Enterprising and dynamic are underrated words to introduce Karim El-Etre, the Chief Executive Officer of Crew Lounge. Leadership is inherent in him. He is, indeed, a perfect visionary as far as excelling in the aviation industry is concerned. His rise in a field to which he was new reflects his resilience and determination, and this is why his intuition to train people in aviation is second to none.
El-Etre graduated as a mechanical engineer with a master’s degree from UOW Dubai. His management aptitude has got him involved in an MBA programme with the Heriot-Watt University. But engineering was not his cup of tea, and he took a strategic decision to join Etihad Airways in 2005.
He became part of the cabin crew training department, and since then, there was no looking back for him. He rose to the Cabin Manager’s accolades in 2011. He was instrumental in training more than 3,000 Cabin Crew and Ground Handling staff at the Abu Dhabi airport.
He taught evolving airlines’ crew and staff, such as Air Seychelles and Jet Airways. He led them in the avenues of Leadership and Development Training. His hallmark was to train the UAE Air Force cabin crew, too. This is how he was recognised and became a sought-after name for airlines involved in upgrading and training their workforce.
His curriculum vitae is breathtaking. In 2015, he piloted a development-cum-training project with Alitalia in Rome before joining Qatar Airways in 2016, another of the Middle East’s prime airlines. In Doha, he was tasked as the Performance Manager and led a team of 800 cabin crew. He delivered with flying colours in training and harnessing performance and productivity.
Malaysia was his next destination of repute. He initiated his own business on the heels of resounding successes as an inside-man exposed to different aviation industry avenues. Here, he leapt forward in emerging as an institution in himself to train aspiring potential candidates for the flying sector.
According to one of his…