Japan Airlines VP and head of global sales Steve Smith is retiring at the end of this month after 14 years with the carrier.
A former Delta Air Lines sales executive, Smith joined JAL in 2006 as VP of sales for the American region, where he increased the airline's emphasis on travel management company and corporate business, leading to "consistent revenue gains from these channels," according to JAL. Smith later was promoted to head of global sales, where he synchronized sales plans across global regions and worked with JAL alliance partners to grow corporate contract business.
"Under his guidance, the company has established a global sales department and successfully oversaw corporate sales in the Americas, Europe, Southeast Asia and China," according to global sales department VP Yuji Koyama.
With Smith's departure, JAL will increase the responsibilities of its regional global sales vice presidents: Steve Myer in the Americas, Jackie Clark in Europe and Richard Engelmann in Asia and Oceania. Koyama will continue to lead the global sales team from JAL's Tokyo headquarters.