NOTHING less can be expected from the chief executive of Tiger Airways Philippines who has exhibited the qualities of a tiger such as bravery and aggressiveness in running the country’s youngest airline.
Prior to joining the company, Tigerair President Olive Ramos was part of the logistics industry where she experienced handling concerns and responsibilities that are typically given to men. Ramos looked after cargos and warehousing and mobilized logistics strategy.
“People say it is a men’s world, but I wanted to do away with that stereotyping of women. I wanted to be able to prove that women can also aspire for and achieve great things,” Ramos said.
“The brain has no gender. A leadership position is all about what is in your mind and your character.”
Being at the helm of one of the youngest airlines in the country require a lot of brains, courage and character. Ramos has shown she has what it takes to steer the company toward achieving its business goals.
In a previous report in the BUSINESSMIRROR, Tigerair said it is confident that it will reach its P5-billion revenue target by the end of its fiscal year ending March. For the 2014-2015 fiscal year, the airline expects to achieve P7.5 billion in revenues.
“Next year we will probably grow by at least 50 percent in terms of revenues with the coming in of new aircrafts,” Ramos said.
Tigerair currently has five airbuses in its fleet, including two A319s and three A320s Airbus. The “value-for-money” carrier is expecting an additional plane this December, 10 more next year, and at least five more for every succeeding year and is preparing for Japan, South Korea, Macau and China. Tigerair currently serves four international routes and one domestic route out of Clark, and seven domestic routes out of Manila.
The airline holds a 3-percent market share in the country.
Ramos said the market is not yet saturated despite the increasing number of carriers offering rock-bottom fares.
“The market is so big. It is not yet overcrowded. We just have to promote traveling among Filipinos,” she said.
“I have always seen Tigerair as something that would help the Filipinos travel because here, they can afford it. I hope Filipinos would travel more because that would help them grow, mature and expand their horizon,” Ramos added.
‘Tiger’ boss, Little Miss Sunshine
SHE may look dainty, but Ramos knows how to crack the whip.
“I always tell my employees to not depend on others. Dasel in distress? Hindi na uso ’yun [it’s no longer in vogue],” said the Tigerair executive who once served as a Citizen Army Training(CAT) adjutant in high school. “I want them to be responsible for themselves and their actions.”
“I remind them, ‘You are here to create values.’ Nobody can do that for you,” Ramos said.
But despite the ferocious aura she exudes and the demands of her job, Raos still finds time for reflection and doing what she loves most—painting and writing poems.
“Even if you think you have a good grip on things, you cannot control certain variables. You will easily become paranoid, so you will just have to trust the goodness of the One who has control over the universe,” she said.
The lady executive is also in good shape morally and spiritually. Growing up in a loving family and educated in a school run by nuns, Ramos understood the importance of charity early on in her life.
Following a typhoon, the Tigerair executive prioritized the needs of company employees living in flooded areas before the condition of the aircrafts.
“We have to be caring and humane,” she said. “I have come to find out that love has become a rare commodity.”
This has also been her philosophy when it comes to taking care of Tigerair’s passengers. “We are transporting lives and we want to take care of them. We understand how important it is for them to reach their destination on time.”
“One should not always focus on statistics and numbers. This can make people heartless,” Ramos added.
The Tigerair executive said she understands the importance of the airline industry in the lives of Filipinos. With this in mind, the company has done everything possible to make the flying experience of passengers as smooth as possible.
“What I really I like about what I do is we touch people’s lives. We make a difference in the travellers, in our employees and in our stakeholders. We assure them that traveling experience will never be the same after Tigerair,” Ramos said.