Meet Alice Ferrari (MSc Air Transport Management 2013) CEO and Co-Founder, Kyte.
Excellence in Achievement for Recent Aviation Graduates 2022 winner.
Alice is the CEO and Co-founder of Kyte, a new API technology platform for airline retailing. She founded the company as she is very passionate about bringing solutions to the industry that can help airlines develop the way they present the flight booking experience and better engage with customers.
What advice would you give to students looking to become an entrepreneur?
Airlines value trust more than cost and they tend to only work with who they know, so use the Cranfield powerful network as a base to start meeting people and start building those relationships and your professional reputation. Be curious and inquisitive and find an early-state venture partner (a venture studio or an early-stage entrepreneur programme) to help you understand the steps to start a business - it's much easier if you’ve been exposed to the venture world before being in its front line.
How has Cranfield helped your career?
Cranfield shapes you into a professional, you learn to approach senior people, you learn how to structure a presentation, and you build the confidence to stand in front of an audience of industry leaders (it’s not an option, everyone has to do it!) the skills I developed in that time were a head start in my career even though - aside from a brief but great internship In Madrid - I’d never worked in a professional environment before Cranfield (I came straight from my undergraduate school in Italy which is much more theoretical).
What is your favourite memory of Cranfield?
Driving around Cranfield with my friend Dina who I met on campus on the third day, and we’ve been close friends ever since. We used to dream of how we’d take over the aviation world and even did a bake sale to make some extra cash. .
What is the most memorable part of your course?
I enjoyed most of the course, it was so great to be exposed to so many facets of running an airline. The highlight was probably the flying lessons I took at Cranfield Airport.
What does it mean to be part of the alumni community?
Cranfield is a stamp of approval; the airline industry will recognise you as “one of them” which has been particularly helpful in my role at Kyte where I’m having conversations daily with global airlines to introduce a new concept of distribution and having that endorsement makes it always slightly easier. It is always great to have a likeminded community to tap into, a Cranfield alumni will almost always make time for another so it’s incredibly helpful for networking, job opportunities or even just for mentoring. It’s that common ground that brings people together even if they are far apart in seniority.
How does it feel to win the 2022 Excellence in Achievement Award for Recent Aviation Graduates?
When I arrived at Cranfield in 2012 to start my course, I had great aspirations for my career. I still couldn’t believe I had got there and was eager to start and work hard, motivated by the drive to make a difference in the industry. I always knew I wanted to make a direct contribution to the development of the airline world. That motivation and dream still exist and whilst I know there is a long way ahead of me to pursue that goal, I’m so honoured to receive such an early recognition of my efforts with my business, Kyte, a new distribution and retailing software solution on a mission to give airlines the right tool to become modern retailers and engage with the digitally savvy customer of today.
