Hello Anna, please tell us about yourself. Did you have any experience in aviation before joining Awery?
It wasn't in aviation specifically, but I'd been working in logistics for seven years, including at an international shipping company handling truck and marine shipments. After that, I joined a startup in the aviation industry as an operational manager. I really liked the innovative spirit and drive for constant improvement, so a job in aviation IT was the obvious next step. Awery was the perfect company to join, and I started as a project manager.
Did the knowledge and skills from your previous role help you as a project manager at Awery?
Yes, definitely. In my previous role I was in charge of flight planning and operational management, including document preparation for customers and crew. We also used an ERP system to automate processes, so when I started at Awery I already understood the workflow from the customer side and had experience with ERP adaptation as part of a customer project team. It helped me get on the same page as Awery's clients from day one and understand their business pain points early.
How did you become the product manager for CargoBooking?
Since joining Awery, my job involved supporting customers through implementation and managing system customisations, primarily for clients using the Awery ERP modules for air charter brokers and cargo airlines, and overseeing new feature development for them. When the company decided to launch a new product for automating interaction between air cargo market participants, I was excited about that innovation and applied to lead it.
What's the most challenging part of your work?
Working on a new product in a competitive market brings a lot of challenges. But the most important one for us is delivering customised solutions for each airline and GSSA's requirements in a short period of time. Processes and pricing models are unique to each company, so we're constantly adapting to new approaches, rules, and policies.
What does the CargoBooking team look like?
There are more than 30 people involved across the process, with 5 people dedicated specifically to CargoBooking, and shared resources from Awery's ERP development, QA, and design teams. I work with our COO, Vladimir, on resource allocation. Taras, our delivery manager, handles customisations and system setups for new customers. Nikolay and Yana combine support and development work, covering onboarding and day-to-day questions. Yaroslav oversees back-end and new functionality development.
Could you describe a typical working day?
I start by checking my mailbox and our customer task monitoring system to make sure everything is running smoothly for clients. Then we have a short team meeting to align on the day's priorities. I usually have two to three meetings a day, split between client calls, presentations to prospective customers, and internal meetings with marketing, development, and management. Right now, a lot of our effort is going into step-by-step user guides, since the system changes constantly and our materials need to keep pace.
What are the plans for CargoBooking in 2022? Any main directions for product development?
We have a lot planned, both for new functionality and for growing system usage. On the roadmap, our main focus for 2022 is making the booking creation and management process more flexible and faster.
Two months ago we launched eMagic, a tool that lets CargoBooking users automatically convert emails, tables, and images into digital requests using AI. We're working every day to make the image and text recognition more precise.
Our second goal is giving users the ability to make changes to their bookings and manage rates and capacity directly through CargoBooking. We're also working on improving the system interface and the workflow between GSSAs and freight forwarders, along with integrations with airline IT systems.
Tell us a bit about your life outside of work.
I like sports, gymnastics especially, and reading, particularly books on psychology and finance. I recently finished a course on financial markets and financial management. And since December 2021, I've been part of the Women in Aviation and Logistics programme, which gives women the chance to receive support and mentorship from top professionals in the industry.
