| Speaker Biographies |
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| Mr Olivier Benoit Senior Director and Global Air Practice Leader Advito As a senior director for Advito, Olivier Benoit sets and executes the direction for the global air practice in partnership with the consultancy’s principals. Managing a team of industry experts, he develops and implements air program services beyond sourcing through progressive methodology and cutting-edge cloud-based technology tools. Olivier guides clients through supplier negotiations, assesses contract and category performance, and uses complex analytics to identify improvement opportunities through policy management, traveler behavior and demand. Previously, Olivier served as global corporate sales director for Air France KLM where he was responsible for business development in Europe and North America, and emerging market developments in Asia and South America. He also spearheaded the creation of an integrated global contracting process with JV partners Delta and Alitalia. Each year, he achieved double digit revenue increases with one hundred Fortune 500 customers as part of his portfolio of work. Prior to that role, Olivier was Commercial Director - Singapore, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand for Air France KLM.
Olivier earned a Master of Science in Finance at Université Paris Dauphine and a Master of Business Administration, specializing in marketing, from Institut d’Administration des Entreprises in Aix-en-Provence, France. He is fluent in French and English and proficient in German. Previously located in Singapore, Warsaw and Stockholm, Olivier is now based in Paris, France.
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| Mr Christoph Mueller CEO Aer Lingus Christoph Mueller joined Aer Lingus as its Chief Executive Officer in Sep-2009. Since taking on the role, he has implemented a return to sustainable profitability in Aer Lingus, brought about by the successful execution of a cost savings programme and the refocus of the airline's strategy as a value carrier. Christoph has extensive experience within the aviation industry, having previously held the positions of Executive Aviation Director at TUI Travel plc., Chief Financial Officer of DHL Worldwide, and member of the Executive Committee of Deutsche Post AG. He has also held senior positions in Daimler Benz Aerospace, been Executive Vice President at Lufthansa AG and Chief Executive Officer of the Sabena Group.In Jan-2012 Christoph was appointed to the Board of Tourism Ireland. In Jun-2013 he was appointed Chairman of An Post. He has an MBA from the University of Cologne and subsequently completed an Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.
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| Mr Lee Moak President Air Line Pilots Association, International Captain Lee Moak is the ninth president of the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), which represents nearly 50,000 professional airline pilots in the United States and Canada and is the largest non-governmental aviation safety organisation in the world. He was elected by the union’s Board of Directors on Oct. 13, 2010, and began his four-year term on Jan. 1, 2011. As ALPA’s chief executive and administrative officer, Captain Moak oversees daily operations of the Association and presides over the meetings of ALPA’s governing bodies, which set policy for the organisation. He is also the chief spokesman for the union, advancing pilots’ views in the airline industry before Congress, Parliament, government agencies, airline and other business executives, and also the news media. Captain Moak is a member of the AFL-CIO Executive Council and the Executive Committee of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department, where he chairs the body’s Financial Oversight Committee. He also serves on the FAA NextGen Advisory Committee.
Captain Moak continues to expand the traditional role of labor union leader through a policy of “active and constructive engagement” with any and all parties who can affect the professional lives and careers of the pilots he represents, ensuring that ALPA pilots are an important force making constructive contributions in the process.
Under Captain Moak’s leadership, ALPA pilots have ratified 19 new contracts protecting and improving their jobs, livelihoods, and families. A B-767 Delta Air Lines captain, Captain Moak joined ALPA in 1988. From 2005 to 2010, he served three terms as chairman of the Delta Master Executive Council. His leadership in this capacity was crucial during Delta’s bankruptcy recovery and successful merger with Northwest Airlines.
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| Mr Martin Gauss CEO airBaltic Since of November 1, 2011, Martin Gauss has been theChief Executive Officer of airBaltic.- a carrier based on the Northeastern edge of the European Union, and serving 60 destinations in Europe, the Middle East, the CIS and Russia from its hub in Riga, Latvia. Under Martin Gauss leadership, airBaltic executed a robust business turnaround programme leading to major improvements of the net result of the airline and profits in the FY2013, a year ahead of the original schedule. The main pillars of the change towards a new and fresh airBaltic are operational efficiency, revenue improvement, network reconfiguration and fleet renewal; these have been instrumental for the management team to consistently beat its own business turnaround plan, and lay a sound basis for sustainable future profits. Martin Gauss is a professional with over 20 years of experience in the airline industry, and in the European Union aviation market. Martin Gauss started his aviation career as a pilot on B737s with British Airways subsidiary Deutsche BA in 1992, before accepting various management roles in operations. After the sale of Deutsche BA to the Intro Group of Hans Rudolf Woehrl, Martin Gauss became joint Managing Director of Deutsche BA (dba) with responsibility for the relaunch of the airline, in which he also took a 10% stake. Under the leadership of Martin Gauss the company became profitable. Martin Gauss has also held CEO positions in Cirrus Airlines and Malev. Martin Gauss flies a Boeing 737 as a Captain and has recorded more than 8000 flying hours on the type. | |
| Mr Christian Gall Executive Director EMEA AirPlus International Christian Gall joined AirPlus in 2004 where he held the responsibility of Executive Director for International Markets for 4 years. Since 2009, based in Singapore, he has been in charge of Asia-Pac, the highest development region for AirPlus with 3-digit growth rates year on year (from 30 M Euros invoiced volume in 2009 to 1.2 Billion Euros in 2014). Since the 1st of September, Christian Gall has taken the responsibility of AirPlus in EMEA. Between 1992 and 1997, Christian Gall has been a management consultant with Gemini consulting where he managed large international projects in the areas of ERP implementation, Business Process Reengineering and Sales revitalization. Then he worked with Carlson WagonLit Travel as a Vice President in charge of setting up large services centers across Europe as well as introducing new technologies within those centers to boost productivity and enhance customer experience. Christian Gall is a French national, has 2 daughters and lives in Fontainebleau, South of Paris. He holds a MBA from Sydney University, a Master of Computer Science from IIE-Paris and a Master of Economics from Paris I University. | |
| Mr Russell Bailey Senior Attorney ALPA Russell (“Russ”) Bailey is a Senior Attorney in the ALPA Legal Department. He received his undergraduate degree in history from Brown University in 1973 and, after serving for four years in the military, attended Georgetown University Law Center, where he received his law degree in 1980. Upon graduation from law school, Russ joined a Washington, D.C. law firm where he worked on labor, corporate, and administrative law matters. In July 1983 he joined ALPA’s Legal Department. At ALPA he has represented the Association in a variety of legal matters before the federal courts (e.g., duty of fair representation; contract enforcement; administrative law), and federal agencies such as the Department of Labor and the Department of Transportation (e.g., mergers; route sales; carrier selection; carrier fitness). He also provides the Association’s elected officers advice on collective bargaining negotiations and the laws and aviation agreements that regulate international air transportation services.
