Pricing holds the power to shape entire business models and customer relationships. When elevated to a strategic level, it can become one of the strongest levers for growth and competitiveness. With over 16 years of experience across banking, airlines, and hospitality, Daniela Leon Cornejo has emerged as one of Latin America’s most respected experts in pricing and revenue management. “Pricing is not just about numbers, it is about shaping strategy, culture, and customer trust,” says Leon, recipient of the FICO Vanguard and Fintech Americas’ Disruptor Award. Today, she partners with companies across Latin America to reimagine how they capture value, sharing her bold vision for digital innovation with practical strategies and case-based insights.
From Accidental Entry to Industry Authority
After leading pricing at LATAM airlines, Leon went on to senior roles in hospitality before taking the helm of pricing and analytics at Banco de Crédito del Perú (BCP), the country’s largest bank. There, she spearheaded strategies that lifted annual revenues by 32% to $3.5 billion and net income by 48%. Her success prompted BCP’s parent company, Credicorp, to appoint her to create its first Center of Excellence in Revenue Management and Pricing, expanding best practices across banking, pensions, insurance, and fintech. “I got into the pricing and revenue management world by chance, like many people in pricing, because it’s still not a widely known discipline,” she shares. “But I was fascinated by how deep it gets into competitive intelligence and demand forecasting. I realized very quickly that pricing decisions directly shape value perception and long-term growth.”
The Power of Digital Transformation
Technology has become a critical bridge between how value is delivered and monetized. Since her early days at LATAM Airlines, Leon continues to see digital innovation as inseparable from the future of pricing. “Too many pricing decisions are still made without data, context, or customer insight,” she explains. “That’s what I set out to change, and why I became such a champion for digital transformation. I believe in the power of data and tools to challenge the status quo.”
Through her consulting firms, Leon advises financial institutions, multinationals, and early-stage companies on how to align pricing with customer behavior, market dynamics, and regulatory requirements. “Many companies use digital transformation to simply automate existing processes. But real transformation is about changing how we work together, aligning teams around value, and enabling more customer-centric strategies,” she says, emphasizing how digital tools are reimagining decision-making itself.
Data as a Bridge Between Strategy and Empathy
Algorithms play a critical role in processing vast amounts of data, detecting patterns, and enabling real-time adjustments, but they are only one piece of the pricing puzzle. The greater challenge lies in how organizations embed pricing into their culture and decision-making structures. “Technology and data are already there. The real challenge is mindset and readiness. Companies struggle to align data teams and decision makers, and that creates silos. Pricing only becomes a competitive advantage when strategy, data, and culture come together.”
To illustrate, she highlights three practical ways companies can harness digital tools while preserving the human element.
- Dynamic segmentation based on customer behavior rather than static demographics. “Financial institutions have incredible amounts of data, and using it to offer relevant, personalized choices empowers customers to decide what best fits their needs.”
- Elasticity models and scenario simulations that allow companies to test strategies before they launch. “Too often, companies plan strategies in the abstract. Running simulations with data can radically change how decisions are made, allowing leaders to predict outcomes before execution.”
- Data storytelling and visualization to empower teams. “Data speaks, and we must listen. Dashboards and visualization tools help commercial teams turn insights into action. Data should never replace human intuition — it should amplify it.”
AI, Transparency, and the Future of Pricing
The rise of artificial intelligence has accelerated interest in data-driven pricing, but Leon remains measured in her outlook. “I see companies using AI mainly for new products or controlled experiments, but not yet to disrupt their core models. The shift will come when one major player truly changes the game. Until then, many large institutions, especially banks, remain cautious.” Looking ahead, she sees transparency as a defining force in pricing. “Clients will increasingly demand to know why they are paying a certain price and whether it is fair. Pricing is a language that communicates a brand’s philosophy as much as its products. Ignoring that conversation has already hurt some companies, and expectations will only rise. AI will make it easier to personalize and adapt pricing, but it will also raise the bar for fairness and transparency.”
Whether through her consulting work, speaking appearances, and mentoring, she continues to advocate for a future where pricing is dynamic, transparent, and customer-centered. The goal? To empower organizations to turn pricing into a strategic advantage. “Pricing speaks for the brand,” she says. “Done right, it creates value not only for companies but also for the people they serve.”
Readers can connect with Daniela Leon Cornejo on LinkedIn or visit her website for more insights on pricing strategy and revenue management.
