Worldwide Customer Service & Service Center Network
Dassault Aviation
A lot of people think of rugby as basically a rough-and-tumble sport, and there’s certainly truth in that. But even more so, it’s a team sport. You really need to know where your teammates are and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Each player has different capabilities. If you’re the coach, you need to know how to motivate them individually.
There is obviously an important analogy to aviation teamwork. In rugby, there are 15 players a side on the field. That compares with 11 for football (soccer in America) and 11 in American football. In baseball, there are nine in the field against the team that is at bat. In basketball, there are five a side. Two in tennis doubles. So, when you think about team dynamics, rugby may be the most complex.
It’s a subject I’ve discussed a bit with our new Director of Customer Service for the Asia-Pacific Region, Stephane Petitgirard, a man who knows quite a bit about rugby and equally, if not more, about aviation maintenance.
Stephane, 48, is based in Singapore. He is still passionate about rugby and referees the sport, which keeps him in the game but reduces the wear and tear. He played it continuously for 30 years, including for Malaysia in the Touch Rugby World Cup in 2019.
The sport took him around the world, where he also continued to take on increasing levels of responsibility in aviation maintenance, spending the last 8 years with Dassault, specializing in Falcons throughout his career.
As a rugby captain, he learned the importance of leading by example. As he led larger aviation teams, he applied the people skills that helped him assess strengths and motivate teammates, and, crucially, get everyone playing in harmony.
Today, he manages a team of technical and spares account representatives across South Korea, China, East Asia and into Australia and New Zealand. He brings the insight that customers are part of the team, as well.
Here’s a great example. Recently, a 7X was AOG in Singapore due to a fault in a horizontal stabilizer trim control unit. One could be procured from out of the region, but it would take time. Stephane’s team knew that one was closer at hand, with a nearby operator holding it as a backup, after an earlier (since resolved) intermittent problem with the original unit.
Because Stephane is intensely focused on building trust and rapport with customers, it was not hard to persuade the other operator to generously provide their backup unit to a fellow operator, so they could quickly get back in the air. Stephane promised to get another backup unit into the good Samaritan’s hands ASAP, in case it might be needed in the future. In rugby, you might call this a clever bit of “link play.”
All this is by way of saying we are fortunate to have Stephane in this new role. We continue to add strength in the region. ExecuJet MRO Services has just celebrated 25 years in the Asia-Pacific area, expanding Dassault factory service into Australia and New Zealand and opening a new flagship facility in Kuala Lumpur in 2024. Also, you may have seen that Didier Raynard is our new head of sales for Asia-Pacific replacing Jean-Michel Jacob, who recently retired and was a pioneer for us in Asia.
We are lucky to have this level of leadership in the region—for today’s fleet of about 100 jets and tomorrow’s—as we will soon see the Falcon 6X, and a bit later the incomparable 10X on the scene.
Senior Vice President, Worldwide Falcon Customer Service & Service Center Network
Dassault Aviation