Russ regularly serves as the AFL-CIO representative in air transport service negotiations and is a liaison to the United States Trade Representative’s Labor Advisory Committee for Trade Negotiations and Trade Policy. He is the Chairman of the Legal Committee of the Aero Club of Washington, a past-President of the International Aviation Club and a frequent speaker on airline labor issues at American Bar Association, industry and government conferences.
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| Mr Alex de Gunten Executive Advisor to the Board ALTA & BDO HEICO 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 in PMAs, OEM and DER Repair, Defense, and Distribution products and services. Previously he served as Executive Director of ALTA, VP International of LanChile and held different leadership roles at Canadian Airlines. Alex is the 2014 recipient of Air Transport World’s Decade of Excellence Award, 2013 recipient of ALTA’s Federico Bloch Award, 2012 recipient of the Greater Miami Aviation Association's Juan Trippe Award, and co-recipient of the Flight Safety Foundation-Boeing's 2012 Aviation Safety Lifetime Achievement Award. Alex is also a member of the prestigious Airline Business Airline Strategy Awards judging panel. | |
| Mr Decius Valmorbida Vice President Distribution Marketing Amadeus Decius is Vice President of Distribution Marketing. He is responsible for the strategic planning and marketing strategy for all customer segments of our Distribution Business, including airlines, Travel agencies and other service providers. He was appointed to the job in August 2013. Prior to this role, he held several positions in the LATAM region. He started in Amadeus as Operations Director for the Brazilian ACO in January 2004, responsible for customer service, delivery, product management and Internal IT. In 2006, he relocated to Nice to become the Head of LATAM Marketing team, managing all marketing functions and the creation of the LATAM Solutions Center in Bogota, Colombia. In 2009 he moved back to Brazil and had a brief term as the GM of the South LATAM ACO and shortly after in July 2009 he was appointed as Director for the LATAM region. During his term as Director of LATAM, he has helped Amadeus grow its business both on its IT and Distribution business lines. Prior to joining Amadeus, he held the position of IT Director /
Chief Information Officer at AT&T Brazil from 2001-2004. Before that,
he was IT Director of Vésper SA in Brazil from 1999 – 2001 and
Manager, Telecom Practice at Ernst & Young, Brazil from 1998 -1999.
He joined AT&T Brazil as a support analyst in 1994 and worked there
until joining Ernst & Young.
Decius earned an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from
PUC in Rio de Janeiro (1995). He received an MBA in General
Management from Insper Institute in Sao Paulo, Brazil (2004) and is a
graduate of the General Management Program at Harvard Business
School (2010).
Decius is a Brazilian citizen and speaks Portuguese, English, Spanish,
and French. He has lived in the US, France and now resides in Spain.
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| Mr Athar Husain Khan CEO Association of European Airlines Athar Husain Khan graduated from the University of Leiden with a degree in International Law, and also specialised in Air and Space Law. He subsequently joined the Aeropolitical Division of the Dutch Ministry of Transport as a negotiator of traffic rights and senior policy advisor on various international issues. He joined the Flight Operations department of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines in 1998 where inter alia he was responsible for the regulatory and policy issues surrounding Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. In July 2002 he was appointed Director of Government & Industry Affairs, dealing mainly with infrastructure and environment issues, the Air France – KLM merger and European and international aeropolitical affairs. In February 2007 he became General Manager Infrastructure at the Association of European Airlines, dealing with value chain issues such as the airline-airport relationship, airport charges, airport capacity, slots, ground handling and social affairs. In 2010 he also assumed responsibility for environment and consumer affairs as General Manager Policy, Environment and Infrastructure.
In June 2011 he was appointed Deputy Secretary General of AEA and as of June 1st 2012 he became the Acting Secretary General. In December 2013 he assumed the position of Chief Executive Officer.
