Charismatic, enthusiastic and hard working – just a few words that have been flying around (excuse the pun!) since we had the pleasure of hosting Alex Cruz, CEO and Chairman of British Airways at St Dominic’s.  

We had high expectations as we walked in to the Chapel to hear him talk about his role as the CEO and Chairman of one of the most successful airlines of its time – and we were not disappointed. Alex began by bringing us in to his world – the world of aviation – and captured us straight away by showing us how the age of flying has changed over the last 100 years.  We were able to visualise straight away that something which was once seen as a luxury has now become a staple of many peoples’ lives and in order to be able to afford such a luxury, the trade-off has been the loss of space and glamour.  However, if it means we can see the world we would all agree that that is a small price to pay!

After his amazing insight into the industry, he kindly opened the floor and answered our many questions.  Running around with the microphone himself, proving what a personable person he really is, answered questions about his biggest challenges as a CEO and Chairman – which happens to be the leadership of his 45,000 staff.  He also gave his opinions on key economic issues facing the world of aviation, from Brexit, environmental preservation and competition from low cost airlines such as Easyjet.  This insight was fascinating and gave us a deeper understanding of what we learn in lessons. Most importantly, Alex Cruz inspired us to continue to work hard and make something of ourselves; we may not all know what we want to do after we leave St Dominic’s, but we certainly left his talk knowing that hard work, perseverance and risk taking is something we should all aspire to achieve.

With British Airways turning 100 years old next year, you can see the airline is in good hands with Alex Cruz – and St Dominic’s looks forward to joining with them to celebrate their Centennial.

Hannah Bohan (Y2 Economics Student) 

 

More photographs of the event can be found here.