Praveen Das Kulangara
Airline Sales Professional
Mumbai
Summary
Accomplished sales professional with 15 years of experience n the field, adept at prospecting, nurturing customer relationships, devising effective sales strategies, pinpointing sales requirements, and fostering account growth. Proven history of elevating sales figures, expanding market presence, and enhancing profitability. Notable skills encompass market analysis, the formulation of sales strategies, and collaborating within diverse, multicultural teams.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
3
3
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Senior Airline Manager
Trip.com
01.2024 - Current
- Accountable for managing & negotiating various global, regional and local commercial agreements with key airline partners with responsibility for implementing initiatives and strategies to drive commercial effectiveness
- Build and maintain strong collaborative relationships with stakeholders and potential business partners
- Analyse complex data and use insights to drive revenue generating / share shifting actions for the flights line of business
- Provide analyses of competitive environments and identify proactive sales and commercial initiatives accordingly
- Establish effective networking partnerships between new and existing contacts to support the development and implementation of innovative commercial business opportunities
- Be responsible for working with various internal stakeholders including but not limited to Marketing, Flight Product, Revenue Management and Operational teams for GCC & ISC region.
Strategy and Business Development Manager ISC & FE
Oman Air GSA India
9 2020 - 12.2023
- Hold a dual role where I am responsible for the planning, development, and execution of revenue strategies for the ISC and APAC Region, as well as overseeing the corporate and TMC segment in India.
- Closely collaborate with the Pricing and Revenue Management teams to adapt to market changes and ensure the maintenance or improvement of market share and competitiveness for WY.
- Review and develop weekly reports for countries, identifying discrepancies between actual and budgeted figures and proposing effective solutions to address any concerns.
- My role include managing and formulating incentive strategies for regions in consultation with agencies, OTAs and corporate partners, aligning these strategies with the cost-of-sale strategy.
- Evaluate corporate performance and recommended plans to enhance business within the segment through engagement with TMCs and travel managers.
- Developing account growth strategies for the OTA/Ecommerce sector is a central component of my professional responsibilities.
- Introduced programs that emphasized soft benefits to target Marine and Corporate Business in the region, focusing on empowering staff to achieve these goals.
- Additionally, I conduct reviews of commercial rational requests, assessed tactical marketing proposals, and generated innovative plans and ideas tailored to meet various market requirements.
- My approach also involved staying attuned to market trends, implementing cost-saving measures to improve revenue and yield, and coordinating innovative strategies to achieve marketing objectives and ensure long-term profitability.
- Also held a dual role, acting as the Country Manager for Bangladesh Oman Air Operations and simultaneously serving as the Strategy and Business Development Manager for ISC & APAC until November 2022. In this capacity, I was accountable for delivering revenue budgets and ensuring route profitability on the Bangladesh route (CGP and DAC).
- This also included handling approvals from CAAB for route planning, contributing to enhanced route profitability.
Manager Business Development - Network
Oman Air SAOC
11.2016 - 07.2020
- Lead Business Development Unit and guide regional sales
team on specific performance analysis .Lead implementation,
monitoring and reporting of results - Held the responsibility of strategizing, developing, and executing revenue plans in alignment with the airline's overarching strategic objectives.
- Delivered weekly analyses, plans, and the positioning of the airline to the Chief Executive Management during the weekly commercial board meetings.
- Formulated comprehensive marketing and pricing strategies geared towards generating both short and long-term incremental revenue, continually assessing and refining them to achieve desired outcomes.
- Conceptualized and developed various products and programs, including waivers and incentives, designed to influence new customer acquisition, enhance customer retention, and facilitate service recovery.
- Took the lead in formulating and implementing commercial and sales policies for the airline, and actively collaborated with audit teams to ensure the effectiveness of policy implementation.
- Played a pivotal role in training the organization's sales force and provided valuable administrative support for airline revenue tools. Additionally, spearheaded enhancement projects and product development initiatives aligned with business requirements.
- Assumed responsibility for cost reduction in sales operations and successfully introduced new sales tools to drive higher revenues.
- Dedicatedly supported Omanization plans by actively participating in training and development efforts.
Senior Sales Executive
Qatar Airways
04.2016 - 06.2016
- Achieved revenue targets for a designated account portfolio by employing strategic and tactical approaches, which encompassed contract negotiations, seamless implementation, and dedicated account support. Skillfully managed all aspects of corporate and agency point-of-sale and back-end incentive programs.
- Effectively oversaw key accounts and customers, meticulously planning sales calls and delivering insightful market updates. Conducted in-depth analyses of revenue performance across all managed accounts.
- Played a pivotal role in promoting extensive awareness of QR products and services, thereby enhancing brand recognition and market presence.
- Contributed significantly to the formulation and execution of QR's sales strategy, focusing on maximizing both short and long-term revenue prospects, reducing cost of sales, and driving channel shift initiatives.
Key Account Manager
Cathay Pacific Airways
03.2014 - 03.2016
- Contributed significantly to the launch of Cathay Pacific in Doha, aligning with the joint business agreement alongside Qatar Airways. Fostered close collaboration with the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority and Qatar Airways Management throughout this process.
- Took charge of identifying and capitalizing on new business prospects, focusing on cultivating and sustaining profitability for the Doha-Hong Kong route in accordance with the joint business agreement.
- Assumed the role of overseeing the "Train The Trainer" program, with the responsibility of training the entire Doha team in SalesForce and MIDT systems.
Sales Manager
Etihad Airways
06.2008 - 03.2014
- Sales and Key Account Management - Spearheaded the leadership and management of commercial operations in Chennai.
- Established and directed a team consisting of two sales executives and sales support personnel, overseeing sales staff performance and providing coaching on various calling techniques and effective closing strategies, primarily in corporate settings through joint calls.
- Successfully launched the Etihad station in Bangalore, overseeing the setup of a pre-opening team and delivering comprehensive training for all staff members.
- Played a crucial role in ensuring Etihad's readiness to proactively address market and competitor trends, challenges, and threats, enabling the airline to secure more sales and mitigate adverse impacts on sales.
- Conducted detailed quantitative analyses of various commercial contracts and explored new opportunities, leveraging tools and market information from headquarters to translate analytical insights into actionable business prospects.
Education
MBA - Analytics And Data Science
Jain University
Bengaluru, KA 07.2021 - Current
Bachelor of Science - Hospitality And Hotel Administration
IHMCT & AN
Chennai, TN 06.2003 - 2006.05
Skills
MS Office
Internet Application
Sales Dealing and Activation
Negotiation
Account Management
Power BI
SQL and Python
Languages
English
Advanced
Hindi
Advanced
Tamil
Advanced
Malayalam
Advanced
Timeline
Senior Airline Manager
Trip.com
01.2024 - Current
MBA - Analytics And Data Science
Jain University
07.2021 - Current
Manager Business Development - Network
Oman Air SAOC
11.2016 - 07.2020
Senior Sales Executive
Qatar Airways
04.2016 - 06.2016
Key Account Manager
Cathay Pacific Airways
03.2014 - 03.2016
Sales Manager
Etihad Airways
06.2008 - 03.2014
Bachelor of Science - Hospitality And Hotel Administration
IHMCT & AN
06.2003 - 2006.05
Strategy and Business Development Manager ISC & FE
Oman Air GSA India
9 2020 - 12.2023
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