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| Mr Peter Bost Director International Network ATPI Peter started his career with Hilton hotels in Asia where he also grew up. He is one of the original founders and investors in the ATPI Group and has always focused on its international growth. In his current role he is responsible for the development and expansion of ATPI’s international partner and franchise network with wholly owned offices in over 20 countries and strategic partnerships in another 25. | |
| Mr Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus Managing Director Aviation Strategy and Concepts Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus was born in Australia, raised in the UK and finished his school education in Paris, France. He likes to describe himself as an “Australian-born international European”. Ulrich studied law in Freiburg, Germany, and after graduation in 1980, began as political liaison officer at Lufthansa German Airlines in Cologne in 1981. Ulrich coordinated the political activities of former Secretary of State and then CEO Heinz Ruhnau in Brussels and Strasburg. After assuming diverse management functions in the airline in such areas as HR and marketing, Ulrich was appointed Vice President Government Affairs in 1992, and as such was deeply involved in the privatisation of the airline as of 1993. Ulrich secured Lufthansa’s interests in the negotiations of an Open Sky between the USA and Germany and subsequently the anti-trust approval for the airline’s alliances with United Airlines and SAS.
In Sep-2002, Ulrich was unanimously elected as Secretary General of the then 28 airline member strong Association of European Airlines, based in Brussels. He represented the interests of his members publicly and politically, and coordinated efforts of the European airline sector to contribute to a European regulatory framework for the entire aviation value chain. This led to an intense exchange between the association and the EU institutions, notably the European Commission, culminating in several regulatory proposals in areas such as aviation security, safety, infrastructure and environment. Ulrich was also involved in the negotiations of a comprehensive EU-US Aviation Agreement.
After 10 years, Ulrich left the then 36 airline member strong association in Sep-2012 and founded his own firm “Aviation Strategy & Concepts”, based in Brussels. His firm, which he likes to call a “networking agency” offers airlines, airports, EU institutions, NGOs and partner firms a platform to establish contacts and develop new solutions.
Ulrich has two children, Felix aged 19 and Julia, 17. He enjoys skiing, jogging, chess and reading. | |
| Mr Barry Humphreys BKH Aviation Dr Barry Humphreys has a Ph.D. from the University of Leeds. He joined the newly established UK Civil Aviation Authority in 1973 as a junior economist, subsequently becoming Economic Adviser and (after a period with British Caledonian Airways) Head of Air Services Policy, a member of the CAA’s Senior Management Group. Barry joined Virgin Atlantic Airways in 1995 as Director of External Affairs and Route Development, with a wide range of responsibilities. During his time at Virgin Barry was wholly or partly responsible for political lobbying, licensing, economic regulation, government bilateral and multilateral negotiations, competition policy and consumer and environmental issues, as well as making a significant contribution to route development, longer-term strategic policy and security. He represented Virgin Atlantic on various industry and government bodies and committees, including being a member (and for two years Chairman) of IATA’s Industry Affairs Committee. Since retiring from Virgin in 2009 Barry has been Chairman of the British Air Transport Association, the trade body for UK airlines, and a Non-Executive Director of The Airline Group and NATS, the provider of UK ATC services. Barry also undertakes occasional consultancy engagements and is External Examiner for the MSc Air Transport Courses at City University, London. His charity work includes being a Trustee of the Loomba Foundation, a UK-based charity helping widows and orphans in India, and a Trustee, Board Member and Chairman of the Advisory Council of Airlink, an aviation charity bringing together airlines and NGOs at times of humanitarian disaster. | |
| Mr Bernard Gustin CEO Brussels Airlines In 1991, Bernard Gustin finished his study as commercial engineer at I.C.H.E.C. (Institut Catholique des Hautes Etudes Commerciales) in Brussels, followed by a postgraduate in International Comparative Management at I.C.H.E.C. and the Loyola College of Maryland in Baltimore. In 1994, Bernard Gustin made his M.B.A. at the Solvay Business School (V.U.B.) in Brussels. Gustin started his professional career in 1993 with Procter & Gamble. He left the company as Finance Manager Benelux and joined Arthur D. Little in 1999. During his career with ADL, Gustin was partner and member of the Arthur D. Little Benelux Management Committee as well as Head of the Travel and Transport Practice. In this position, he wrote the business plan of Sabena’s successor SN Brussels Airlines and he played a key-role in the merger between SN Brussels Airlines and Virgin Express. In 2008 Bernard Gustin was appointed co-CEO of “Brussels Airlines”. During the first year he concluded the partnership between “Brussels Airlines” and the “Lufthansa Group” and the entrance of the Belgian airline into the global airline partnership “Star Alliance”. In November 2010, Bernard Gustin received the “man of the year” award by the Belgian travel trade industry. In January 2012, the Association of European Airlines (AEA) named Bernard Gustin as its new Chairman. During his two year-long chairmanship, Bernard Gustin acts on behalf of AEA’s 35 airline members which contribute €86 billion to the European economy. He chairs the association’s board and represents AEA in high-level political meetings. Since June 1st 2012, Bernard Gustin is the unique CEO heading the company. Next to his career in the travel and transport sector, Bernard Gustin has also a rich experience in the energy and utilities industry. He played an important advisory role in the merger talks between Suez and Gaz de France. Bernard Gustin (44) is married and has 2 children. | |
