Ankit has 15+ years of experience and is currently with Air India as part of the Commercial Department where he heads a twin portfolio including leading all Strategic Alliances and Partnerships as well as leads all Aircraft Configuration & Program Management activities at Air India. He was previously responsible for defining the new hard product at Air India, which will be implemented on the retrofit aircrafts as well as 2025 linefit deliveries across OEMs. Initially, he was involved in the Engine PBH rate negotiations with Rolls Royce and GE, as part of the aircraft order announced by Air India in 2023.His prior aviation experience includes leading large and complex PPP bid programs across India, South East Asia and Europe, leading to successful bids for 4 airports. Additionally, he was deeply involved in adjacent business development for one of India's largest airport operators across Duty Free, Cargo, Car Park and Airport Services business. He also led multiple strategic and first-of-its-kind commercial projects with one of India's largest airports as well as defining the terminal commercial layout, category planning and revenue potential for multiple airports (greenfield and brownfield) in India. Ankit also brings deep expertise in Travel Retail and other airport commercial areas through his engagements with leading airports in India on their marquee and unique commercial projects.As part of his prior experience, he was also involved in consulting Technology clients, especially IT/ITeS clients, across long term strategy development as well as conversion of the strategy into annual operating plan and flowing into execution support. His execution support experience includes sales enablement programs (both Hunting and Farming), large deals construct, operational performance improvement, innovation management and M&A due-diligence. Prior to Air India, he was a Partner at Auctus Advisors (a leading Consulting firm in India) and a Banker with Macquarie Capital. Earlier, he had started his career via software at Infosys. Ankit's educational background includes an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, a premier B-School in India, and a Bachelor in Engineering (Electronics and Communication) from Rajasthan University.