Savio D'Costa
Based in
Dubai and Abu Dhabi, UAE
Focus
Human capital and talent advisory
Languages
English, Hindi, Portuguese
Nationality
India and Portugal

About Savio

Three decades of building people and the businesses they carry.

I am a senior human capital and talent advisor with more than 32 years across aviation and government in the Middle East.

My career was grounded in the Emirates Group. I led learning and development at Emirates Aviation College, owned an AED 30 million budget, and ran a team of senior trainers delivering tens of thousands of training days a year. Before that I worked in pricing, yield and commercial sales, so I learned early how learning connects to revenue.

Today I advise a confidential Abu Dhabi government entity, through Reliyant, on human capital strategy, organisational capability and workforce planning aligned to the UAE 2030 vision. I also co-founded Mentyra, a UAE platform for financial regulation training.

My work is research grounded. I draw on WEF, SHRM, Deloitte and McKinsey, and I use AI carefully and ethically to raise quality and speed. Two working models sit at the centre of how I think.

How I work

Two models that guide the work.

Model 01

Diagnostic Intelligence Model

I benchmark your capability and find the real gaps, measured against global indices rather than opinion. You get a clear, honest picture before any solution is built.

Model 02

Strategic Insight Model

I read the regional labour market and apply behavioural science to the design. The result is talent work that fits the Gulf, not a template borrowed from elsewhere.

Career

The road so far.

Feb 2025 to present

Senior Consultant and Advisor, Human Capital and Workforce Strategy

Abu Dhabi government entity (confidential), via Reliyant

Advise on human capital strategy and organisational capability aligned to the UAE 2030 vision. Built an organisation wide behavioural competency framework. Designed flagship leadership and high potential programmes. Led partnerships with Wharton, Harvard, Stanford, IMI Academy and Sky News.

2016 to 2025

Senior Regional Business Development Manager

Emirates Group, dnata and Amex GBT

Owned 45+ global clients worth more than $60M a year across 15+ countries. Designed CRM and service training for multicultural teams. Used Power BI and Salesforce to find growth and guide decisions.

2009 to 2016

Learning and Development Manager

Emirates Group, Emirates Aviation College

Owned enterprise L&D strategy. Led 29 senior trainers delivering 36,000 training days a year. Managed an AED 30 million budget with clear ROI. Led the UAE National Development Program and the Commercial National Graduate Program.

2006 to 2009

Pricing Lead, Indian Subcontinent and Africa

Emirates Group, Commercial Pricing and Yield

Set regional pricing and yield strategy across eight countries. Used dynamic pricing, demand forecasting and route optimisation to hit profit targets.

1993 to 2006

Earlier career

Emirates, British Airways, Thomas Cook and Birla AT&T

Commercial, sales and key account roles across the UAE and India. The grounding that shaped a commercial, people first way of working.

Education and credentials

The foundations.

Academic

MBA, Marketing and HR

Indian Management Institute, Pune. Valedictorian and Dean's Letter of Commendation. Plus a B.Sc. in Computer Science from Fergusson College, Pune.

Professional

Master Trainer and aviation

City & Guilds International Certificate in Training Skills. Airline Diploma in Leadership Development. IATA and SITA certified.

Modern

AI and digital capability

Advanced certifications in Generative AI and Prompt Engineering. Skilled in Power BI, Salesforce, Oracle Fusion and modern learning tech.

Notable clients and partners

Emirates Airlinesdnata / Amex GBTAbu Dhabi GovernmentWhartonHarvardStanfordIMI AcademySky NewsAmity UniversityBritish Airways

"People are the greatest advantage any organisation has."

My work is to unlock that advantage, through clarity, capability, and the courage to lead differently.