| Mr David Lyssens VP Network and Transversal Planning Brussels Airlines David Lyssens is Brussels Airlines Vice-President Network and Transversal Planning. In this function he is responsible for the overall network strategy and development of the scheduled and unscheduled flight services of Brussels Airlines. He is also responsible for the planning between the Network and the Flight Operations & Maintenance Departments. David is Master in Trade Economics (University of Antwerp) and Master of Financial Economics (KU Leuven). He started his career in 2000 at the Association of European Airlines (AEA) as Manager Statistics & Analysis in the Market & Research Team of AEA. He joined Brussels Airlines in 2004 as Alliance Manager in charge of bilateral airline partnerships (codeshares). He became Vice-President Planning in 2008 and Vice President Network & Transversal Planning in 2012. David is an expert in route analysis & planning, scheduling & schedule distribution, capacity management & code sharing. Together with his team, David is amongst others playing an important role in the network cooperation of Brussels Airlines with the Lufthansa Group. | |
| Mr Arnaud Feist CEO Brussels Airport Arnaud Feist is Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of Brussels Airport Company since February 2010. He joined Brussels Airport as Chief Financial Officer in 2005 soon after its privatization. A member of the Management Board he was responsible for Finance, ICT, Procurement & Risk Management. Prior to Brussels Airport, Arnaud worked for PwC and SCA Packaging Group where he has held various senior management positions in Finance, M&A and IT, and finally as Vice-President Finance & ICT for the European Division. In June 2013, Arnaud was elected President of the Board of the European Airports Association (ACI Europe). He has been a Board member of ACI Europe since 2011. Since November 2013 he is also member of the ACI World Governing Board. He is a member of the Board of BECI, the Brussels Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Arnaud has a Master in Business Engineering from Solvay Business School and a Master in Tax Law (Brussels University). | |
| Léon Verhallen Head of Aviation Marketing Brussels Airport Léon was approached in 2006 by Brussels Airport to set up and organize a new aviation marketing department after its privatization. Brussels Airport has become a regular winner of the Routes Marketing Awards, winning Routes Europe and Routes World in 2012, and Routes World again in 2014. Aviation Marketing at Brussels Airport takes responsibility for airline marketing, B2B and B2C passenger marketing, experience, loyalty and market analysis and research. Léon started his career at Fokker Aircraft in 1986 after his study Business Economics at Tilburg University in The Netherlands. Between 1998 and 2006 he worked at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the role of Market Research Manager, Airline Marketing Manager and Director Aviation Marketing. | |
| Mr Jonathan Wober Senior Financial Analyst CAPA Jonathan joined CAPA in 2013 to lead its analytical coverage of European airlines after 13 years as an equity research analyst in the sector. Jonathan is a seasoned industry professional with extensive experience of financial modeling and forecasting, market analysis, valuation and strategic advice. Jonathan was previously with Société Générale, HSBC, Deutsche Bank and BAE Systems. | |
| Mr Vincent Lebunetel Vice President, Corporate Innovation Carlson Wagonlit Travel As Vice President of Corporate Innovation, Vincent Lebunetel is responsible for developing, overseeing and embedding an innovation management system and mindset across the global organization. To include the facilitation, ideation and realization of programs and initiatives that will create value for global customers & suppliers. Based in Paris, Vincent reports directly to David Moran, Executive Vice President Global Marketing & Enterprise Strategy. Since joining CWT in 2009, Vincent has led the Solutions Group (CWT’s consulting business) in Europe, Africa and Middle East, setting and sustaining the strategic direction and financial performance for existing and emerging practices and managing over 60 staff members who specialized in client projects. Vincent has 14 years of experience in the hospitality and travel industry. Prior to joining CWT, Vincent worked for eight years for the Air France-KLM Group in China and France occupying successively positions in account management, sales and revenue management/pricing. Vincent graduated from the ESSEC Group, a leading international business school, with a specialization in International negotiations and International finance strategy. He also holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Asia Markets from the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade.
Vincent was recently named in Buying Business Travel Hotlist 2014 in its CSR category in recognition of his work done around measuring the social impact of business travel. That work also received GBTA’s European Sustainability Outstanding Achievement Award and was recognized during the UK Business Travel Awards with the Best Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme Award.
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| Ms Christine Ourmières-Widener CEO CityJet Christine Ourmières began her career in aviation over 20 years ago at Air France where she held a variety of key management positions. In the early 1990s, she held the position of Commercial Director of France, for Air France's Global Distribution System, Amadeus. From 1998 to 2001 she took on the role of Vice President of Air France Global Sales and her success in this role led to her promotion to Vice President of International Sales in 2002. In 2005, Christine was promoted to General Manager,
Air France-KLM, UK and Ireland, a post she held for three years and where she
oversaw increases in sales, year on year passenger growth and UK market share
growth.
Following her success in the UK market, in 2008
Christine became the first ever Vice President-General Manager of Air
France-KLM, USA, before moving to her current position of CEO of CityJet in
Sep-2010 - to become the first female CEO of an Irish licenced airline – one out of 15 female CEOs of commercials airlines (out of 200).
In her position as CEO, Christine is responsible for
the entire operations of the company, including network, distribution, finance,
marketing and communications, quality assurance and airport operations to name
a few. Since taking over her position, she has undertaken a number of
cost-cutting measures which have markedly turned the finances around for the
loss-making airline. Notably, she has introduced an aircraft utilisation
programme which has seen the introduction of a number of new destinations to
the airline's network which has expanded to serve 21 destinations across Europe
whilst ensuring schedules meet the needs of CityJet's niche business audience. Currently,
she is spearheading projects across the company to introduce the airline’s own
operating code in order for the company to be more independent and dynamic –
both commercially and operationally.
