Athivat Krisnampok

General Manager, Southern Australia, Thai Airways International

by Karina Foo

He is fond of travel and even more fond of family ties so his career destination in the aviation industry is indeed a perfect fit. Athivat Krisnampok of Thai Airways always dreamed of the opportunity to travel while still being close to family.

The son and brother of a pilot, he started as a sales representative for Thai Airways International 22 years ago in Bangkok. From there, he worked his way up the career ladder, moving to Hong Kong, Tokyo, Nagoya, Bali and now to Melbourne at his current position as the general manager of Southern Australia.

One of the reasons he didn’t choose the same paths as his father and brother could possibly be that he’s a well rounded and grounded person, in more ways than one.

“My family said that one on the sky and one on the ground balances things out. Instead of flying a plane, I’m being flown on the plane and I love it,” said Athivat.

A THAI INSTITUTION

As a boy, he already set sights on being a part of this highly honoured Thai institution because of its prestigious image that strengthened its country’s patriotism.. “I still remember more than 30 years ago that Thai Airways International received an award for the best airlines in the world and it wasn’t just a proud milestone for the company but for the Thai people,” he recalled.

For the last four over years at his current role, he has been overseeing sales operations throughout the Southern Australian regions. While increasing revenue is purely driven on output, working on creating that output is fundamental to achieving the desired results.

“I’m also in charge of managing the day to day operations at our airport and ensuring that customers are satisfied with our service. I’m also there to motivate our team, establish and maintain high standards of safety, security in accordance to our company policies and procedures,” he explained.

He is particularly proud that the company continuously reviews and implements safety technologies to operate its flights safely and efficiently, meeting and exceeding required standards that are required by external authorities.

Thai Airways started operating in Sydney in 1971 starting and branched out to Melbourne in 1980 followed by Brisbane and Perth. It has grown exponentially in Australia and internationally, now flying to and from 75 destinations.

So aside from its exemplary image, Athivat says that the “secret” behind the airline’s growing international success is its people.

“Our employees have been with us for many years and some, even more than 30 years. Dedication is unparalleled in any business, especially in the dynamic aviation industry that has been and is still going through crisis, challenges and changes over the years. The strength, reliability and support of our People can not be underestimated and I’m proud to be part of it too. We’ve also built strong ties with the local communities we work with as well as key trade partners. All this is encompassed into our unique culture that makes Thai Airways different from the others airlines.”

A TOUCH OF THAI

While every airline boasts on-board Entertainment, beautiful interiors and designs, Athivat believes that the company has an extra edge which is the Thai culture that touches the hearts of its people and customers. “We employ Thai people and international staff who learn our culture. It’s something that I call ‘Touch of Thai’,” he said.

It’s not only this touch of his homeland that fuels his passion for work, but his parents and co-workers are the key sources of support.

“They’ve been there for me and without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I have faced challenges at work as it’s not always been smooth sailing but they’ve helped me find my feet time and time again. I’ve also found that being highly adaptable to situations can yield surprising results. I believe in learning and failing quick, picking myself up and moving on.

Perhaps we can all learn something from Athivat who believes in this theory by Charles Darwin “It’s not the strongest nor the most intelligent of the species that survives, but one that’s most adaptable to change.”

He also relates this to the constantly evolving needs of customers and to be one step ahead of competitors. “Changing and adapting is a challenge and such a challenge poses one of the many initial steps to achieve success. It can also be applied to all aspects of life,” said Athivat.

他喜欢旅行，更爱家庭关系，所以他服务于航空业确实是一个完美的契合。Athivat Krisnampok 对于泰国航空一直抱持的梦想：那是一场完美的家庭旅行。

作为飞行员家族的儿子和兄弟，22年前开始，Athivat Krisnampok 开始担任泰国国际航空公司曼谷的销售代表，活跃在航空业。从那里，他启动了晋升的阶梯：高升往香港、东京、名古屋，巴厘岛和目前的所在地墨尔本担任职务，现职为泰航澳大利亚南部区域的总经理。

他最终没选择像他的父亲和兄弟一样的轨迹：飞行在空中。而由于成熟、脚踏实地的性格，他反而从事航空业务地勤工作。“我家人说分别在天上和地下，是一种平衡，而且我热爱飞机，喜欢坐在里面的感觉。”

泰国机构

在男孩时期，他已经把崇敬的目光投向泰国机构，除了声望，当然还因爱国意识。“我还记得 30 多年前，泰国国际航空获得世界性的荣誉“最佳航空公司”，不仅是公司骄傲的里程碑，身为泰国人也与有荣焉。”他回忆说。

过去4年多，他负责担当销售业务，遍布全国澳大利亚南部地区。虽然收入的增加纯粹是依赖输出驱动的，但创造与输出的工作也是实现理想结果的基础。

“我也在机场管理日常程序操作，确保客户满意我们的服务，并且拥有激励我们往前走的团队，根据公司政策和程序安全系统，建立和制定高标准安全水平。”

他感到自豪的是，该公司不间断审查和实施安全技术，谨慎有效地操作飞行安全，满足或超过外部机构的要求标准。1971年，泰航首先在澳大利亚悉尼设立据点，墨尔本据点在 1980年成立，紧随其后的是布里斯班和珀斯。目前泰航已在澳大利亚和国际上成倍增长，共达75个航线目的地，除了长期塑造的模范形象，上述“秘密”的背后是航空公司不断增长的国际规格人力。

“我们的员工都是一起打拼很多年，有些甚至超过30年。这种奉献在任何企业都是无与伦比的，特别是在动态的航空业，经历无数危机、挑战和变化。我们的员工力量、可靠性和支持都是成功关键，我也很自豪成为其中一部分。而我们还与当地社区建立牢固联系，同时也与主要贸易伙伴合作。这一切都是围绕在我们独特的文化，是泰国航空公司区别于其他航空公司的地方。”

触摸泰国

Athivat认为公司有一个特点，即是以泰国文化触动客户与人的心。“我们雇用泰籍与国际工作人员，他们学习我们的文化，这是我所说的“触摸泰国”，不仅仅是透过燃烧工作热情触摸故土，他父母和同事的支持更是主要能量。

而他分享和相信生物学家-查尔斯达尔文的理论：人类不是最强的，也不是最聪明的生存物种，而是最能适应变化的。鉴于不断变化的客户需求和竞争对手抢先一步。因此，变化和适应这种挑战是许多取得成功的初始步骤，可以被应用到生活的各个方面。