AeroProfessional helps
Electra Airways gain a competitive advantage with their new COO hire
AT A GLANCE…
Electra Airways is a European airline with the headquarter in Sofia, Bulgaria. It specialises in ACMI and charter operations. Since its founding in 2016, Electra has grown to become a reputable charter flight provider, and a trusted partner to global tour operators, airlines, and brokers. Since the end of 2022 the airline has become a crucial part of the newly formed Vector Group holding, comprised also by the Varna based MRO ETG Maintenance, Irish leasing company Maverick Horizon, and a brokerage company Classic Air, headquartered in Tel Aviv and Malta. As part of its growth journey, Electra approached AeroProfessional in 2022, to support them in the search and selection of their new Chief Operating Officer (COO).
THE SITUATION…
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In 2022, Electra was on a mission to become one of the most successful and highly respected charter airlines in the industry in Southern Europe. Due to Electra’s rapid growth and promising potential, they needed to hire a COO to support their expansion. The ideal candidate was an ACMI specialist with an extensive OCC background, who would be responsible for improving collaboration across departments to reduce disruptions, delays, and potential passenger compensation costs. The search had to be thorough and discreet, to ensure the smooth integration of the new COO into Electra’s operations.
AeroProfessional is a recruitment consultancy, that offers high-quality executive level resourcing solutions to aviation clients in the UK and around the world. It specialises in sourcing high calibre, senior leadership candidates that can take aviation businesses to the next level. Its discreet and results driven approach has granted it a strong reputation in the aviation industry, which has seen AeroProfessional establish itself as a trustworthy recruitment partner worldwide.
Electra and AeroProfessional joined forces in 2022 to recruit a COO for their business. It was a role that Electra had never had in the past and AeroProfessional was delighted to join them in their recruitment journey and help them find the right person.
THE SOLUTION…
AeroProfessional began the headhunting and screening process in accordance with the role requirements. Thanks to its intense job advertising and marketing efforts, the role attracted many candidates with the ideal profile Electra was seeking.
Meticulous in their interviewing and vetting of around 11 applicants within a pool of approximately 25 suitable COO candidates, AeroProfessional shortlisted the top four. The selected candidates moved on to a comprehensive three-stage interview process with the CEO of Electra’s major shareholder team.
All four candidates were successful in the first two interviews with Electra Airways, evidencing their strength and capability of AeroProfessional’s search and selection process. Two of the four candidates made it to the third and final stage, which assessed their team dynamic and adaptability.
THE RESULTS…
The chosen candidate received an offer from Electra Airways in August 2022, and started the role about a month later. AeroProfessional and Electra have since formed a strong relationship and a partnership model that continues to bring increasing value to their operations. It involves the leasing of EASA flight crew to the airline, and further projects for senior management recruitment.
AeroProfessional played an integral part in negotiating and formalising the salary, performance incentives, relocation package, as well as managing the candidate onboarding on behalf of Electra.
The newly hired COO proved to be a major asset in the business and, since joining Electra Airways, the airline has gone on to double its fleet size and become a significant player within the European ACMI airline market.
I could tell right from the first meeting with Electra that they were a very goal-oriented airline, looking for a COO to make a real difference in their operations. I’m delighted that we delivered on that front. Working with them was a phenomenal experience and I look forward to our next collaboration.
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Mike Lucas
Associate Director of Client Services
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C-level positions are very time consuming and difficult to fill due to the complexity of the role and required skillset, which is extremely specific. With AeroProfessional’s executive search and selection expertise, we successfully found a highly competent COO whose vision and goals were strongly aligned with our own
Effi Grunwald
CEO at Vector Group
