Orlando, 4-5 April

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Seth Anagnostis
Director Business Development
Routehappy
Seth Anagnostis is Director of Business Development at Routehappy, a merchandising content platform for flight shopping; at Routehappy he partners with airlines and distributors to integrate airline rich content into flight booking so customers worldwide can shop for flights beyond just price and schedule. He became interested in the airline industry by spending 8 years flying around as a management consultant and now plans his vacations based on what airline products he hasn’t tried yet. He lives in Hoboken, New Jersey but lacks the traditional “Joisey” accent.
 
Craig Banks
Acting Vice President Americas, Air Commerce
Travelport
Craig Banks joined Worldspan in 1991 and currently serves as Travelport’s Senior Commercial Director of Air Commerce for the Americas. He has served in numerous leadership capacities across the organization including finance, strategic planning, sales and business development.Craig’s team is responsible for Travelport’s airline relationships in the United States and Canada, including commercials, strategies, and solutions.Craig is currently serving as Travelport’s Acting Vice President of Air Commerce for the Americas.
 
Mr Phillip N Brown A.A.E.
Executive Director
Greater Orlando Aviation Authority
Phil Brown is the Executive Director of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority. As Executive Director, he is responsible for the operation and management of both Orlando International Airport and Orlando Executive Airport, with an annual budget of over $400 million.Orlando International Airport serves more than 35 million passengers annually, making it one of the busiest airports in the State of Florida.
During the past 35 years as a business professional, Mr. Brown served in a variety of public and private sector positions.These positions include a previous stint as Deputy Executive Director – Administration for the Authority in the early 1990’s as well as County Administrator for Orange County Florida.For fourteen years, prior to his return to the Aviation Authority, Mr. Brown was employed as a public finance professional.
Mr. Brown holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee, and is an Accredited Airport Executive by the American Airport Association of Airport Executives.
 
Mr John Byerly
Consultant
John R. Byerly
John Byerly advises clients on the full range of international aviation issues, including negotiations, economic and environmental regulation, aviation safety and security, government relations, and strategic planning. John graduated with highest honors from the University of North Carolina, studied European and German law on a Fulbright Scholarship in Berlin, and received his JD from Yale in 1979. Upon graduation, he joined the State Department, serving thirty-one years in positions addressing American foreign policy, national security, and international economic relations. For almost a decade (2001-2010), John was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State responsible for market-opening air transport agreements with over 70 countries and led U.S. delegations in talks that secured Open Skies with Germany, France, the European Union, and Japan. He was active in the economic, legal, and environmental work of ICAO and helped implement the U.S. response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
 
Ms Christina Cassotis
Chief Executive Officer
Pittsburgh International Airport
A lifelong aviation enthusiast, Christina Cassotis is an energetic and innovative industry leader.
Ms. Cassotis has been CEO of the Allegheny County Airport Authority, which operates Pittsburgh International Airport and Allegheny County Airport, since January 2015.
Since her arrival, Pittsburgh International Airport was named the Air Transport World 2017 Airport of the Year; the number of nonstop flights has increased more than 80 percent; passenger traffic has risen to levels not seen since 2008; and two new transatlantic flights will begin operating this summer on airlines that have not previously served the airport.
Ms. Cassotis began her career in commercial aviation working for the Massachusetts Port Authority which operates Boston Logan International Airport. In 1999, she joined SH&E - a global commercial aviation consulting firm - advising airports worldwide on strategy, business plans and system planning. She went on to serve as Managing Officer for Airport Services for I
CF-SH&E, leading a global team of airport consultants. A frequently requested speaker at national and international aviation events, Ms. Cassotis holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a BA from the University of Massachusetts.
In Pittsburgh, her primary goals continue to be increasing air service, improving airport efficiencies and advancing both airports as drivers of regional economic growth.
 
Peter Cerdá
Regional Vice President, The Americas
IATA
Peter Cerdá is the Regional Vice President in the Americas for IATA, the trade association whose 240 member airlines transport more than 84% of total air traffic. He leads a multinational team of professionals which proactively pursue IATA’s industry priorities with governmental authorities and industry stakeholders to make the air transport industry safer, more secure, efficient and profitable. Peter possesses a wealth of senior industry experience acquired over a long and successful career in aviation. Most recently, he served as Regional Director for Safety, Operations and Infrastructure for the Americas and Atlantic until 2013. Fluent in English and Spanish, Peter was born in Spain and received his Master’s Degree in Aeronautics and Aviation Management from Embry Riddle University and a Bachelor of Business Administration at Florida International University.
 
Mr Zhihang Chi
Vice President and General Manager North America
Air China
As Vice President and General Manager for North America, Dr. Zhihang Chi manages all aspects of Air China’s business in the region from the company’s headquarters in Los Angeles. He manages more than 175 US-based Air China employees and oversees the marketing and operations for the rapidly growing passenger flights between North America and China.
Dr. Chi’s extensive airline industry experience and his visionary leadership and passion in promoting a closer, mutually beneficial Sino-American relationship are credited for Air China’s expansion and steady growth in North America, even during the severe economic downturn that adversely affected the travel industry.

He is a much-sought after speaker on topics ranging from US-China relations to trade, tourism and aviation. His incisive analysis and understanding of issues affecting the United States/China and the travel industry, coupled with his exceptional ability to articulate scholarly ideas into easily comprehensible language, makes him a top choice for TV and print journalists seeking an informed opinion on these matters.
His keynote speech on US-China bilateral relations delivered at a Town Hall Los Angeles event in Nov. 2014 is featured in the March 2015 issue of Vital Speeches of the Day. Also featured in the same issue are speeches delivered on various high-profile world forums by President Barack Obama, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, US Senator Joni Ernst, President Joachim Gauck of Germany and United Kingdom’s Minister of Parliament, the Hon. Jon Cruddas.
Dr. Chi is a recipient of the prestigious China Business Leadership Award from the US-China Policy Foundation. Each year the non-profit, non-partisan, non-advocacy Washington, D.C.-based organization honors individuals who have made valuable contributions for the promotion of greater understanding between American and Chinese policymakers and government officials.

