Stelios Haji-Ioannou: The Man Behind easyJet 2005
Distributed by Films Media Group, PO Box 2053, Princeton, New Jersey 08543-2053; 800-257-5126
Produced by Karl Olov Larsson
Director n/a
DVD, color, 41 min.
Sr. High - Adult
Business, Management
Date Entered: 12/12/2006
Reviewed by Michael J. Coffta, Business Librarian, Bloomsburg University of PennsylvaniaIn the series of CEO Stories: In Their Own Words, Haji-Ioannou the CEO of the easyGroup shares his thoughts on developing a business and applying innovative ideas. Haji-Ioannou’s firm, easyGroup, is a holdings company including easyJet airlines and various other business lines, such as car rental.
Haji-Ioannou applied the model of Southwest Airlines to his European airline enterprise: providing only domestic flights and taking the “no frills” approach to minimize costs. Haji-Ioannou’s demeanor is honest and entertaining. He has dubbed himself a “serial entrepreneur” in that he is enthralled with starting new companies in different industries with a similar business model. He outlines his achievements and his enthusiasm for entrepreneurship. He discusses his use of dynamic pricing, or demand-based pricing, in the airline industry and its application to his enterprises in other industries. For example, his airlines have fluid pricing based on the day of the week and time of the year, just as his movie theatres offer low priced popcorn to increase demand. This is an outstanding documentary, offering a compelling character in the business world with an intriguing blend of maverick and time-honored business models. Though not visually stimulating (the documentary is wholly comprised of a face to face interview), this documentary is highly recommended for business students, and anyone interested in entrepreneurship or market strategy development.