Deloitte launches new Aviation Technology practice in UK
Deloitte has launched a new Aviation Technology division as part of its UK Travel, Hospitality and Leisure practice. The new division aims to support the aviation industry tackle key technology opportunities and challenges, as the global market continues to expand. The launch sees two new hires to the firm, Mark Cooper joins as Partner and Martin Bowman as Director.
The aviation industry is finally putting a period of severe turbulence behind it, as high-fuel costs and global competition cut margins. Growing demand from emerging markets, as well as considerably lower commodity prices has allowed the industry a period of breathing room – while consumers are benefiting from lower cost travel. The longer-term picture for the industry is of continued growth as demand from Asia sees an additional ~10,000 planes in the sky by 2025 and the need for an additional 560,000 pilots and 610,000 technicians by 2034. While new technologies and new ways of running maintenance add further complexity to the market.
To capitalise on the growth of the industry Deloitte has launched a new Aviation Technology division, within the firm’s wider Travel, Hospitality and Leisure practice. The new practice is focused on leveraging various technologies being developed within aviation, from the back-end to the front-end of the wider aviation value chain.
As part of the launching of the division, the accounting and consulting firm giant has hired two experts in the field. Mark Cooper joins the team as a Partner, from Lockheed Martin where he was most recently a Managing Director to its Air Traffic Management and Airport business – he spent the past eighteen years with the firm. While Martin Bowman joins the firm as a Director in the new division, he was most recently the Strategy Director for Leidos, and previously worked at Amor Group where he was Sector Director for Airports.
Remarking on the two new members to the firm’s wider Travel, Hospitality and Leisure practice, Graham Pickett the global leader for Travel and Aviation at Deloitte, says, “Mark and Martin bring a wealth of experience and I am confident that our new Aviation Technology division will provide our clients with the answers they need to remain competitive in this rapidly-changing sector.”
Mark Cooper says that it is currently an “exciting and challenging time” for the aviation industry. He reflects, “Demand for aviation is forecast to grow significantly over the next decade, even though the overall aviation infrastructure is unlikely to change massively. This creates a huge need for organisations to work smarter, and technology will play a huge role in delivering the additional capacity the industry needs.