Christine holds a Master of Aeronautics degree
from the Ecole National Supérieure d’Ingénieurs and an MBA from Essec Business
School.
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| Mr Krešimir Kucko President and CEO Croatia Airlines Krešimir Kučko joined the Croatian National Carrier in 1992. At this early stage of the Company’s development, only six months after the first international flight, he was thoroughly engaged in establishment of commercial policy, that involved almost all business aspects. At age of
29 Mr Kučko was appointed the first country manager in the Company responsible
for establishment of the Croatia Airlines Zurich Office. He was also the
youngest manager at this position. In this extremely challenging period, set
the entire business network, and in the very first year, doubled the market
revenue.
In order to create
standards necessary to establish Company’s stable market position, primarily in
the home market and then abroad, Mr Kučko has also been deeply involved in key
financial and legal issues of the Company.
In 2004
Mr Kučko joined the Croatia Airlines Office in The Netherlands, as Regional
Manager Benelux.
As Croatia Airlines Sales manager he participated
actively in local IATA bodies, particularly in process of establishment of
local travel agents accreditation criteria, retention of IATA status and IATA
agency investigations.
In 2012 Mr Kučko was appointed President
& CEO Croatia Airlines. He has begun the process of restructuring of Croatia Airlines and positive business results were recorded after a long
period of negative trends.
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| Mr David Lee Vice President of Global Client Development Discover the World David Lee has been on the front lines of innovation during much of his 17 year career in the global travel industry. He is currently Vice President of Global Client Development for Discover the World, the preeminent travel sales representation network with 80 offices across 60 countries. Prior to Discover, David spent nine years with American Express Business Travel starting as their Director of Strategic Business Development and Product Development and progressing to be Senior Director of Global Airline Strategy based in Singapore. David was also Principal Consultant for the Global Consulting where he led the Airline Practice Line and led programs for global clients such as Microsoft, Intel, and Merck among others. David started his career in the travel industry working for the Client Services division of Sabre where he was Manager of Strategy and Business Planning. David has also consulted with companies such as Lucent Technologies and Rio Salado College on Organizational Change Management and Innovation, and he has had unique opportunities to work for members of the European Parliament and the United States Congress early in his career. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Management from Thunderbird, the School for Global Management and a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business from Washington University in St. Louis.
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| Mr Vincent Harrison Managing Director Dublin Airport Vincent Harrison was appointed Managing Director of Dublin Airport in January 2014. Prior to this he was Director Strategy, Regulation & B2B and has also held senior finance positions with Irish airports group, daa plc. Vincent has served as a member of the policy committee of ACI Europe, the representative body for European airports, and on the Council of the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation. He has previously held senior financial and management positions with Esat/BT in Ireland and with Rubbermaid Inc. in USA and in Europe. He has also worked as an independent management consultant. Vincent trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Arthur Andersen in Dublin. He holds an MBA degree from University of Pittsburgh, USA and a B.Comm degree from University College Cork and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland. | |
| Mr Anthony Drury Director, Head of Business easyJet Anthony recently joined easyJet to take on a newly created role to drive the airline’s business-travel proposition. He has held a number of senior positions at American Express and was the vice president and general manager across Northern Europe within the Amex’s Global Business Travel organisation. | |
| Mr John Hanlon Secretary General ELFAA John joined British Airways in 1968 as a graduate trainee and spent 30 years in overseas Regional General Management positions in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. His last position with British Airways was as General Manager Africa and the Indian Ocean, based in Johannesburg. Awarded OBE in 1993 for services to British aviation interests in Nigeria. Joined Flybe in 2000, becoming Director Alliances. In June 2006 appointed Secretary General of ELFAA – European Low Fares Airline Association, having previously chaired the Airspace Work Group within ELFAA. ELFAA member airlines carry over 223 million passengers a year, operating a combined fleet of some 000 of the most environmentally-efficient aircraft. Low Fares account for over 50% of point-to-point intra-European traffic, a share forecast to grow to 60% by 2020. | |
| Mr Tewolde GebreMariam CEO Ethiopian Airlines Tewolde GebreMariam joined Ethiopian Airlines in 1985 as Transportation Agent at Addis Ababa Airport. He progressed through the ladder to Manager Cargo Traffic Handling. In 1995, he was appointed as Regional Director for India and South East Asia based in Bombay. He was later transferred to Jeddah as Area Manager for Saudi Arabia. When Ethiopian commenced direct services to the USA in 1998, he was appointed as Area Sales Manager for North East USA and Canada based in New York. In October 2000, he was appointed as Regional Director for the Americas. On August 16 2004 he was appointed as Executive Officer Marketing & Sales to head the Marketing and Sales Operations of Ethiopian. On July 1, 2006, he was appointed as Chief Operating Officer of Ethiopian to head all the operating divisions of the airline Commercial, Flight Operations, Customer Services and Maintenance and Engineering. Since January 1, 2011 he has been serving as CEO of Ethiopian Airlines. In his CEO role, Mr. Tewolde has been a multiple award winner. In November, 2012, he won “The African CEO of the Year-2012” award from the African CEO Forum organized jointly by Jeune Afrique and the African Development Bank in Geneva. In December 2012, he won “The Best African Business Leader” award from the Washington D.C. based Corporate Council on