The Owner Experience An Interview with Mindy Drummond, Executive Vice President, Employee NetJets meteorologist (above); NetJets plane ready for takeoff (left); and Owner Experience, NetJets Inc. NetJets control center (below) EDITORS’ NOTE Prior to her role at of just getting it done, and getting it done extend that from the moment you are greeted NetJets, Mindy Drummond led var- safely and exceptionally for our cus- to the time that you are actually on the plane to ious HR teams for Omnicare, a tomers. Ultimately, that is what we all the time you reach your destination. This helps CVS Health Company, and also are working toward. us craft the amenities that are on our aircraft served as Vice President of Talent at How important is collaboration and we pay attention to Owner feedback and Luxottica Retail. She held a variety of within the NetJets culture? constantly utilize it to improve the experience. human resources roles at L Brands It’s imperative. We have more than Just looking at the experience through our lens and Motorola and was named a 3,000 crew members who are on the road doesn’t necessarily make it what they want. We “2016 Top 15 Women in Business each and every day. The fl ight center is want to make sure that we’re hearing from them in Ohio” by the National Diversity the hub of the operations, and where and understanding what they need in order to Council. Drummond received her we get fl ights scheduled, managed and ensure that their experience is nothing less than bachelor’s degree in communications then safely into the air. The collaboration exceptional. from Bowling Green State University. Mindy Drummond among those fl ight center groups ulti- How important is it for NetJets to build a mately leads to communication and col- diverse workforce? COMPANY BRIEF NetJets (netjets.com), a laboration with our crew members which is critical. We focus on diversity of experience and Berkshire Hathaway company, is the worldwide That collaboration is part of who we are on a day- diversity of thought, but also on ensuring that the leader in private aviation with the largest and most to-day basis. You could not do this job well without people we’re bringing in truly have the great talent diverse private jet fl eet in the world. NetJets provides collaboration, curiosity and communication. that I described to lead us into those competen- shared (fractional) aircraft ownership, a lease pro- cies. We bring a lot of different experiences into gram and card services which allows individuals the company. We have employees who come from and companies to fl y privately on a business jet at a aviation as well as from hospitality, and when we fraction of the cost of whole-aircraft ownership and mix those two, they are able to provide what our guarantees availability 365 days a year with just Owners want. It actually allows us to combine 4-10 hours notice. The NetJets programs worldwide understanding the Owner with the ability to serve offer the largest and most diversifi ed fl eet (more than them through not only our aviation expertise, but 750 aircraft) in private aviation, which includes a also the hospitality experience that we want to variety of aircraft types across four cabin classes. deliver. When we talk about diversity, it’s really NetJets has been serving owners for more than fi fty about inclusion and typically around making sure years, with headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. that we understand that we are collaborative and curious with one another in order to deliver an Will you highlight NetJets’ focus on the exceptional experience. employee and owner experience? What do you tell young people about the We have a vision and mission that we live opportunities that the industry offers? by, which is our 20/20 Flight Plan. Part of that The private aviation industry is so great plan is how we bring together employees and because of its complexity and how it differs from deliver an exceptional experience for them so general aviation. Within this space, we have that we can ultimately deliver an exceptional clearly focused on our internship programs experience for our Owners. Even if you may not and have been looking at other opportunities be in Owner Services or another group that’s Will you elaborate on NetJets’ focus on as well. Most recently, we have focused on how directly involved with the Owner, everyone at the owner experience? we bring aviation to future talent, addressing this NetJets still has an impact on our Owners and the We spend a lot of time focusing on the industry with them early on in their discovery experience that they receive. owner experience and ensuring that we are of possible career paths. We can show them What do you attribute to the strength and delivering an experience that our owners what this industry is since many people don’t industry leadership of NetJets? deserve. We are constantly evaluating it based necessarily know what we do. Once they have It’s interesting. I actually left NetJets for another on the relationships that we’ve built and culti- the opportunity to get an inside look, they fi nd it opportunity and returned because of the people. vated here within the flight center. Owner intriguing and exciting. What we do is not simple. It’s a very complex busi- Services specifically focuses on delivering NetJets was just recognized as a top 100 ness, and our people not only have a passion for service through quality reservation management internship program in the U.S. because we worked service but are problem-solvers. There’s a lot of while developing and maintaining those rela- with universities to provide experiences that truly camaraderie and collaboration that just naturally tionships. We also look to serve the customized show the uniqueness of what we do. A career path happens here. When we look for talent, we know needs of our owners, which is critical. We look, here can span across multiple different functions that if the passion, curiosity and heart are there, we from our owners’ point of view, at what’s on and skill sets. We also have many pilots who come can train the rest. When I returned to the NetJets the plane for them. We spend a lot of time con- in and share their experiences with our interns as culture, I realized how much I missed that attitude centrating on the fi ve senses of the aircraft and well. This is a very special place.• VOLUME 43, NUMBER 1 POSTED WITH PERMISSION. COPYRIGHT © 2020 LEADERS MAGAZINE, INC. LEADERS 77.