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Social media Share this article Print this article Sen Luxaviation focuses on creating single culture By Alasdair Whyte July 26, 2017 16:31 In the last 10 years the company that is now Luxaviation Group has grown from a financier with an idea to a global company with 1,700 employees. Since 2011, the Luxembourg company has bought Fairjets in Germany, Abelag in Belgium, Unijet in France, the UK’s London Executive Aviation, French and Portuguese operator Masterjet and – most significantly – ExecuJet, a truly international business aviation company. Luxaviation now has 14 air operators’ certificates, 25 FBOs and 15 maintenance facilities. And it wants to keep growing. Gerrit Basson, former CEO of ExecuJet and now CEO of Luxaviation Group, has spent a lot of time trying to create one company. “Integration starts at a high level but involves every level,” says Basson. “We created the post of chief integration officer with Hervé Laitat [CEO of Abelag, now Luxaviation Belgium] taking it on and integration is a huge focus of the executive committee.” But changing the logos on 1,700 business cards and more than 40 buildings in 32 different places is simple compared to the softer human resource challenges. Many of the employees have spent years at different operators (some have even founded them) and getting them to feel they belong to a large global operator is not easy. “The cultural issues are without doubt the hardest. Even changing someone’s email address can be emotional,” says Basson. “It may seem like a little thing but for someone that has worked at a company for a long time it can mean an awful lot.” A Ritz-Carlton culture The management team has spent a lot of time looking at how to create single global culture. One solution comes from the basement of every Ritz-Carlton hotel. The hotel company employs more than 40,000 employees at 91 hotels in 30 countries (putting the size of one of the largest business aviation operators into perspective). Ritz-Carlton takes company culture seriously. It believes that it is the key to customers receiving what it calls Gold Standard Service. The company – and its individual hotels – have won many human resource awards. In 2000 it created the Ritz-Carlton Academy both for its employees and to train other companies. There was also a cultural fit between the two companies as both aircraft operators and hotels focus on keeping demanding customers happy. “We looked around at other companies that have developed strategies but really liked the way Ritz-Carlton focused on culture and customer service,” says Basson. If you have stayed in a Ritz-Carlton hotel you will not have noticed it, but a key part of their integration is what they call a Daily Line-Up. The same thing happens at 9am every morning outside the CEO’s office in Atlanta. “Line-Up is the opportunity to reconnect each employee with their purpose and their mission before they start their day,” says Ritz-Carlton’s blog. “Although there may be many elements to your Line-Up—such as corporate announcements One Minute Week - Fri Search somethi NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER NEWS NEWS OPINION OPINION VIDEO & PODCASTS VIDEO & PODCASTS BUY A JET BUY A JET AIRCRAFT AIRCRAFT HELICOPTERS HELICOPTERS AIRLINERS AIRLINERS EVENTS EVENTS MIAMI 2017 MIAMI 2017 LONDON 2018 LONDON 2018 We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Ok Ok

Luxaviation focuses on creating single culture · 2017. 7. 27. · Luxaviation focuses on creating single culture By Alasdair Whyte July 26, 2017 16:31 In the last 10 years the company

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Page 1: Luxaviation focuses on creating single culture · 2017. 7. 27. · Luxaviation focuses on creating single culture By Alasdair Whyte July 26, 2017 16:31 In the last 10 years the company

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Luxaviation focuses on creating single cultureBy Alasdair WhyteJuly 26, 2017 16:31

In the last 10 years the company that is now Luxaviation Group has grown from a financier with an idea to a globalcompany with 1,700 employees.

Since 2011, the Luxembourg company has bought Fairjets in Germany, Abelag in Belgium, Unijet in France, the UK’sLondon Executive Aviation, French and Portuguese operator Masterjet and – most significantly – ExecuJet, a trulyinternational business aviation company. Luxaviation now has 14 air operators’ certificates, 25 FBOs and 15maintenance facilities. And it wants to keep growing.

Gerrit Basson, former CEO of ExecuJet and now CEO of Luxaviation Group, has spent a lot of time trying to create onecompany. “Integration starts at a high level but involves every level,” says Basson. “We created the post of chiefintegration officer with Hervé Laitat [CEO of Abelag, now Luxaviation Belgium] taking it on and integration is a hugefocus of the executive committee.”

But changing the logos on 1,700 business cards and more than 40 buildings in 32 different places is simple compared tothe softer human resource challenges. Many of the employees have spent years at different operators (some have evenfounded them) and getting them to feel they belong to a large global operator is not easy.

“The cultural issues are without doubt the hardest. Even changing someone’s email address can be emotional,” saysBasson. “It may seem like a little thing but for someone that has worked at a company for a long time it can mean anawful lot.”

A Ritz-Carlton culture

The management team has spent a lot of time looking at how to create single global culture. One solution comes fromthe basement of every Ritz-Carlton hotel. The hotel company employs more than 40,000 employees at 91 hotels in 30countries (putting the size of one of the largest business aviation operators into perspective).

