BSc in Aviation Management Speaker Series 2011/12 – Willie Walsh, CEO of International Airlines Group

Willie Walsh, Chief Executive of International Airlines Group visited the Business School on Thursday, October 13th to deliver a talk entitled "The Business of Aviation" to students. These students were from the BSc in Aviation Management with Pilot Studies, and a selection of final year business students studying strategic management in which they execute the management of a simulated airline.

Willie introduced students to International Airlines Group and the strategies behind his future plans for the business including consolidation in the airline business. Willie also spoke to students about his own career and when asked what motivates him now, he responded, that he “still enjoys the challenge” and is “grateful to be in a position to shape the future of the industry”. Willie also noted that the BSc in Aviation Management with Pilot Studies at DCU was a “great idea”, as the “science of management” is an area of “significant importance in the aviation industry”. When asked about career prospects in the airline industry Willie noted that there would be “huge demand for pilots in the next 10-15 years” with “BA alone looking to recruit 800 pilots over the next few years”.

Willie Walsh began his career as a cadet for Aer Lingus in 1979, after which he worked his way up through the piloting ranks to Captain. On the management side of the business Willie also progressed through the ranks and in 1998 he was appointed CEO of Futura, Aer Lingus’ Spanish charter airline. In 2001 he went on to become CEO of Aer Lingus, which was followed in 2005 by him taking over the reins of British Airways. Most recently in 2011 he oversaw the merger of British Airways and Iberia forming a new holding company International Airlines Group.

Today Willie Walsh is Chief Executive of International Airlines Group. He is an honorary board member of Flight Safety International. He is branch president of the Heathrow Branch of the Royal Aeronautical Society, an honorary member of the Aviation Club and a member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (UK).

DCU Business School in collaboration with the faculty of Engineering and Computing launched Ireland's first aviation management degree in 2009. This ground-breaking degree has been designed for those who plan to enter the dynamic world of aviation whether as commercial pilots or to pursue fast-paced management careers.