Ursula Silling

Ursula Silling has a diverse and extensive work experience in the aviation and travel industry. Ursula is currently the CEO of Branchspace, where they are responsible for transforming digital commerce for aviation and travel. In 2010, they founded XXL Solutions GmbH - do things differently, aiming to challenge the status quo in the industry and bring radical change. Ursula also worked as a Visiting Lecturer at City, University of London and founded the think future club, a global aviation and travel think tank.

Their previous roles include serving as the Chief Commercial Officer at Kenya Airways, where they focused on transforming commercial operations to be more digital and customer-centric. Ursula was also the Commercial Director at Air Malta, where they played a key role in ensuring the survival of the airline during a restructuring plan. Prior to that, they worked as the Director a.i. Revenue Management, Network Development, Distribution, Sales at Monarch Airlines and as the Programme Director PSS Migration at Aer Lingus.

Ursula has demonstrated their expertise in various areas such as revenue management, strategy, brand management, and customer experience. Ursula has a track record of introducing innovative solutions and driving successful change in the industry.

Ursula Silling's education history includes various courses and programs focused on innovation, negotiation, business, climate change, sustainability, psychology, and XR technology.

In 1987-1991, they pursued the equivalent of a Master of Business Management degree from Fachhochschule Muenster and the University of Humberside. This program was known as the European Business Programme and involved a quadronational course between Germany, France, the UK, and Spain.

In 2018-2019, Ursula enrolled in an online course at the University of Derby Online Learning, specializing in Sustainability and Environmental Management.

In 2020, they participated in two programs at MIT Sloan Executive Education. The first focused on Innovation of Products and Services, which introduced MIT's design thinking approach. The second program, Mastering Negotiation and Influencing, aimed to develop skills to effect change, achieve business objectives, influence others, and negotiate effectively.

Also in 2020, Ursula completed an online course through Yale University, focusing on The Science of Wellbeing, which delved into psychological aspects of personal happiness and fulfillment.

Continuing their educational pursuits in 2021, Ursula studied Business and Climate Change: Towards Net Zero Emissions through an executive learning online course at the University of Cambridge.

Ursula also explored XR technology by taking an Introduction to XR: VR, AR, and MR Foundations course offered by Unity Technologies in 2021.

Lastly, in 2020, Ursula pursued a course on Model Thinking through the University of Michigan.