Wednesday, April 28

10 AM

Route Network, Onboard Experience, MileagePlus, and More: Your questions answered

Doreen Burse moderates an engaging discussion with Andrew Nocella, Ankit Gupta, Patrick Quayle and Luc Bondar. Questions submitted by the audience will drive the conversation.

11AM

Chief Executive Officer United Airlines

Mr. Kirby is chief executive officer of United Airlines. He served as the company’s president from 2016 to 2020 and was responsible for United’s operations, marketing, sales, alliances, network planning and revenue management. As president, he played a pivotal role in enabling United’s cultural transformation and executing the Company’s strategic growth plan. Elected in December 2020, Scott serves as the Chairman of the Star Alliance Chief Executive Board (CEB).

Prior to joining United, Mr. Kirby was president of American Airlines from 2013 to 2016 and president of US Airways from 2006 to 2013. He is a well-known industry veteran, with a broad and accomplished three-decade-long career in significant leadership roles within the airline industry. Mr. Kirby started his career at the Pentagon and in the technology sector.

Mr. Kirby has bachelor’s degrees in computer science and operations research from the U.S. Air Force Academy and a Master of Science in operations research from George Washington University. He is married and has seven children.

Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer

Andrew Nocella is United’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer. He brings expansive knowledge to this position, having joined the industry over 20 years ago. In his current role, Andrew oversees United’s cargo, United Express, pricing and revenue management, network and commercial strategy, sales, marketing functions and MileagePlus.

Before joining United, Andrew held various leadership positions at American Airlines and US Airways. He most recently served as senior vice president of network planning, alliance and sales at American Airlines, where he oversaw the airline’s route schedule, global sales and partnerships with other airlines. Before that role, he was senior vice president of marketing and planning at US Airways.

He also spent time in route planning for Continental Airlines. Andrew earned a Bachelor of Science in decision sciences from George Mason University.

Senior Vice President Worldwide Sales United Airlines

Doreen Burse is senior vice president of worldwide sales at United. In this role, she oversees the global sales strategy, enhancing existing sales programs and building new partnerships to drive overall revenue. Doreen reports to executive vice president and chief commercial officer Andrew Nocella.

Doreen brings a wide range of expertise to this position, with more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry. Prior to joining United, she held leadership roles in global sales, branded concepts, distribution services and global procurement with Marriott International, guiding her teams through a variety of organizational evolutions, business strategy expansions, and several economic cycles including the 2020 pandemic.

Most recently, she was the vice president of Marriott’s global sales for the U.S. and Canada, leading a global account team serving over 1,300 accounts that represented $16 billion in annual spending. While at Marriott, Doreen previously served as vice president of global sales for North America and vice president of global sales for corporate accounts. Doreen was also a sales university facilitator for Marriott’s learning & delivery team.

Doreen is a frequent public speaker on industry panels. She is a member of the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) including past payments committee member and she was a foundation board member for Meetings Professional International (MPI). Doreen is on the board of directors of AMC Institute and is an editorial board member for Smart Meetings magazine & Business Travel News. She also participates in many other industry organizations.

Doreen lives in Chicago and has four children.

Vice President, Marketing & Loyalty and President, MileagePlus® United Airlines

Luc Bondar is United’s vice president of marketing and loyalty, and president of MileagePlus. He is responsible for United’s brand, consumer marketing and consumer product strategy including United Clubs, Lounges and onboard products. He also oversees United’s consumer loyalty programs, where, as the leader of MileagePlus, he is responsible for the program’s operation, performance and growth, including all associated program partnerships.

Before joining United, Luc was senior vice president of sales for Index Systems. He was also the senior vice president, U.S., at Aimia. His extensive experience in loyalty marketing includes roles as both the vice president of loyalty for Carlson Marketing Worldwide – where he had global responsibility for client and corporate strategy – and as senior vice president of global loyalty with CMW (Groupe Aeroplan) in Minneapolis. His marketing leadership experience includes group account director positions with direct marketing and advertising agencies, including Leo Burnett in Australia.

