Welcome to another episode of our podcast, hosted by Emmanuel Scuto, the CEO and founder of WeYield, the leading revenue management company specializing in the car rental industry.
In this insightful episode, Emmanuel sits down with Olivier Jager, co-Founder and CEO of Forwardkeys, for an engaging discussion that spans from Olivier's early entrepreneurial ventures to the innovative data-driven solutions shaping the travel industry today.
Olivier's journey is as dynamic as it is inspiring. From his formative years as a journalist to his entrepreneurial pursuits in the tech industry, Olivier's path has been guided by a relentless curiosity and a passion for harnessing the power of data to drive meaningful insights and solutions.
One of the key insights Olivier shares is the importance of understanding the underlying use case and objectives when leveraging data for optimization. Without a clear understanding of the pain points and objectives, data can often be misused or underutilized.
This understanding led Olivier to co-found Forwardkeys, a pioneering platform that analyzes vast amounts of data from global distribution systems (GDS) to provide invaluable insights into traveler behavior and trends. By leveraging this data, not only are travel professionals able to optimize their strategies, but luxury brands have also tapped into the power of travel data to anticipate consumer behavior and enhance their sales strategies.
Despite his professional success, Olivier emphasizes the importance of maintaining a sense of creativity and exploration in his personal life. Whether it's sailing the seas, exploring mountain trails, or hitting the road on his motorbike, Olivier finds inspiration and rejuvenation in the great outdoors.
As the episode concludes, Olivier reflects on the wisdom he's gained over the years, including the importance of exposing oneself to new experiences and creating value for society.
Join us on this captivating journey with Olivier Jager, where innovation, entrepreneurship, and adventure converge to shape a brighter future for the travel industry and beyond.
For listeners interested in exploring the platforms and resources mentioned in the episode, references include Forwardkeys, Travelclick (now Amadeus Hospitality), WeYield's Air Analytics feature, and Destination Management Organizations (DMOs).
📌 Here's a glimpse into the enriching discussion:
- 0:00:00 to 0:04:35 Introduction of Olivier Jager
- 0:04:45 to 0:08:20 Foreign language as an intercultural bridge between people
- 0:02:20 to 0:11:25 Youth in Senegal was a pilar of Olivier's personality
- 0:11:30 to 0:17:25 Journalism and entrepreneurship in tech at teenage
- 0:17:25 to 0:24:35 Start at Amadeus was a jump into the travel industry
- 0:24:35 to 0:30:50 Without a clear objective, solving a paint point with data might be useless.
- 0:30:50 to 0:41:50 Creation of Forwardkeys using air data to extract a new value from the air
- 0:41:50 to 0:52:40 How luxury brands are anticipating their sales using travel data
- 0:52:40 to 1:04:55 Sea, mountain, motor bike : oxygen bubbles
- 1:04:55 till end Teenage advices to Olivier : expose yourself and create value to society