As a result of Dr. Chi’s determined efforts and commitment to maximize and utilize every available resource in enhancing the local economy while at the same time increasing Air China’s marketing competitiveness and penetration—international travelers –especially business passengers between Los Angeles and Beijing, have more options with Air China’s double daily service between Los Angeles and Beijing. A third service for this route will be added at four times weekly on May 2, 2015. This will increase to daily service on July 1, 2015.

Air China continues its historic expansion in North America under the leadership of Dr. Chi. The Houston (IAH)-Beijing service that was launched on July 11, 2013 made Houston the first destination Air China added in North America in more than three decades. Less than a year after its launch, Air China made an unprecedented move of expanding this nonstop service from four times a week to daily on March 30, 2014.
Only a day later, the frequency of Air China’s nonstop New York (JFK)-Beijing service was increased to double daily.
Air China’s Capital-to-Capital service, linking Washington, DC and Beijing, China’s capital, was launched on June 10, 2014. The U.S. capital is Air China’s seventh gateway in North America.
In January 2014, Air China inaugurated its nonstop service between Honolulu and Beijing.
Air China is the only airline with nonstop services between Los Angeles, New York, Houston and Beijing.
Dr. Chi’s experience, training and educational background have prepared him well for the challenges of his position as the head of Air China in North America. He had worked in a number of increasingly responsible positions for Northwest Airlines from 1994-2003. During his years at Northwest, he developed and managed a number of strategic alliances with other international airlines, especially with the Chinese carriers.
He joined Air China in 2004 and has led the company’s unprecedented growth and significant investments in and contribution to the local and state economies of the cities serviced by Air China.

Prior to his promotion to Vice President for North America, Dr. Chi was General Manager for Western USA for two years until November 2006. He was responsible for Air China’s Los Angeles operations before this.
Dr. Chi’s zealous advocacy of U.S. visa liberalization for Chinese visitors has made him a familiar figure to senior leaders of the US Congress, State Department and the US Homeland Security—all of whom he has personally met. He is an impassioned proponent of a closer US-China relations and a bilateral exchange based on mutual trust.
Fluent in English and Chinese, Dr. Chi’s background makes him uniquely qualified to speak on China and US-China exchange in the fields of diplomacy, trade and culture. He is adept at and has a proven record of narrowing and bridging together the cultural divide between China and the USA

A naturalized US citizen, Dr. Chi was born in China. He earned his doctorate and master’s degrees from the Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). As well, he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from one of the world’s leading institutions of learning, the Peking University in Beijing.
 
Dave Clark
Vice President Sales & Revenue Management
JetBlue Airways
Dave Clark is JetBlue’s Vice President, Sales and Revenue Management, responsible for revenue optimization, ancillary strategy, corporate sales, as well as Latin America & Caribbean regional sales & marketing.
Prior to his appointment in February 2017, he served as JetBlue’s Vice President, Network Planning, and was a key architect of the airline’s successful network strategy. He joined JetBlue in May 2009 and led both the Route Planning and Schedule Planning teams before his promotion to Vice President Network Planning in 2014. Over his tenure in network planning, JetBlue became the largest carrier in Boston, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and San Juan and a leading carrier to the Caribbean and Latin America.
While Dave is thrilled by JetBlue’s growth, he is most proud of the fact that JetBlue has won 12 consecutive J.D. Power awards for highest customer satisfaction in North America.
Prior to joining JetBlue, Dave was a project leader in the Boston Consulting Group’s Travel & Tourism practice. He earned a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in systems engineering from The University of Virginia as well as an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Dave, his wife Sabrina, and their two children live in Westchester County, New York. They spend their weekends outdoors and traveling the JetBlue network.
 
Shane Corstorphine
General Manager Americas
Skyscanner
Shane Corstorphine is General Manager of the Americas region at Skyscanner, overseeing the travel search company’s accelerated growth in the region. In his previous role as Chief Financial Officer, Shane was instrumental in Skyscanner’s latest investment round of $192m in January this year, as well as earlier investment from Sequoia Capital. Shane joined Skyscanner is 2012 and has seen Skyscanner grow from 140 employees in two offices to a global organisation of ten offices and over 800 employees. Shane previously ran his own start up, and was also Director of Performance for Barclays Bank.
 
Phil Crofton
Senior Vice President
Teplis Travel
Phil has more than 25 years of travel industry management experience and is an incredible resource for business travel solutions for corporations around the world. Phil has an extensive track record in TMC management, sales and marketing, domestic and international airline management and is well known for assisting corporations in the identification of process improvement, supplier negotiations, adopting best practices and solution management while leveraging technology to reduce overall costs. He is a true road warrior, averaging over 175k miles per year since 2012 and justifies his twitter name of ‘Traveling Phil’.
Prior to joining Teplis Travel, Phil held positions of Managing Director, Enterprise and Global Solutions at Travel and Transport; Managing Director and Vice President of Global Sales at Travelocity Business, a Sabre division and was Managing Director of Travel for AAA National Headquarters. Prior to AAA, Phil has held several key executive and business development positions with companies such as ByeByeNow.com; Carlson Wagonlit Travel and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Phil is also a former member of the PGA of America where he held a Class “A” Status.
Professional and Community Affiliations: Phil has been an active member of his community and industries: Former Officer of two GBTA Chapters; Former Member of the National GBTA Committee for Government Affairs; Former Member of The TAS Global Advisory Board; Former Member of the ACTE North America Traveler Security & Data Privacy Advisory Committee; Former Chairman for Fund Raising for the GBTA Foundation; Former member of The 11th Congressional Committee for International Trade; Former member of the Florida Hospital Foundation Board of Directors; and a Former Board Member of the Orlando Chamber of Commerce and Orlando Orange County Visitor’s Bureau.
 