Ritz-Carlton takes company culture seriously. It believes that it is the key to customers receiving what it calls GoldStandard Service. The company – and its individual hotels – have won many human resource awards. In 2000 it createdthe Ritz-Carlton Academy both for its employees and to train other companies.

There was also a cultural fit between the two companies as both aircraft operators and hotels focus on keepingdemanding customers happy. “We looked around at other companies that have developed strategies but really liked theway Ritz-Carlton focused on culture and customer service,” says Basson.

If you have stayed in a Ritz-Carlton hotel you will not have noticed it, but a key part of their integration is what they call aDaily Line-Up. The same thing happens at 9am every morning outside the CEO’s office in Atlanta.

“Line-Up is the opportunity to reconnect each employee with their purpose and their mission before they start their day,”says Ritz-Carlton’s blog. “Although there may be many elements to your Line-Up—such as corporate announcementsand birthdays—the emphasis should be on your culture and values.”

One Minute Week - Friday 14th J…

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NEWSLETTERNEWSLETTER NEWSNEWS ▾ OPINIONOPINION ▾ VIDEO & PODCASTSVIDEO & PODCASTS BUY A JETBUY A JET ▾ AIRCRAFTAIRCRAFT ▾ HELICOPTERSHELICOPTERS AIRLINERSAIRLINERS EVENTSEVENTS ▾ MIAMI 2017MIAMI 2017 LONDON 2018LONDON 2018

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. OkOk

Page 2: Luxaviation focuses on creating single culture · 2017. 7. 27. · Luxaviation focuses on creating single culture By Alasdair Whyte July 26, 2017 16:31 In the last 10 years the company

Ritz-Carlton Line-Ups are led by one employee who reads a company newsletter containing information on what ishappening at other hotels, stories relating to corporate values and updates relevant to each hotel.

It sounds simple but Ritz-Carlton says it is crucial: “This is our number one form of communication with our employeesaround the world. It is the glue that connects us daily and keeps our culture alive.”

The Daily Line-Up is just one thing that Luxaviation has learnt from Ritz-Carlton – others include ‘four step service’ andGold Standard.

Luxaviation’s management team now sends out its own Daily Line-Up email to all employees. They then meet in groupsto go through it. A typical Luxaviation Line-Up includes safety messages, stories about how one team has delivered greatservice to a customer and other information such as new hires.

Employees in different parts of the business aviation company have reacted differently to this idea. Some haveembraced it completely and love the initiative. Others have been more sceptical.

“It has been fascinating looking at how different cultures react to the idea,” says Basson. “But it has definitely broughtparts of the business together.”

Building an integrated business is also crucial to the company’s future plans.

Keep growing

“There are a lot of internal reasons why most mergers and acquisitions do not work,” says Basson, “and we understandthe risks, but the ability to add businesses effectively is core to our future.”

Although Luxaviation has grown to be one of the largest business aviation operators in the world, it still has a marketshare of less than 3% of all business jets. Luxaviation wants to keep consolidating business aviation.

“We still have not completed integrating Luxaviation’s businesses with ExecuJet, but when we do, we will still keepwanting to consolidate. We are keen to keep acquiring and Hervé as chief integration officer will be a key part of that.”

As Luxaviation’s largest group, ExecuJet has provided a lot of systems and structures that are now being used tointegrate the company.

Luxaviation has centralised operations in Cambridge. The Central Operations Support department there provides flightplanning, dispatches aircraft, manages Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation (CAMO) requirements anddeals with any aircraft needing urgent maintenance. Crew training, planning, travel and administration is also runcentrally.

The operator has also created a centralised Group Broker Desk to sell charter on all its AOCs. The desk providesbrokers and clients with access to Luxaviation’s fleet of aircraft from every entity of the business, offering more solutionsand a quicker and easier charter process for brokers.

“We are keen to free up our local management teams to spend time with our customers,” says Basson. “The more thingswe can centralise the better.”

Luxaviation is also investing in new technology to both make aircraft management more efficient and also givecustomers access to reports on maintenance, flights and other information.

“The whole industry needs to improve its reporting. It is common to find operators sending bills months later,” saysBasson. “We give customers their final bills seven days after the end of the month and a monthly report, but soon we willbe at the point where they can log into an app and go straight into our operating system and see things in real time. Youcould not invest in this as a smaller operator.”

Basson believes that size matters to aircraft management. “It is a low margin business so economies of scale reallymake a big difference,” says Basson. “There is a role for smaller operators – up to 10 or 15 aircraft when a lot of it isabout client relationships – but above that it gets hard.”

Although, he admits, he is biased as he relishes the bigger challenge. “Business is good across the group. Diversity andmultiple business streams help,” says Basson, “and I am enjoying the bigger company. The bigger geography and thebigger variety. But we have just started.”

Basson and his colleagues are now looking for new companies, and more people, to add to Luxaviation’s Daily Line-Upemail list.

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By Alasdair WhyteJuly 26, 2017 16:31

TAGS: ExecuJet Gerrit Basson Herve Laitat Luxaviation Ritz-Carlton

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