John F. Kennedy International Airport Terminal 4 operator JFKIAT has named Belinda Jain as its new Vice President of Customer Experience & Commercial, effective 9 October. 

Jain brings with her more than 20 years of experience in developing and operating premium and luxury brands in an airport setting.

She will be responsible for generating and managing the business’s non-aviation revenues. These span retail, food and beverage, and passenger service concepts. 

JFK Terminal 4 spans almost 100 retail, F&B and other service outlets, operating under a ‘New York sense of place’ approach.

In recent years, under the leadership of Edward Midgley, the operator’s Customer Experience and Commercial team has expanded from concession management to customer-focused operations. 

Examples include the opening of new F&B and retail offerings in T4’s renovated Concourse A. 

The team also launched a T4 Arts & Culture programme. As well as providing local art and cultural activities, it aims to connect passengers with New York. 

Belinda Jain: Driving improvement  

As part of her role, Jain will work across the company’s customer experience strategy, working with stakeholders to boost passenger satisfaction.

Honing marketing and public relations will also fall under her remit as she works to drive continuous improvement and innovation.

Prior to joining JFKIAT, Jain served as Managing Director Americas and CXG New York. Here she led CX transformation projects for leading luxury brands.

She has also held roles at Chanel, Mumbai International Airport, Amman International Airport, and Paris’s Groupe ADP.

Jain holds two Masters degrees from Sorbonne University in Paris, an MBA and another in International Trade. 

“Belinda is joining the JFKIAT team at a critical time, as Terminal 4 undergoes a significant expansion and redevelopment with a large growth in passenger traffic, and as we continue to expand our commercial offerings to elevate our best-in-class customer experience,” said Roel Huinink, President and CEO of JFKIAT. 

“I am confident that her wealth of knowledge and experience will be a tremendous asset as we shape the future of T4 to align with the Port Authority’s vision of transforming JFK into a world-class airport.”

Jain added: “I am honoured to be joining a team that is passionate about curating distinctive and incredible customer experiences and promoting environmental and social stewardship. 

“I look forward to engaging with our local communities and business partners to deliver a world-class commercial and service offering at JFK T4.”

Last month, DFS Group opened a new beauty concept store at JFK Terminal 4, described as a “one-stop beauty destination”.