Building a digital talent model to rival tech giants

In an environment where airlines are competing for digital talent against innovative giants like Spotify, Airbnb, and Uber, the industry must rethink its model.

At World Aviation Festival, Ricard Vilà, Chief Digital Officer at LATAM Airlines discussed how LATAM has established an ‘Dual Talent Model’ that is better suited to the world of today. He explained: 

“Traditional talent models have some restrictions that don’t adapt well to the characteristics of the digital talent market. So we think that in order to attract and retain the digital talent that is already quite scarce, and doesn’t look at aviation as an attractive place to work when they can work at Spotify or Airbnb or Uber, we need to do something different. And we felt that in the traditional model we had some restrictions that, in order to be surpassed, required a parallel or a different talent specific for this kind of talent.”

To find out how LATAM established a model that focuses on retention, continuous learning, and frequent feedback, watch the full interview below.

Questions include:

1. We hear a lot about becoming a digital airline, but can you explain what it means to have this permeate into a digital airline culture? ​
2. You have spoken previously about the need for dual talent models within an airline organisation, why is this important and what benefits can be unlocked by this model?​
3. What built the foundations of your new digital talent model? And what are the challenges associated with actioning it?