Mr Alex de Gunten
Business Development Officer
HEICO Aerospace Corporation
Alex de Gunten is the Business Development Officer for HEICO Aerospace Corporation and Advisor to the Executive Board of the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA). HEICO Aerospace is focused on PMAs, OEM and DER Repair, Defense, and Distribution products and services. Previously he served as Executive Director of ALTA, VP International of LanChile as well as holding different leadership roles at Canadian Airlines International.
Alex is the 2014 recipient of Air Transport World’s Decade of Excellence Award, 2013 recipient of ALTA’s Federico Bloch Award, co-recipient of the Flight Safety Foundation-Boeing's 2012 Aviation Safety Lifetime Achievement Award and 2012 recipient of the Greater Miami Aviation Association's Juan Trippe Award. Alex is also a member of the prestigious Airline Business Airline Strategy Awards judging panel and a frequent speaker at commercial aviation events.
 
Mr Roger J. Dow
President & CEO
U.S. Travel Association
Roger Dow is president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, the Washington, D.C.-based national umbrella organization representing all segments of travel in America—an industry responsible for generating $2.1 trillion in annual economic output.
U.S. Travel’s mission is to increase travel to and within the United States. The association advocates for improved travel facilitation and visa reform, provides authoritative travel research and analysis, and hosts annual signature events, including IPW, which generates more than $4.7 billion in future travel business to the United States.
Dow was instrumental in leading the industry-wide movement that led to the adoption of the bipartisan Travel Promotion Act signed into law by President Obama in March 2010 and renewed in 2014. The legislation established Brand USA, the highly effective communications and promotion program that attracts more international visitors to the United States. Dow also launched the Project: Time Off initiative—the multifaceted, research-driven travel advocacy and awareness campaign to prove the personal, business, social and economic benefits that taking earned time off can deliver. Dow and U.S. Travel are also leaders of the Meetings Mean Business Coalition, a campaign that provides resources, tools and information to show the real impact the industry has on businesses, economies and communities.
  • U.S. Travel addresses critical travel-related policy issues, including: 
  • Reducing barriers to travel through smarter visa policies, especially in high-growth markets such as Brazil, China and India;
  • Welcoming more international travelers to the U.S. by fostering the Visa Waiver Program, such as the recent addition of Taiwan and Chile;
  • Improving the entry experience at America’s gateway airports;Implementing common-sense approaches to reform America’s air travel security and screening system to maximize safety, while making the process less burdensome on the vast majority of travelers who pose no threat; and
  • Investing in the nation’s transportation infrastructure to accommodate increasing demand and desire for travel to and within the U.S. 

Dow has served in his present position since 2005. Prior to joining U.S. Travel, Dow advanced through the ranks at Marriott International in a career that spanned 34 years, where he began as a summer lifeguard at the sixth Marriott hotel and rose to senior vice president of global and field sales, where he led Marriott’s 10,000-person worldwide sales organization. His many accomplishments for the company included development of Marriott Rewards, the world’s leading frequent traveler program.
Dow was honored with the 2013 Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International Albert E. Koehl Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2013 APEX Award for Distinguished Service by Black Meetings & Tourism Magazine. He was also recognized by CEO Update as one of the Top CEOs in Associations 2012 out of more than 7,000 trade associations, and additionally, one of just 10 CEOs selected as the Top CEO. His peers named him Association Executive of the Year, an honor presented by Association Trends magazine, which reflected Dow’s success in unifying the travel industry and greatly increasing its effectiveness on Capitol Hill. He has also been named to the Convention Industry Council’s prestigious Hall of Leaders; was recognized by Meeting Professionals International (MPI) as one of the industry’s top leaders; was honored by the Destination and Travel Foundation with the Spirit of Hospitality Award; was selected by MeetingNews as one of the 25 most influential people in the meetings industry; and has been honored by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) with its Academy of Leaders Award. In 2009 he was presented with an honorary degree from Johnson & Wales University (Doctor of Business Administration in Hospitality Management).
Dow frequently speaks on leadership, sales, marketing and management at conventions and corporate meetings. He has co-authored two books: “Turned On – Eight Vital Insights to Energize Your People, Customers and Profits” and “The Trust Imperative – The Competitive Advantage of Trust-Based Business Relationships.”
He serves, or has served, on the board of directors of ASAE, PCMA, ASAE Foundation, MPI Foundation (Chairman), GWSAE, the Travel Institute and RE/MAX International, as well as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Committee of 100 and on the advisory boards of Arizona State University’s Center for Services Leadership and the University of Richmond Robins School of Business.
Dow served in the United States Army with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam, where he received the Bronze Star and other citations.
A native of New Jersey, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Seton Hall University, where he was senior class president, captain of the varsity wrestling team and secretary of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He was named TKE alumnus of the year for 1991 and was presented with the award by President Ronald Reagan. In 2012, Dow was honored as Seton Hall University’s Most Distinguished Alumnus.
 
Celso Ferrer
Chief Product Officer
GOL
Celso Ferrer has been our planning executive officer since February 2014 and is responsible for Network Planning, Revenue Management, Fleet Planning and Alliances. Mr. Ferrer is also a pilot of Boeing 737-700 and Boeing 737-800 Next Generation aircraft. Mr. Ferrer has a degree in Economics from the Universidade de São Paulo, a degree in international relations from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo and a MBA from INSEAD.
 
