Nejib Ben-Khedher | Divisional Senior Vice President, Skywards
Emirates Group

Dr. Nejib Ben Khedher is a seasoned executive with 35 years of experience in the global airline and travel industry, specializing in digital transformation, customer engagement, and data-driven innovation. He began his career at American Airlines Decision Technologies, contributing to early breakthroughs in revenue management and network optimization, before taking on senior leadership roles at Travelocity and Sabre Holdings across the U.S., EMEA, and global markets. In 2012, Dr. Ben Khedher joined the Emirates Group as Deputy CIO and Senior Vice President of Business Technology, where he was instrumental in aligning business and IT strategies during a time of rapid transformation. In 2015, he was appointed Divisional Senior Vice President of Emirates Skywards, the airline’s award-winning loyalty program. Under his leadership, Skywards has evolved into a lifestyle loyalty platform, tripling its membership base and launching numerous industry-first innovations in personalization, dynamic pricing, and partner engagement. He also served as Interim Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Emirates from November 2021 to May 2023, overseeing enterprise-wide technology operations. Dr. Ben Khedher holds a PhD in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan and multiple master's degrees in Robotics, IT, and Air Transportation from leading institutions in Toulouse, France. His strategic vision and commitment to innovation continue to shape the future of loyalty in aviation.