Africa, which promotes trade and investment ties between the USA and Africa. In July 2013, he became the first African Airline CEO to receive “The Airline Strategy Award for Regional Leadership” in the award’s 12 year history. The Award is given out annually by Airline Business Magazine, a publication of Flight Global, the world’s leading aviation media brand. In November 2013, Mr. Tewolde won the 2013 “Planet Africa professional Excellence Award”. In July 2014, Ethiopian Airlines Board of Directors recognized Mr. Tewolde by awarding him a Gold Medal for this exceptional leadership, dedication and hard work, which have enabled Ethiopian Airlines to register outstanding performance as per its fast, profitable and sustainable growth strategy, Vision 2025. In addition to his duties as CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, he also serves as a member of the Board of Governors of the International Air Transport Association (IATA); Executive Committee member of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA); Board Member of EthioTelecom; Chairman of the Board of the Ethiopian Tourism Organization; Board Member of Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, and a member of the AIRLINK Advisory Council. He earned his B.A. Degree in Economics from the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia and his Masters Degree in Business Administration from the Open University in the United Kingdom. | |
| Mr Kevin Knight Chief Strategy & Planning Officer Etihad Airways Kevin Knight joined Etihad as Chief Strategy & Planning Officer in March 2011. In this role he is responsible for overall corporate strategy and the development of the network, also overseeing pricing, capacity and revenue management, route and network planning, alliances and aircraft acquisitions. Etihad Cargo also reports to him. Mr Knight has more than 30 years’ experience in the airline industry, including business development, strategic planning and operations. Before joining Etihad, he spent 17 years at United Airlines, the last five as Senior Vice President Planning. Mr Knight holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Westminster College, Utah, and an MBA from the University of Utah. He is Vice Chairman of Air Seychelles in which Etihad Airways has a 40 per cent equity stake and also Chairman of Amadeus Gulf. | |
| Jon Horne Vice President European Cockpit Association Jon Horne is an active pilot, flying 747s for a major UK airline, and is also Vice-Chair of the EU Social Dialogue in Civil Aviation, where he works with and represents all sides of the aviation industry in Europe. At ECA, the European voice of professional pilots from 38 countries,he has focused on legal, regulatory and industrial affairs. With ECA, and also on behalf of the Social Dialogue Committee, Jon has alsogiven significant attention to the EU’s involvement in international air transport policy, agreements and the surrounding issues. Prior to this Jon spent many years as an elected representative in the UK pilots’ union, BALPA, where he specialised in employment issues, scheduling, and disciplinary matters. Jon also sits on the Executive Board of IFALPA, the global pilots’ federation, providing a global perspective on the European aviation industry, and the workings of ICAO. He has appeared as an industry expert and representative before both the UK and European Parliaments, and at the ILO. | |
| Margus Rahuoja Director Aviation & International Transport Affairs European Commission DG Move & Transport Positions previously held by Margus Rahuoja are: Head of Cabinet of Vice-President Siim Kallas, Transport and Cabinet Member responsible for Air Transport issues, European Commission (2013 November – present). Senior Advisor, Member of Cabinet of Vice-President Siim Kallas, Transport, European Commission, responsible for Air Transport issues and relations with Council and the Presidency (2010 - 2013) Member of Cabinet of Vice-President Siim Kallas, Administration, Audit and Anti-Fraud, European Commission, responsible for Administration issues, (2004 - 2010). Minister Counsellor, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Representation of Estonia to the EU (2003 – 2004) Deputy Head of Mission, Co-Secretary of the Accession Conference, Mission of Estonia to the EU (1999 – 2003) Head of Unit, European Integration Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia (1998 –1999) Desk officer (EU), Political Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia (1996 – 1998) Lecturer, Tallinn University of Educational Sciences, Estonia (1992 – 1996) Margus Rahuoja has a Post Graduate Studies (Exec MA), International and European Relations from Amsterdam School of International Relations, University of Amsterdam (1995 – 1996); Post Graduate Studies, International and European Relations from Estonian School of Diplomacy (1994 – 1996); Degree in public administration specialised on culture work and stage management and attended Tallinn University of Educational Sciences (1992). | |
| Mr Simon McNamara Director General European Regions Airline Association (ERA) Simon McNamara was appointed Director General on 1 January 2013. He is responsible to ERA’s board for the delivery and implementation of ERA’s work in the field of policy, events and communications. Under his leadership ERA is highlighting the aviation sector’s vital contribution to Europe’s future economic prosperity, particularly in the regions of Europe. McNamara travels extensively within Europe meeting with policy-making bodies such as EASA and the European Parliament and Council. He is a sought-after speaker at industry events and provides comment and analysis on market issues across a range of international media. A graduate of City University, London, McNamara also holds an MSc from Canfield University in the UK. His career in aviation spans nearly 20 years – before joining ERA in 1999 McNamara held positions at the Flight Data Company and the International Federation of Airline Pilots’ Associations. | |
| Mr Phil Chilton CEO ExpenSys After 20 years in the music industry, Phil switched careers to work in software development becoming an IT consultant providing, and advising on, business solutions primarily in UK food sector. Based on this experience he founded ExpenSys in 1999 to provide a fully compliant expense management solution for UK organisations for whom employee tax and VAT guidelines were becoming increasingly complex. In 2010 the company extended this capability to comply with all expense related compliance issues worldwide including employee and corporation taxes as well as VAT recovery. Easy to use for the traveller at the front end, in all languages and currencies, but comprehensive and flexible behind the scenes, it's unique global capability is now deployed on every continent. | |