Robert Fornaro
President & CEO
Spirit Airlines
Robert Fornaro was appointed as President and CEO of Spirit, the largest Ultra-Low Cost Carrier in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, in January 2016. He became a member of, and will continue to be a member of, the Spirit Airlines Board of Directors in May 2014.
Prior to his appointment as CEO of Spirit he served as President of Parkview Partners LLC, an Orlando-based transportation and travel industry advisory firm. Mr. Fornaro retired as Chairman, CEO and President of AirTran Holdings, Inc., and its subsidiary, AirTran Airways in May 2011. Fornaro joined AirTran in March 1999 as President and Chief Financial Officer, was named Chief Operating Officer and elected to the board of directors in 2001, and became Chief Executive Officer in 2007.
Fornaro has more than 35 years of marketing, planning, finance and general management experience. Bob also has substantial experience in financial turnarounds and operational restructurings. During his tenure at AirTran, the Company transformed itself from a regional to an international airline and experienced a near seven-fold increase in revenue to nearly $3 billion. AirTran achieved the unique position of being the lowest cost provider of any major U.S. airline as well as achieving industry - leading service metrics.
Prior to joining AirTran Airways, he operated a successful aviation consulting practice. From 1992 to 1997, Fornaro served as senior vice president - planning for US Airways where he directed the company's route planning, pricing and revenue management and overall corporate strategy. From 1988 to 1992, Fornaro held the position of senior vice president - marketing planning at Northwest Airlines. His responsibilities included strategy and planning as well as managing Northwest's international alliances and regional airline partner relationships. Fornaro holds a Master's degree in City & Regional Planning from Harvard University and a Bachelor's degree in economics from Rutgers College.
 
Mr Marnix H Fruitema
Senior Vice President North America
Air France-KLM
Marnix H Fruitema, Senior Vice President North America, AIR FRANCE KLM. Graduate of Leiden University (The Netherlands) in International Law, he joined KLM in 1985. He has extensive experience in Sales and Distribution, Marketing, Pricing & Revenue Management, E-commerce, Sales and Service centers, Airport Operations and Strategical Partnerships. He was Senior Vice President AIR FRANCE KLM and Area Manager Asia and Pacific, prior to moving to the United States. He worked and lived in the Africa, Middle East, South America, the Dutch Caribbean and Europe. He is married and has four children.
 
Mr Tamur Goudarzi Pour
VP Airline Sales for Americas
Lufthansa Group
Tamur Goudarzi Pour is the Vice President Airline Sales, The Americas, Lufthansa Group. Based at the company’s U.S. headquarters in East Meadow, New York, Goudarzi Pour is responsible for the Group’s passenger airline organization in North and South America, spearheading sales and marketing. He is also instrumental in managing the commercial cooperation that the Lufthansa Group passenger airlines have with United Airlines and Air Canada under the transatlantic Joint Venture agreement.
Goudarzi Pour holds a Master of Philosophy Degree in International Relations from the University of Cambridge in the UK. After being drafted for the fast-track trainee programme of Lufthansa in 1998, he had stints at Lufthansa’s political representations in Brussels and Berlin and gained management know-how at the airline’s headquarters in Frankfurt.
In January 2001, he started as a Senior Manager at Lufthansa’s Area Management Middle East, Africa and Southeast Europe, then based in Dubai. He was mainly concerned with all strategic and sales promotions issues as well as alliances and co-operations. In January 2003, Goudarzi Pour was promoted to Lufthansa’s General Manager in Iran and from January 2007 till November 2010, Director for Central Europe located in Budapest, covering 15 countries of the Central and Eastern European region.
In his last assignment before returning to Dubai, Goudarzi Pour was based in Munich at Lufthansa’s second hub. Serving as Director Network Planning his responsibilities included aligning over 120 aircraft at Hub Munich used in European and Intercontinental traffic for more than 20 million guests. In addition, in 2012 he became the liaison officer of the Hub Munich for the restructuring Program SCORE, which aims to improve the profitability of the LH Group.
 
Henry Harteveldt
President/Industry Analyst & Advisor
Atmosphere Research Group
Henry Harteveldt is one of the travel industry’s most well-known and respected industry analysts and advisors.
After nearly 12 years as Forrester Research’s travel industry analyst, Henry founded Atmosphere Research in September 2011. Atmosphere Research provides independent, objective, and trustworthy research on traveler and industry marketing, distribution, and technology trends.
Before becoming an analyst, Henry spent more than 15 years in marketing, planning, and distribution roles at premier travel firms such as TWA, Continental Airlines, Fairmont Hotel Management Company, and GetThere.
Henry is regularly quoted in media such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA TODAY, and appears on CBS, CNBC, Bloomberg, and CNN.
Henry lives in San Francisco and is a graduate of the Tulane University School of Business. He actively shares his industry perspectives on Twitter (@hharteveldt).
 
David Harvey
Managing Director Business Devepment
Southwest Airlines
David Harvey has been with Southwest Airlines since 1999. He spent the first eight years of his career in Technology across Crew Management, Dispatch, Resource Optimization, Schedule Planning, Supply Chain, and eCommerce (southwest.com). He then spent five years leading Strategic Planning with Enterprise PMO and Integrated Business Planning responsibilities across Fleet, Commercial, Customer, and Operations. In January of 2013 he worked directly with the Chief Commercial Officer to build a Commercial Planning and Performance function across Network Planning, Marketing, Revenue Management, and Financial Planning & Analysis. In October of 2013 his role changed to Sr. Director of Network Planning and Performance with a focus on Network Strategy along with Commercial and Capacity Planning.Most recently, in January 2016 he was asked to lead a new Southwest function as Managing Director of Business Development.Responsibilities include Regional Planning & Performance, International & Alliances, and Corporate Sales. He received his BBA from UT Austin in Management Information Systems and both his MBA in Operations Management and MS in Organizational Strategy from UT Dallas. David earned his PMP certification in 2007. He has five young sons (11, 9, 7, 5, and 1 year) that keep him active outside the office and a beautiful wife that is an educator and writer.
 
