APEX in Profile: Jerome Cadier
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Jerome Cadier
Chief Marketing Officer
LATAM Airlines Group
Jerome has been LATAM Airlines Group’s CMO since 2013. He has an MBA from Kellogg Graduate School of Management in the US and an industrial engineer degree from Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo. Between 1995 and 2002, he worked as a management consultant for McKinsey & Company, and in 2003, he joined Whirlpool Home Appliances where he held several positions, including CEO for Whirlpool Oceania.
FAST FACTS
Location: SCL
Frequent Flight: SCL-GRU-SCL
Now Reading: Influence, Robert B. Cialdini, and Great by Choice, Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen
Hero: Jason Bourne
Years in Industry: Two years
Favorite Airport: SYD
Favorite Hotel: Cavas Wine Lodge, Mendoza, Argentina
Brand of Suitcase: Samsonite
Paper or electronic boarding pass: Electronic boarding pass
Passport stamp you wish you had: Vietnam
If you weren’t doing your current job, what would you love to be doing?
If I weren’t doing my current job, I would be sailing. I discovered this passion 15 years ago and it has been an addiction ever since. It’s where I feel absolutely great. I love boats, the sea and the wind. I love the view and the feeling of the wind taking you. Whenever I can, I go on sailing vacations. I have gone sailing to many places, from Antarctica to the Caribbean, but there are still many places that I want to discover on a sailboat.
What are your ritual travel habits?
I have one travel ritual that was actually passed from father to son. There are five things you always need to check before you leave your house for a trip: passport, money, credit card, ticket and keys. My father was very methodical and every time we traveled, before leaving the house, he always asked: “Jerome, what are the five things that we need to remember before traveling?” So it always stuck in my mind and I repeat that ritual to this day. Well, the only thing I changed is the “tickets,” because today we don’t carry those anymore. Instead, I replaced that item [with] the cell phone. So now it’s passport, money, credit card, phone and keys.
Most comfortable flight you’ve ever had?
It was a GRU-MAD flight on TAM, with my wife, when I’d just joined LATAM Airlines Group. We were traveling for the weekend, just the two of us, without the kids, and we received an upgrade! We were very happy and it was probably the most comfortable flight that I can remember, for the flight, the company and the destination.
Something that never ceases to amaze you in your industry?
The number of details, specs and complexities that this industry has. And continues to create.
What’s the one item you can’t travel without?
I never fly without my iPad and my headphones for two reasons: I have all the books that I want to read and all the music I want to hear during the flight. For me, these two things are the perfect entertainment during a flight.
“From very early on, traveling by plane was always something I was absolutely in love with – the mystery, magic and power of being able to fly.”
Did you choose the airline industry or did it choose you?
It chose me for a couple of reasons. From very early on, traveling by plane was always something I was absolutely in love with – the mystery, magic and power of being able to fly. I liked it so much that every time I went on vacation with my parents from the age of 10, I asked them to [let me] travel on my own to experience every bit of it as much as possible.
Many years later, before working at LATAM Airlines Group, I had to travel a lot for work, and work close to airplanes, becoming a frequent flyer of many airlines. Yet, I never considered working for an airline until I received an offer from LATAM Airlines Group. There were two fundamental reasons that made me join the group. First, I fell in love with the idea of building one company, one brand and one service from two very successful companies, which are LAN and TAM. The challenge of making something better out of two remarkable brands is absolutely the best challenge one could look for as a marketing executive. And the second reason that made me want to work with this company is the outstanding executives who interviewed me and, today, work alongside me.
What’s the best seat on the plane?
For me it is second row, aisle seat. I think that second row is better than the first one because there is less movement and disturbance. In the second row you are close to the door and can enter and exit the cabin faster. And the aisle seat is ideal because you have easy access to the corridor and to stretch your legs. So, if I can pick, I always prefer second row, aisle seat.
Three things about where you live that make you want to live there.
I live in Santiago and there are three very specific reasons why I think it’s a great city to live in. First, you are only one hour away by car from snow and the beach; second, there are great places to go for a run that are close to home and surrounded by mountains; and, third, everything is in walking distance from home or work: restaurants, gym, parks, bank, etc. All of this makes it great to live here.
The thing that you eat that is bad for you that you will never stop eating?
Chocolate. I just love chocolate, and I know [it] is bad for my health but it makes me feel good.
Favorite wine varietal?
I love a good cabernet sauvignon. It has all the flavors you want and can be really powerful at the same time. For the white wines, my favorite grape is the torrontés.
In our on-board wine menu we have excellent options of cabernet sauvignon from Chile, like the Casa Real Reserva Especial or the Domus Aurea; and for torrontés we have Crios, from Argentina. They are all selected by Héctor Vergara, the only master sommelier in Latin America. I [really] enjoy all [of these] wines every time I fly.
Last place traveled to for fun?
My last travel for fun was to Easter Island and it was a very interesting trip. These islands offer a fascinating experience because of the peculiarity of their history, the geography, the mix of the Polynesians, European and South American heritage and the effects they all had on the environment. Something to really consider on a wider scale.