Luc has worked in various international markets throughout his career, including the U.K., Europe, APAC and North America, and has extensive experience in leading marketing and loyalty for global travel, financial services and retail brands.

He holds bachelor degrees in marketing, information systems, history and politics from the University of Adelaide, Australia. Luc also has a postgraduate certificate in general management from the Macquarie Graduate School of Management, Macquarie University, Australia, and he completed the executive leadership program in general management at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. He is married and has 4 children.

Vice President, Domestic Network Planning and Scheduling

Ankit Gupta is United’s vice president of domestic network planning and scheduling. Ankit is responsible for setting United’s long-term strategy and capacity decisions for domestic markets.

Prior to this role, Ankit was United’s managing director of domestic planning. He led efforts to build out new growth strategy across the domestic network. While in this role, Ankit expanded United’s participation in high-yield markets and entering new markets – adding over 300 daily departures and service to 26 new destinations. Ankit has also initiated plans to significantly enhance the role of United’s interior hubs.

Before joining United, Ankit was the managing director of commercial and fleet strategy at American Airlines. His previous experience included roles in network planning, finance, fleet planning and cargo revenue management.

Ankit received a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Punjab Engineering College at Punjab University in Chandigarh, India, and his MBA from Vanderbilt.

Vice President, International Network and Alliances

As United’s vice president of international network and alliances, Patrick is responsible for setting the airline’s international strategy including capacity decisions, aircraft scheduling, aircraft configuration/layout and the development of alliance partnerships around the world.

Under Patrick’s leadership, the international network team has rapidly expanded its nearly $20 billion route portfolio, announcing 45 new international routes including brand-new service to 12 destinations and first-ever service from a U.S. carrier to cities such as Cape Town, Bangalore, Porto and Naples. Additionally, Patrick has led the design and interior configuration of more than 1,000 aircraft across United’s fleet including the company’s $1 billion investment in its United Polaris and United Premium Plus product and its new high-premium 767-300ER aircraft configuration operating between New York and London.

Bringing extensive experience to United since 2017, Patrick previously served as managing director of international planning at American Airlines, where he oversaw a $12 billion international route portfolio.

He also served as managing director of network and fleet strategy for American. Prior to these appointments, he held positions of increasing responsibility at American across multiple departments. Patrick began his career in network planning at Continental Airlines.

Patrick was named as one of the top 40 under 40 individuals in Crain’s Chicago Business. He received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Rice University, and his MBA from University of Bath in Bath, U.K.

Managing Director – United for Business Marketing

Jane Gasparian Lee is the Managing Director of United for Business Marketing at United Airlines, responsible for leading the B2B marketing strategy, including communication, products, events and sponsorships.

Jane is a customer-driven marketing leader with 12+ years of experience. Prior to joining United Airlines in 2019, Jane worked in a variety of marketing roles at PepsiCo from brand marketing to global product innovation, where she launched a new line of snacking products for the Chinese market.

Jane is a graduate of University of Wisconsin and holds a MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. She lives in her favorite city of Chicago with her husband and two kids.

Director of Greater New York Sales at United Airlines

Nick Depner is the Director of Greater New York Sales at United Airlines, responsible for leading corporate strategy as well as developing new business and engagement opportunities within the region.

Having worked in the airline industry for over 14 years, Nick has a strong commercial background through his time spent across the Pricing and Revenue Management, Network Planning, Marketing, and Sales organizations.

A California native, Nick is a graduate of the University of San Diego, and holds two B.A. in Media Communications and Spanish Languages and Literature.

Route Network, Onboard Experience, MileagePlus, and more: Your questions answered

11:00 AM - 11:45 AM EDT on Wednesday, April 28
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Doreen Burse moderates an engaging discussion with Andrew Nocella, Ankit Gupta, Patrick Quayle and Luc Bondar. Questions submitted by the audience will drive the conversation.Route Network, Onboard Experience, MileagePlus, and more: Your questions answered