Bob Hill
Vice President
Seabury Aviation Planning & Technology
Robert Hill spent 25 years of his aviation career in strategic network planning roles at American Airlines. From 1994 until 2012, Mr. Hill served as American’s Director of Network Planning, responsible for global alliance management, domestic and international network development, U.S. hub / gateway planning, new service identification, and revenue forecast evaluation.
As a principal decision maker within American’s Network Planning team, Mr. Hill was heavily involved in the airline’s ongoing five-year plans. As part of the evolution of the oneworld Alliance into Atlantic and Pacific anti-trust-privileged joint ventures, Mr. Hill helped guide the implementation of American’s network planning partnerships with British Airways / Iberia and Japan Airlines. He also worked jointly on ATI immunized network planning projects with senior executives from LAN Airlines and Finnair.
Mr. Hill was central to the creation and refinement of American Airlines’ first automated forecast capability – the Integrated Forecast System (IFS). He managed the initial business development of the system, including proprietary QSI share algorithms and innovative data adjustment methodologies. This forecast infrastructure served as the precursor for many of SABRE’s commercial air service planning products.
A significant part of Mr. Hill’s success at American Airlines was his management coordination with Revenue Management, Alliances, Finance, and the Fleet Planning groups. Externally, Mr. Hill served as a key liaison with airport, government, and consulting industry professionals. He regularly represented American at industry air service development conferences from 1997 onward. Mr. Hill holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Williams College, as well as an MBA from the University of Texas-Dallas.
 
Mr Jonathan Hutt
Vice President
Spring Airlines
With over 20 years marketing and communication experience in the North-Asia region, Jonathan Hutt currently serves as Deputy General Manager (Strategy) and Social Marketing Director at Spring Airlines, China’s first Low Cost Carrier. Since joining Spring in 2010, Jonathan has devised and lead the company’s international expansion strategy resulting in the airline’s successful entry into the Japanese, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South East Asian markets. Furthermore, he was instrumental in creating a new Social Marketing Center. Combining the company’s Communications, Branding and Social Media teams, this Center focuses on creating new sales and distribution channels that within eighteen months have become responsible for over 5% of company revenues. 

Prior to joining Spring, Jonathan worked as a consultant providing business development and market entry strategies, product positioning reports, market segmentation and consumer behavior analysis for a number of international brands including Harley Davidson, Tesco, LVMH and Coca-Cola Amatil. Jonathan holds a PhD in East Asian Studies frm the Australian National University. He is also serves on the Board of Directors at GV Art, a London gallery whose exhibitions seek to foster discourse and collaboration between the international artistic and scientific communities.
 
Eduardo Iglesias
Executive Director
ALTA
An aviation industry veteran, Eduardo Iglesias has accumulated more than 20 years of experience as an aviation executive, including expertise in the areas of regulatory, legal, and government affairs.
Iglesias is currently the Executive Director of ALTA, the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association.Since joining ALTA in September 2013, he has lead all of the 30-year old non-profit association’s efforts and initiatives to make Latin American and Caribbean aviation safer, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly.
Under Iglesias’ leadership, ALTA has strengthened key relations with local, regional and international associations, organizations and authorities, elevating ALTA’s position in supporting its member airlines on multiple fronts, including safety and security, efficiency and productivity, and adopting new environmental rules, all with a focus on underscoring the air transport industry as a vital force driving immense social and economic growth and development throughout the communities its member airlines serve.In addition, Iglesias has expanded the association’s industry affairs efforts, created a fraud prevention committee, and increased MRO/purchasing procurement initiatives.
Prior to joining ALTA, Iglesias served Vice President of Legal for Avianca, and also previously served as General Counsel and Vice President of Legal for TACA International Airlines, where among other responsibilities he negotiated contracts, oversaw consumer protection issues, and represented the airlines before various committees, legal and regulatory symposiums, and corporate and government affairs.
Iglesias holds law degrees from Spain and Puerto Rico, a Master's Degree in Aeronautical Law from McGill's Institute of Air and Space Law in Montreal, Canada, and also holds a B.A. in Political Science. He was born in Puerto Rico, has lived in Spain, Canada and El Salvador, and currently resides in the United States.
 
Naveen Jain
Director
CAPA Analytics
Naveen is Director of CAPA Analytics - a joint venture between CAPA India and TransOrg Analytics - which was established to deliver specialist predictive analytics solutions for the aviation, travel and tourism industries. He is a thought leader in analytics, with more than 20 years’ experience across functions, including marketing analytics, business and product development, consulting, operations, finance and investment banking.
Naveen is also Chief Executive Officer of TransOrg Analytics, an organisation that he has transformed into a company that has won accolades such as ‘Top 50 Employers’ by the Silicon Review magazine, ‘Predictive Analytics Company of the Year’ and ‘Top 50 Big Data Companies’ by CIO Review magazine. He was formerly Vice President with American Express, where he led a marketing analytics team of 100 people working across 20 markets.
Naveen holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the Delhi College of Engineering and an MBA from the Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad.
 
Vicki Jaramillo
Senior Director Marketing & Air Service Development
Orlando International Airport
Vicki Jaramillo, Senior Director Air Service Development & Marketing for Orlando International Airport is one of the leading airport marketing officials in the U.S., with 24 years of aviation marketing experience in Orlando and Miami, as well as 13 years of tourism and economic development experience in Florida.
Ms. Jaramillo joined Greater Orlando Aviation Authority in January 1994. She is responsible for air service development, strategic planning for new routes, airline relationships, passenger marketing and advertising, aviation research, and website presence and social media. Ms. Jaramillo has successfully worked on bringing dozens of new nonstop routes to MCO including Frankfurt, Sao Paulo, Brasilia, Bogotá, Santo Domingo, Lima, Oslo, Dublin, Cancun, Panama, Mexico City, Seattle, San Diego among many others and most recently Dubai.During her 22 years with MCO, passenger traffic has risen from 22.4 million passengers to over 39 million annual passengers.
Ms. Jaramillo previously worked as Chief of Aviation Marketing for Miami International Airport. She is the former International Business Manager for the Beacon Council of Miami, for which she assisted in attracting foreign investment and joint venture opportunities to Miami Dade County.
In addition, she was an International Sales Representative for the Florida Division of Tourism and is a former Walt Disney World Ambassador, representing Disney worldwide at key domestic and international events.
Ms. Jaramillo currently serves on the international committee of Visit Florida.She previously served as Chairperson of Airport Council International – U.S. International Air Service Program; is past president of the Central Florida Business Travel Association and the Miami American Marketing Association.The Hispanic Chamber of Greater Orlando recognized Ms. Jaramillo in 2013 as one of the top 25 Influential Hispanics in Central Florida.She led the MCO team that won the 2015 Routes Americas Excellence in Airport Marketing Award in the over 20 million-passenger category.
She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and Multinational Business from Florida State University.
 