| Mr Ed Winter CEO Fastjet Ed has over 40 years of airline experience spanning from the traditional full service model of BOAC/British Airways through to one of the most successful low cost airlines, easyJet. Ed started his aviation career as a pilot with BOAC. He held a number of senior management positions within British Airways including Chief Pilot and Head of Operations BA Regional, Chief Pilot London Gatwick and Chief Pilot Long haul Aircraft. He was a founder director and Chief Operating Officer of low cost airline Go, and grew the airline profitably to 28 aircraft. Following an MBO and the subsequent sale of Go to easyJet, Ed had the role of Integration Director whilst also acting as CEO of Go. Once the integration process at easyJet was complete, Ed served as Chief Operating Officer steering the company through a period of rapid and profitable expansion, opening new bases across Europe and introducing the Airbus aircraft. More recently, Ed served as Chief Executive Officer of NAS (National Air Services) in Saudi Arabia. | |
| Mr Juha Järvinen Chief Commercial Officer Finnair Juha has 17 years aviation experience with past positions in passenger commercial operations, airport operations, customer fulfillment centre services as well as cargo. After 14 years with Scandinavian SAS Group in London, Helsinki, Tallinn and Stockholm, he has managed the Finnair Cargo subsidiary as Managing Director during 2012-2014, with focus on re-positioning the cargo unit for future growth and toughening market environment. Since 20 October 2014, he takes over as Chief Commercial Officer for Finnair, with responsibility for airline's commercial functions, cargo, tour operator and travel agency units. Juha is Finnish national with British BA Honours and Austrian MBA degrees. | |
| Ms Rana Walker Principal Consultant/Speaker GR&AT Management bvba Rana Walker is an award-winning public speaker, corporate consultant and social media evangelist passionate about stepping outside your comfort zone, sharing knowledge, and building your online sphere of influence. Delivering speeches in over 18 countries and 40 of the United States, she has traveled the globe inspiring the corporate travel, leisure travel and MICE industries, as well as government organizations such as NATO, to embrace the dynamism of social media as smart business. Rana's 18 year professional career in the travel industry includes a firm emphasis on marketing, public relations, new media and communications with an airline, corporate payment solutions and the travel production and broadcast media. Originally from the USA, Rana now lives in Brussels, Belgium and is Principal Consultant and Co-founder of GR&AT Management Consulting. Today, she helps global companies, organizations and associations harness the positive power of social media and technology via public speaking, corporate consulting and training. Find out more about Rana at http://ranawalker.brandyourself.com or http://about.me/ranawalker. | |
| Mr Glenn Wastyn CEO GVN Glenn Wastyn holds a Master in Applied Economic Sciences and a Master in International Business Administration. He started his career in 1995 as an entrepreneur in the tourism sector. As founder of GlobEvents he learned the tricks of the trade as tour operator, travel agent and events consultant,. His passion for technology lead to one of the first online travel booking sites in Belgium. In 2004, after selling his first company, he joined Barco to globally develop one one of its hottest STAR markets as Market Director Digital Cinema. In 2008, he returned to the travel industry at the advent of the economic crisis, joining BCD Travel as Commercial Director Belux and VP Supplier Relations South-West Division. His role included strong change and restructuring programs in his region and returning the division back to profitability on budget. In 2011 he founded his second high-tech company GVN, focused on videoconferencing services for the corporate travel industry and he currently also represents Prysm Inc. in Europe, a manufacturer of high-end video walls and collaboration rooms based on its proprietary LPD (Laser Phosphor Display) technology. | |
| Mr Paul Dear Director of Supplier and Industry Affairs HRG Paul Dear was appointed to the role of Director of Supplier and Industry Affairs in January 2014. In this role, Paul has responsibility for coordinating relationships and deals with most of HRG’s non hotel and non technology suppliers, together with recommending and managing HRG’s strategy for industry relations with most trade organisations. His career in the business travel industry began in 1995 when he joined the Credit Control team for HRG. Since then he has held a number of different roles with the company in which he has demonstrated his impressive consultative and reporting skills. Prior to his appointment as Director of Supplier and Industry Affairs, Paul was Director of Client Consultancy. In this role, he managed the Global Consulting division to support clients who wish to implement savings and optimize their Travel and Entertainment (T&E) programmes globally. Paul enjoys football and sport in general and is married with two children. | |
| Mr Corrado Simontacchi Senior Manager Corporate Purchasing, Goods and Services for Europe, Middle East and Africa Huntsman Corrado Simontacchi is Senior Manager Corporate Purchasing, Goods and Services for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Huntsman based at the Huntsman Headquarter at Everberg, Belgium. He is a
chartered accountant with a business studies degree from the L. Bocconi University of Milan in Italy. Studies at
the Economics for Business Leaders – Oxford Business University Summer School (Merton
College, Oxford, UK) and Strategy formulation and decisions trough simulation at
the SDA Bocconi (University L. Bocconi, Milan, Italy) complete his business
education profile.
In his current
position, Corrado has the responsability for the development and management of
the purchasing strategy for the respective sector of the goods and service
portfolio to maximize efficiency and profitability, minimize costs and implement
best in class purchasing processes.
Prior to his
current Corporate Purchasing role, Corrado was EAME Finance Manager of the Huntsman
Polyurethanes Divison. He spent twenty years working for this Division (previously,
ICI Polyurethanes) in a variety of roles including Finance Manager, Marketing Manager, Strategic Planning Officer,
Customer Service Manager, SAP Project Manager and IT Manager.
