Based in Boston, Sam Sargent is a Principal in the Transportation and Operations Practices at Oliver Wyman. His work has spanned the value chain and content areas from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), operators to maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MROs) and value creation to long-term change management. He specializes in growth strategy, cost optimization and sourcing for the aviation industry.
I help our clients tackle their most complex and pressing challenges to make a lasting impact. My goal is not just to provide an answer or a fact base, but to drive insights that elicit actions
From an early age, Sam was fascinated by anything that moved— trucks, trains, and especially planes. Airshows featuring the Blue Angels or Thunderbirds or even a simple trip to the airport were captivating. That initial fascination led to a career in aviation, where his fondness for the industry’s multifaceted nature turned into creating cutting edge solutions for his clients. Sam graduated summa cum laude from the Wharton School with a bachelor of science degree in Economics and later earned a master of business administration from Wharton.
Sam joined Oliver Wyman after completing his undergraduate studies and built an impressive repertoire of work. He has developed growth strategies for airlines, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and maintenance, repair, and operations companies (MROs), helping his clients chart their paths for the future. Sam has also worked for major global airlines delivering hundreds of millions of dollars in cost savings. He is particularly focused on rapid maintenance cost optimization. Sam has also advised on wide variety of aviation transactions ranging in size from less than $100 million to multibillion.
As the former head of Oliver Wyman CAVOK’s market intelligence team, Sam oversaw the production of the annual fleet and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) forecast and survey. He has worked to highlight the sustainability imperative and labor challenges in the industry that have impacted every labor group, from the flight deck to the ground staff.
Today we generally take air travel for granted but the ability to fly is one of humankind’s greatest achievements and has unlocked economic and cultural exchanges that would not have been possible without it. This industry is supported by hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world. Understanding and valuing everyone involved and the work required to support this incredible industry is essential