Mr Greeley S. Koch
Executive Director
Association of Corporate Travel Executives
Executive Director for the Association of Corporate Travel Executives, Greeley Koch has his primary focus on the advancement of the ACTE member’s career by making sure the ACTE community is prepared for the future of corporate travel management and its emphasis on traveller centricity.
He has served as a global travel manager, a consultant, and has worked for a global travel management company and travel software company. He is a former ACTE board member, president, and has testified on behalf of the industry before the United States Congress. In 2005, Koch was named as one of the Top 25 Most Influential Business Travel Executives and Buying Business Travel in 2013 named him one of the 30 Top Influencers in Business Travel.
 
Neil Laidler
Regional Director
Travelport Digital
Neil Laidler is the Regional Director for Travelport Digital, responsible for commercial growth regionally. Working with airlines, TMCs and travel brands worldwide, Travelport Digital empowers their digital journey through great mobile experiences and customer engagement via mobile at every stage of the trip lifecycle.
Neil has been with Travelport Digital (formerly MTT) since the start of 2014. Prior to joining Travelport Digital, Neil worked for Amadeus overseeing the commercial region of EMEA and LATAM for e-Commerce and Mobile.
Before entering the digital travel space 10 years ago, Neil held a number of senior commercial and new business roles in integrated marketing agencies in London.
Neil lives in Nice, France with his wife and 4 children and when not submerged in the world of digital travel, enjoys running, cycling and hiking.
 
Bailey Leopard
Lead Counsel, Legal, Trade & International Affairs
FedEx Express
Based at FedEx Express World Headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee, Bailey Leopard handles aviation, regulatory and trade matters, with an emphasis on FedEx's Asia Pacific region. He has represented the company on various international trade matters, including postal and customs issues in China, Japan and elsewhere in the region; in bilateral air transport negotiations between the U.S. and China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam; and in related matters before various U.S. administrative agencies, including Commerce, State, Transportation and USTR. He is a member of the Commerce Department and USTR’s Industry Trade Advisory Committees on Services and Finance Industries (ITAC 10). On behalf of ITAC 10, he also sits on ITAC 14 on Customs Matters and Trade Facilitation. Bailey is a two-time recipient of FedEx Express’ prestigious Five-Star Award, the company’s highest honor, which recognizes team members who have enhanced service and profitability and exemplified the spirit of teamwork.
FedEx Expressinvented express distribution and remains the industry’s global leader, providing rapid, reliable, time-definite delivery to more than 220 countries and territories, connecting markets that comprise more than 90 percent of the world’s gross domestic product within one to three business days. Unmatched air route authorities and transportation infrastructure, combined with leading-edge information technologies, make FedEx Express the world’s largest express transportation company, providing fast and reliable services for more than 4 million shipments each business day. For more information, visit http://about.van.fedex.com.
 
Mr Tadashi Matsushita
Vice President, Strategic Planning, The Americas
All Nippon Airways (ANA)
Tadashi Matsushita has served ANA for over 20 years and has a wealth of experience and knowledge in the aviation industry. After engaging in the core corporate management and operations of ANA, he challenged industry conventions and initiated the discussion for the corporate side on the Open Skies policy in Japan, in an effort to secure growth opportunities for the industry as well as protect consumer interests. He worked in concert with a Japanese think tank and managed activities within political circles and government agencies both in Japan and overseas from March 2005 to January 2008. He then served as Director of Strategic Planning, Asia Pacific where he played a significant role in establishing ANA’s strategic base in Hong Kong and expanding its business across Asia. Having successfully led the launch of Japan’s first budget airline, Peach Aviation, he assumed the position of Director, International Government Affairs in July 2011 and has been responsible for overseeing ANA’s government and regulatory affairs in the US. He now holds the additional portfolio of Vice President of Strategic Planning, The Americas and is simultaneously responsible for formulating and executing medium-term business plans in North America. His current endeavors in this role include leading the way to broadening ANA’s presence in North America, both by rethinking marketing strategies towards increased brand awareness and assimilating further into local communities.

Matsushita received his B.A. in Economics from Kobe University and an M.B.A. from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He currently resides in Connecticut with his wife and three children.
 
Joe Mohan
Vice President Alliances & Partnerships
American Airlines
Joe Mohan is vice president – Alliances and Partnerships. He is responsible for managing the airline’s global alliances, international planning activities and interline product distribution. In addition, he oversees American’s joint business agreement activities.
Joe joined American in 2016 with over 15 years of experience in the airline industry. Most recently, he served as CEO of VivaLatinamerica. He led Viva’s consolidation and divestiture of existing brands, new airline launches and the establishment of the corporate structure to spread the LCC model throughout Latin America. Previous to Viva, Joe served as the chief commercial officer for Copa Airlines and presided over its explosive growth and high profitability period from 2008 to 2014. He began his career at Continental Airlines, serving in various management positions. Outside of the aviation industry, Joe was part of a start-up venture in the personal finance field and was an officer in a publicly traded real estate investment trust.
Joe began his career as an aide to Senator Bob Graham, working in foreign policy and intelligence. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Georgetown University and economics degree from the University of Florida.
 
