Dubai, Patrick Naef, divisional senior vice president IT for the Emirates Group and head of mercator, has received an industry award "CIO 50 Award" by the Corporate Publishing International (CPI) during a ceremony held on January 30 in Dubai.
Emirates, in partnership with HP and Microsoft, recently developed an in-flight communication and customer relationship management system. The knowledge-driven in-flight service (KIS) system exclusively for the use of Emirates, enables cabin crew to provide a personalized service to the airline’s customers.
“We work closely with our IT department; constantly seeking ways to enhance our customers’ experience,” said Kevin Griffiths, Emirates senior vice president, cabin crew. “Deployed via a compact, sleek Windows 8 tablet, the KIS system allows our staff to provide the highest levels of service to our customers while maintaining the ruggedness and security measures needed from an enterprise class device. With more than 16,500 cabin crew serving nearly 130 destinations, this innovation helps us to better manage our staff and customers world-wide – putting us at the forefront of the industry.”
Last year, Patrick was also awarded ‘Chief Information Officer of the Decade’ by Europe's leading IT magazine, CIO and ‘CIO of the Year’ by the German-based publication, Computerwoche.
Patrick Naef, said: "IT works closely with all departments across the Group; seeking out ways to grow and explore new ways to conduct the business. Innovation in the form of new systems developed, such as KIS, help us to gain both efficiencies and differentiation at the same time. Technology remains key in driving change and growth within our enterprise and across the industry as a whole.
“This award is testament to the competencies and commitment of our people, not only in IT but also in business departments across the Emirates Group. Together our teams aspire to achieve operational excellence, high performance, and technology value-add delivery in relentless pursuit of enhanced business results."
