Tom Gorin is vice president of platform and science at PROS. After studying engineering economics at Ecole Centrale in Paris, Tom went to MIT and received his PhD under the guidance of Peter Belobaba. After graduating, Tom worked for Continental Airlines in various RM roles before joining PROS, with a three-year stint at the Boston Consulting Group in between.
While at Continental, Tom enjoyed being able to see the direct impact of changes he made and connecting directly with front-line employees and customers. “During the holidays, corporate employees at Continental would go work at the airport to provide back-up support. I got to interact directly with customers by helping them check in at kiosks or handing out drinks at the gate. It is incredibly powerful to hear firsthand from employees and customers how revenue management is impacting their travel and work experience.” At PROS, Tom enjoys what he views as a heavier focus on innovation and a willingness to try higher-risk approaches to see if they work, while keeping the best interest, profitability and success of PROS customers as the top priority.
Tom envisions a future in which RM becomes more integrated. “Even today we see that pricing is a separate function from RM, and RM optimization and ancillary pricing are separate.” As the industry moves towards offer management “we are starting to see a shift towards more a comprehensive solution that will find the optimal prices for every customer based on a fully individualized offer.”
For students interested in working in RM and an airline Tom recommends “being patient.” When Tom left Continental, his mentor Bill Brunger told him that once you leave an airline, it can be very difficult to come back in. “I applied a few times after leaving Continental — when very interesting opportunities appeared — only to find that most were filled internally” Tom said. “Given that promotions in airline RM groups can be or appear to be slow — just like in most industries other than consulting — I’d just tell students to be patient and thoughtful about their interests and career choices. If you love the airline business, enjoy it and know it will take some time for your career to take off.”
Interested in learning more about Tom? Check out his LinkedIn page.