ISTAT Jetrader - Autumn 2023 - 10

PERSPECTIVES
John Rodgerson
CEO, Azul Brazilian Airlines
Jetrader spoke to John Rodgerson about the
growth Azul has seen under his leadership, his
thoughts on ESG, Azul's restructuring and more.
Jetrader: What was your career path
prior to becoming CEO of Azul?
John Rodgerson (JR): I was born
and raised in Connecticut, went to
school at Brigham Young University
to study finance and then worked for
IBM. So, I worked for " Big Blue " [IBM's
nickname] before JetBlue and Azul. I
wanted to work for a growing company,
and I saw that JetBlue was growing.
That's where opportunity exists:
where growth is. I wasn't involved in
the startup of JetBlue, I was there a
couple of years after its launch, but I
often thought about how I would have
done certain things differently. So,
the opportunity to do a startup was
very attractive. I became the chief
financial officer of Azul and picked up
and moved my family from Connecticut
down to São Paulo, Brazil. I told my
wife we would be there for three years,
and it's been 15.
Jetrader: What are the differences
between being the CEO of an airline
and its CFO?
JR: So much of running an airline
is about finance, and having that
background has been really important.
However, I think you need a broader
perspective to be the CEO of an airline.
Oftentimes, the finance people think
10 * THE OF F I C I AL PUBL I CAT I ON OF ISTAT
the revenue people should just bring
in more revenue and the revenue
people think that the cost people
should reduce costs more, but there
is an important balance. A well-run
organization is one that balances the
needs of all the different stakeholders.
That's been the biggest transition for
me: understanding that I'm no longer
the CFO. Somebody else has that role.
Jetrader: Azul has seen remarkable
growth under your leadership. What
key strategies do you attribute to the
company's expansion and becoming
the largest airline in Brazil?
JR: When I look at JetBlue, which,
after 25 years, has roughly 5-6% of
the U.S. market, and Azul, which, after
15 years, has a third of the Brazilian
market - we're fundamentally doing
something different. Aviation is still
so new in Latin America, and in Brazil
in particular. What I often say is that
I don't run an airline; I run a people
organization. As long as the people are
motivated and believe in our mission,
then everything else is secondary.
Culture is the most important thing,
and having a strong culture and people
believing in what we're trying to do is
really important.
ISTAT Jetrader - Autumn 2023

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