Ms Anita Mosner
Partner
Holland & Knight LLP
Anita Mosner is a Washington-based partner of Holland & Knight LLP, and serves as the Co-Chair of the firm’s Transportation & Infrastructure Industry Sector Group, as well as being a leader of firm’s aviation team.With 30 years in the industry, Anita has handled all phases of the airline start up process, and has led the launch of both U.S. and foreign air carriers. She also has played a leading role in the development and regulatory review of several major airline alliances and joint ventures. Anita has handled major aviation trade disputes, as well as defended major enforcement actions before the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Transportation (DOT), Transportation Security Administration, Bureau of Customs and Border Protection and other federal agencies. She also has strong experience in international air safety and air safety oversight, and crisis management and response.Anita served as an airline consultant prior to joining Holland & Knight.
 
Jon Ostrower
Aviation Editor
CNN Worldwide
Jon Ostrower is Aviation Editor for CNN Worldwide, guiding the network's global coverage of the business and operations of flying. He also serves as a correspondent for CNNMoney, reporting on all aspects of aviation. Ostrower joined CNN in October 2016 following four and half years at the Wall Street Journal. Based first in Chicago and then in Washington, D.C. he covered Boeing, aviation safety and the business of global aerospace.
Before that, Ostrower was editor of the award-winning FlightBlogger for Flightglobal and Flight International Magazine covering the development of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and other new aircraft programs. Ostrower graduated from The George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs with a bachelor's degree in Political Communication. He is based in Seattle where he lives with his wife and toddler, who refuses to sleep.
 
Mr Stephen Pearse
Managing Director
CAPA - Centre for Aviation
 
Cesar Pereira
Head
Embraer Consulting
Cesar is the Head of Consulting at Embraer Commercial Aviation, responsible for providing specialist services to shape airlines planning and strategies.
Cesar has been working at Embraer for 14 years. He started as Product Development Engineer working in the E-Jets continued. Later moved to Market Intelligence where he first worked in Airline Studies and Sales Engineering. As Director of Sales Engineering he led the worldwide marketing and sales support activities for commercial aviation and more recently has been appointed as Head of Consulting, focused on working hand in hand with airlines to shape their planning and strategies. Cesar holds a bachelor in Civil Engineering, Master degree in Aeronautics and MBA in Enterprise Management.
Cesar is based in Sao Jose dos Campos, SP, Brazil.
 
Ron Peri
CEO & Chairman
Radixx International
Ron Peri founded Radixx International in 1994. He is the CEO and president and the principal developer of the Radixx Air family of reservations systems. Ron has 30 years experience in information technology and architected the first major replacement of an IBM mainframe with PC networks in 1987. His replacement of IBM 3090 mainframe with PC technology reduced operating expenses by more than 1000% at the reinsurance division of Beneficial Life Insurance (subsequently spun out as American Centennial Insurance, Inc.) and made front page news in the Wall Street Journal as the “vanguard of a revolution”. After assisting more than 60 Fortune 500 companies in replacing mainframes, he was asked to architect a mainframe replacement for a low cost carrier. This system has been re-architected and redesigned and is now in its fifth generation. The company has grown and now hosts airlines worldwide from Radixx' world class data center in Orlando, Florida.
 
Paul Pessutti
Senior VP & GM Travel & Transportation Industries
SAP
Paul is Senior Vice President & GM of Travel, Transportation & Hospitality Industries at SAP. In this role Paul is responsible for T&T industry revenue and pipeline, establishing and maintaining key customer relationships, ensuring customer success, enhancing the solution portfolio, growing the ecosystem and is the brand ambassador for T&T worldwide. The industry consists of 9 Industry Segments which are Airlines, Airports, Passenger Transport, Hospitality, Travel Service Providers, Freight Forwarding and 3PL, Rail Cargo, Liner Shipping and Trucking.

Paul has over twenty years of sales, marketing, product, operations and management experience in the Software, Transportation, Logistics, 3PL, and Travel industries. Paul joined SAP Industries from SAP Analytics where he was responsible for revenue, go to market strategy and field execution in North America. Prior to this role, Paul also led North America Finance Sales, the Analytics Center of Excellence and was a founder of the SAP GRC business. Paul joined SAP in 2005 to build the SAP go to market for Global Trade Management.

Prior to joining SAP in 2005, Paul served in management roles at GT Nexus, Open Harbor, and ClearCross, focusing on supply chain analytics, transportation management and compliance; all delivered in the Cloud. Paul began his career at AP Moller/Maersk Line in their prestigious executive management program and went on to hold a number of corporate, field, and management positions over a seven-year span. A former President and Chairman of the Pacific Transportation Association, Paul frequently speaks and is consulted on the topics of big data, analytics, risk management, performance management, supply chain automation, ocean transportation and global trade management by organizations such as AAEI, OWIT, ACI, Rutgers Business School, ICPA, American Shipper, Brookings Institute and WISPUBS. Paul holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History, as well as degrees in Business Administration and Asian Studies from Providence College

 
Mr Kenneth Quinn
Partner
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
Ken Quinn is a partner and head of Pillsbury's top-ranked aviation, aerospace, and transportation practice and its Unmanned Aircraft Systems focus team. He has served on the Governing Committee and as General Counsel and Secretary of the Flight Safety Foundation since 2004. He was Chief Counsel of the Federal Aviation Administration from 1991-93 and served as counselor to the Secretary of Transportation from 1989-91. In January 2015, he was elected President of the International Aviation Club of Washington, DC and has served on its board since 2008. In February 2015, he served as a delegate to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) High Level Safety Conference, after serving on ICAO’s Task Force on Regional Conflict Zones in the wake of MH17.

