With more than 20 years of experience in all aspects of airline operations, Brian focuses Oliver Wyman Vector on the technical operations areas that provide airlines with exceptional results. It’s a role in which he draws on his broad industry background. “Working as an engineer at various airlines gave me the opportunity to interface with almost every department, from marketing to flight operations to technicians to ground personnel and the CEO. It gave me meaningful insight into how airlines work and how to think outside the box,” he says.
More than ever before, airlines are utilizing third parties to become successful. Years ago, the word “consultant” at an airline meant layoffs or the destruction of efficiency. Now, we see airlines turning to consultants as the experts they need in order to be successful and competitive in the industry
Brian specializes in maintenance programs, engineering, reliability, records, planning, and information technology, leading extensive projects at major airlines for optimization of maintenance programs, entry into service of new aircraft types, and change management of entire technical operations departments.
In addition to his consulting expertise, he’s a Designated Engineering Representative (DER) for the FAA as well as a certified Professional Engineer (PE) for the State of Ohio. “This means that I routinely act on behalf of the FAA for approving repairs to aircraft in order to make them safe for flight. In a pinch, I can also approve designs for large-scale mechanical systems like HVAC for high-rises or structural designs for a custom home,” he says, hastening to add that he’s never done so for the latter.
The best piece of advice he ever received came from a supervisor early in his career, who told him that family comes first. It’s how he tries to live each day. “Most of my free time outside of work is spent with my two boys, who are 16 and 14, either working on classic cars – currently a 1966 Lincoln Continental Convertible – or sailing on nearby West Point Lake or in the Caribbean as time and weather permits,” says Brian.
Looking ahead, he sees airlines moving in the direction of using predictive analytics to fix an aircraft before there is any inclination something will fail. “The challenge for everyone is churning through the vast amount of information from the individual aircraft, the airline operation, and the OEM data sources quickly and successfully so that it is truly an added value to the airline, and ultimately the flying public,” he says.