Managing Dynamic Change Through Strong Leadership

Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry in partnership with Ulster University Business School, invites you to a breakfast event with Chief Executive Officer of Flybe, Christine Ourmières-Widener.

Christine will address some of the leadership challenges of working in a highly competitive, fast-paced and safety-critical industry highlighting how she is leading Flybe through a three year Sustainable Business Improvement Plan.

With extensive international experience across the aviation and travel sectors, immediately prior to joining the airline, she was Chief Global Sales Officer for American Express Global Business Travel, responsible for developing the company’s strategy and driving business growth in major markets across North America, Europe and Asia with a strong focus on improving the customer experience.

Between 2010 and 2015, Christine was CEO and Accountable Manager with CityJet – becoming the first female CEO of an Irish-licensed airline and one of only 15 across all commercial airlines. She had overall responsibility for all operations including network, distribution, finance, marketing, communications, quality assurance and airport operations; and she played an integral role in securing investors during the sale of the company to AF/KLM, latterly leading projects for the newly independent airline including its rebranding, re-fleeting and deep restructuring.

She had previously worked her way up through the ranks of Air France to become the airline’s first-ever vice president/general manager of Air France-KLM, USA in New York, having held a number of increasingly senior roles including general manager (UK and Ireland), vice president of Air France global sales and vice president of international sales and, during her tenure as Commercial Director, was instrumental in the launch of Amadeus in France.

Christine possesses a Masters degree in Aeronautics from the Ecole Nationale Superieure of ENSMA and an MBA from Essec Business School. She is a board member of the European Regions Airline Association (ERA); and a member of the Board of Governors for the International Air Transport Association (IATA).