In 2014, he was appointed as an Arbitrator to the Experts Committee of the Shanghai International Aviation Arbitration Court. He also served as the Facilitator for the first-ever ICAO Council Retreat. He has served on the Governing Committee of the ABA Forum on Air and Space Law since 1994, including as Chair in 1996-98, and as Editor-in-Chief of its legal journal, The Air & Space Lawyer, from 1997-2010. He was named a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 2006, and has served as counsel on the Board of its Washington, DC Chapter since 2008.

He received his Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law, with honors and holds a B.S. in Finance, Northern Illinois University
 
Lars Sande
Senior Vice President Sales
Norwegian
Lars Sande joined Norwegian back in 2002 and was part of the startup team. He's been in charge of Sales & Distribution since the start, but also been in charge of customer service center and web in the company's early days. Lars has been involved in numerous projects through the years such as launching BankNorwegian, Norwegian Holidays, the loyalty program Norwegian Reward and the startup of the long-haul operation.
Prior to joining Norwegian, Lars worked 10 years for Braathens, a regional airline operating in Norway and throughout Europe, in numerous roles in sales and customer service.
 
Mr Mark Schwab
Former CEO
Star Alliance
Mark Schwab was formerly Chief Executive Officer of Star Alliance Services GmbH until the end of 2016. He and his team coordinated the development and strategies of the world’s first and most experienced global airline alliance from its base in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Seen today as a role model for the civil aviation industry the Alliance was founded in 1997, with the aim of offering worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller.

By working together closely in Star Alliance, its member airlines are able to create and enhance products and services which cater to the needs of international travelers, as well as to develop joint IT solutions and to exploit the synergies that such large-scale, global collaboration can generate.

Prior to assuming his role at Star Alliance in January 2012, Mark Schwab held numerous positions in the airline industry at United Airlines, US Airways and American Airlines. Most recently he was responsible for alliance activities at Star Alliance member airline United, where he was Senior Vice President Alliances. In this role he also served on the Management Board of the Star Alliance organisation.

Mark Schwab began his aviation career in 1975 with Pan American World Airways in Rio de Janeiro and went on to head organisations in Latin America, Europe and Asia. He spent most of his career outside his home country, the United States of America.

Mark Schwab has a degree in Latin American Affairs from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville and is fluent in both Spanish and Portuguese. He is married with two daughters.

 
Henry Tsuei
Managing Director Asia
UATP
Tsuei currently serves as UATP’s Managing Director – Asia. In this capacity, he leads UATP’s regional team of professionals based in its offices in Beijing, Tokyo and Singapore in growing UATP’s charge volume by expanding its network of merchants, acquiring new issuers and forming strategic partnerships.
Prior to joining UATP, Tsuei served in various leadership positions for FinTech leaders including First Data Corporation, The Western Union Company and MoneyGram International.
Tsuei holds 7 US patents in areas including payment processing, e-business application and statistical process control.Tsuei earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Arizona and an MBA form the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
 
Alejandro Vales
Vice President, Air Service Development
ASUR
Alejandro Vales has 27 years of experience in the aviation industry. He started at Continental Airlines, where his last position was Airport Business Manager for the Mérida Station in Mexico. In 2004 he was appointed as the Director of Cozumel International Airport with ASUR, the Mexican airport group that has 9 airports in the southeast of Mexico, including Cancun. After a few months in that position he was offered a new position within the company, heading the air service development for the group. Since then, he has been the Customer and Route Development Director for ASUR. Working with his team, he has overseen record traffic growth in the nine airports, especially CUN, which has now enjoyed double digit growth for several consecutive years.When ASUR, through its international branch Aerostar Airport Holdings LLC, obtained in March 2013 the concession to operate Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, (SJU), a new challenge was presented to Alejandro and his team since they would be leading the route development efforts for that airport as well. Back then the traffic performance of the airport was far from satisfactory, with a clear downward trend. In the last few years, the team, working hand in hand with its stakeholders, has managed not only to stop that trend but to reverse it. SJU’s traffic is growing again.
 
Mr Stephen Wang
Vice President
Spring Airlines
Stephen joined Spring Airlines in 2008 taking on the position of Vice President with responsibility for Business Development. Stephen has devoted his time to exploring new avenues for growth in the Chinese domestic market while paving the way for international expansion as Spring became the first Chinese airline to be granted an international operating licence in 2010. He is also instrumental in searching for new strategic partners in the aviation, travel, and technology sec tors who can assist the China’s first low cost carrier become one of dominant players in the dynamic and highly competitive North Asia region. Prior to joining Spring, Stephen worked in the US for Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, Bearing Point Management & Technology Consultants, and Hewitt Associates. He holds a MSc (Economics) and an MBA from Southern Illinois University.
 
Mr Martin Warner
Principal
MW Travel Consultancy
Martin Warner has 35 years experience in Travel Distribution, is Principal at MW Travel Consultancy Limited providing advisory services to the travel and associated industries. He is a Founding Partner of KuriusSolutions with Martin Cowley, a global business that develops ideas and provides to solutions to opportunities to travel and related industries.
Formerly Executive Vice President, Market Strategy & Segmentation at Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) a global leader specializing in business travel management, responsible for devising and implementing the Marketing Strategy of the business including Corporate Travel, focused on creating value based travel management solutions for corporate customers.
From 2008 to 2011 Martin was COO, Asia Pacific at CWT with responsibility for all Asia Pacific Operations of the business. He served as a member of CWT's Executive Team for 10 years, reporting to Group CEO. He served in non-Executive board positions in the companies Jt-Ventures in China, Japan, India, Indonesia & South Africa, and Executive board member of subsidiaries in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong.
From 2003 he served as EVP, Global Account Solutions at CWT responsible for the companies top 100 multinational client business, a US$4Bn top line business unit.
Martin is based in London and Miami, spending time with clients in markets around the world. His recent engagements include – WEX, Travelport, ATPI, CAPA, Majid al Futtaim, Abacus, ComBTAS.
In addition to his strategic advisory work, he is a much sought after facilitator, moderator and speaker.