Innovation Council
The Innovation Council is KSIA's senior decision-making body for innovation. It exists to ensure innovation has executive ownership, protected funding, and strategic direction.
Who is on it
Tareque Choudhury (CTO)
Role:
- Chairs the Innovation Council
- Sets the strategic direction for the innovation agenda
- Holds the casting vote on portfolio decisions
George Ioannou (Director – Digital Innovation)
Role:
- Drives the day-to-day agenda of the Council
- Owns the innovation pipeline and prepares decisions for Council sessions
- Ensures the portfolio moves forward between meetings
Stefan Rueter (CFO)
Role:
- Owns the financial governance of the innovation portfolio
- Reviews and approves investment cases at each gate
- Protects the ring-fenced innovation budget from being absorbed by operations
Domain Leads across:
- Guest Experience
- Airside and Ground Operations
- Commercial and Retail
- Workforce and People
- Environmental Impact
Role:
- Represents the domain on the Council
- Brings domain-level insight into prioritisation and gate decisions
- Owns the translation of Council decisions into domain activity
Commercial Strategy Lead
Role:
- Non-voting advisor
- Provides input on revenue implications and commercial viability of initiatives under consideration
Legal Lead
Role:
- Non-voting advisor
- Provides input on contracts, partnerships, regulatory compliance and risk exposure
What do they focus on
Direction
Which domains are in scope, what the priorities are, and what the horizon mix looks like across H1, H2, and H3.
Stage Gates
Making the big calls at each stage, is this worth pursuing, is the solution proven, is the BU ready to own it, and what does the path forward look like, spin in, adjacency, or spin out.
Budget
Approving and protecting the ring-fenced innovation budget so it does not get absorbed by operations.
Portfolio Health
Reviewing the pipeline every quarter to make sure all three horizons are moving and KSIA stays on track for top-5 by 2032.
Decisions they make
Innovation mandate
Approving which domains are in scope, what the horizon mix looks like, and what the annual priorities are.
Budget control
Protecting the ring-fenced innovation budget and ensuring it is not absorbed into day-to-day operations.
Stage gates
Making the go, pause or kill call at each gate, and deciding whether a proven solution spins in, becomes an adjacency or spins out.
Quarterly portfolio review
Assessing whether all three horizons are healthy, moving and keeping KSIA on track with innovation ambitions.
Stage gate
Is this worth pursuing?
Right domain, right scale
Is this the right problem? Validated and sharp enough to sprint against
Is the solution proven?
MVP validated with real users: Council decides the path forward
Is the BU ready to own it & scale path defined by Council?
Ownership & scale path confirmed
Live Operations