually really feel about us! 😉
So I belief that Tiffany may have lots of contemporary concepts for the Flying Blue crew. I do know I’ve been speaking her ear off. And I hope that her contemporary perspective can result in some truly cool improvements. And it ought to go with out saying, however… even with Tiffany at Flying Blue, I’ll proceed to cowl this system, each good and unhealthy, and share my sincere take.
I must also acknowledge that I perceive the difficult economics of loyalty applications. Ideally, all of us need limitless saver enterprise class awards on all flights, however that must be balanced with the economics. Nevertheless, I feel for a lot too lengthy, most airways haven’t actually taken a classy strategy to maximizing engagement from members and discovering a mutually useful solution to ship worth. So I hope that the 2 Bens give her some runway to play with issues, and I can’t wait to observe alongside!
Backside line
Tiffany Funk has been appointed Head of Flying Blue, and Ben Lipsey’s position has now been expanded to SVP Loyalty, Digital & Knowledge. I feel that is cool on so many ranges — I’m very pleased with Tiffany, and I’m completely happy to see Ben Lipsey’s position expanded, plus pulling collectively information and digital into the identical umbrella as loyalty.
Personally, I feel it’s additional cool that this transfer is being helmed by two people who find themselves from our neighborhood and got here up with a deep love and understanding of the miles and factors house. I can’t inform you what number of loyalty executives I’ve met who don’t even have a ardour for his or her applications, and who actually don’t imagine within the energy of loyalty to remodel shopper habits.
So I sit up for seeing what comes subsequent at Flying Blue, and to observe alongside from the sidelines!
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