These roles
included work on European and global business strategy and restructuring,
acquisitions and alliances, preparation of some of the major Company’s capital
investments, global supply chain process development, and global SAP and IT
strategy implementation.
Since 1996 Corrado is
member of the Oxford University Business Economics Association.
Corrado is Board member of
the Belgium Association of Travel Management (BATM)
| |
| Mr 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 Eric Léopold Director Transformation, Financial and Distribution Services IATA Eric Léopold joined IATA in 2005. Based in the Executive Offices in Geneva, Eric is the Director, Transformation, Financial and Distribution Services. His team manages industry standards in Distribution and Messaging, and leads transformational programs such as New Distribution Capability (NDC) and New Gen Industry Settlement Systems (ISS). Prior to joining IATA, Eric held various management positions in France and in the US, in the information technology and publishing industries. Born in France, Eric Léopold holds a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Supelec and Georgia Tech and an MBA from ESSEC. | |
| Mr Pascal Struyve Global Travel, Fleet & Meeting Services Director Ingersoll Rand Pascal has an extensive travel management background in both corporate and travel environments. After 15 years in the travel industry on the supplier side Pascal joined in 2005 American Standard Companies as their EMEA Travel Manager. Within American Standard he became global director of travel and meeting services in 2007. American Standard went through a name change in 2007 and became Trane before it was acquired by Ingersoll-Rand in June 2008. Since 2008 he has the global responsibility for the Travel as well as Fleet, Meeting Services and the Credit Card program. He is based at the EMEA headquarters in Brussels. Pascal serves on the Board of BATM (Belgium Association of Travel Management) and was the President of the Association from 2008 till the end of 2012. | |
| Mr Frédéric Degand Travel Manager Inter IKEA Group Frederic Degand has been the Travel Manager at Inter IKEA Group since 2005 and has been with IKEA since 1998. Frederic is a Belgian national and previous to joining IKEA was at American Express Business Travel. | |
| Mr Willie Walsh CEO International Airlines Group Willie Walsh became chief executive of International Airlines Group (IAG) when the company was created in January 2011, joining from British Airways where he was chief executive from October 2005. IAG is the parent company of British Airways, Iberia and Vueling. It is one of the world’s largest airline groups with more than 430 aircraft flying to 243 destinations and carrying more than 67 million passengers each year. Prior to joining British Airways, he was chief executive at Aer Lingus, a position he was appointed to in the aftermath of 9/11. Born in Dublin in 1961, Willie joined Aer Lingus in 1979 as a cadet pilot. He held several management positions in Aer Lingus before being appointed chief executive of Futura, a Spanish charter airline owned by Aer Lingus in 1998. He returned to Dublin with Aer Lingus in 2000 where he took up the role of chief operating officer and was subsequently appointed as chief executive in October 2001. He completed a Master of Science in Management and Business Administration at Dublin’s Trinity College in 1992. Until recently, Willie was president of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He is married with one daughter and enjoys all sports, especially football and golf. | |
| Ms Annicka Lofstrand Global Director Suppliers KDS Annicka Lofstrand has more than 20 years’ experience in the travel technology sector. As Global Director for KDS travel supplier strategy she manages a growing ecosystem of more than 30 travel suppliers integrated to KDS leading travel & expense solutions. She joined KDS in 2006 and has held several roles within the company including EMEA Business Development and TMC Partner Management. Prior to joining KDS, Annicka worked in Senior Sales Management at GetThere EMEA, joining the company at its very early days and contributing to the company’s expansion winning major strategic international clients including Hewlett Packard, Dell, Ernst &Young, Eli Lilly, KPMG, DHL, ASDA etc. She has also held Consultancy roles with software developer NetTec Plc. and Hogg Robinson in the Nordics. Swedish born, Annicka lives in London with her husband and two children. Annicka holds a BA Hons. Degree in Business Administration specialised in Strategic Management from European Business School/ Regent’s University London. | |
| Mr Pieter Groeneveld Vice President Network Planning KLM Pieter finished his Master degree in Business Economics at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam in 1995. After a short period working for Royal Dutch Shell in procurement Pieter joined KLM in 1997. His 1st assignment was to coordinate the introduction of the 6 Wave Hub System in AMS. Pieter succeeded his career within network planning as network planner Eastern Europe and later as Senior network planning for Asia Pacific. Pieter moved to the Cargo division in 2002 as Director Network planning followed by commercial functions as Director Cargo for High Tech and Fashion industries. Pieter returned in 2008 to KLM head office as Vice President Corporate Strategy and since 2010 responsible for the global network development of KLM in close cooperation with the VP network planning of Air France. | |
| Mr Sebastian Mikosz CEO LOT Polish Airlines Sebastian Mikosz, Chairman of the management Board for LOT Polish Airlines. Manager with expertise in business consulting and management, aviation expert and passionate. He is a graduate of the prestigious Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris (with majors in economics and finance) and has completed several business management courses and training programmes. After graduation he worked for Arthur Andersen in Paris where he specialised in investments in the emerging markets. In 2000, after he came back to Poland, he worked on establishing the first independent online brokerage house in Poland. In 2001 he took the position of the General Director of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Poland. In June 2003 he was appointed as Vice President of the
Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency. There, he supervised the
Departments of Investor Assistance, Regional Cooperation and Research and
Analysis. He conducted negotiations with the largest foreign investors in
Poland such as LG Philips, MAN, Whirlpool and Michelin. Next he worked as
Managing Director at the Warsaw office of Amrop Hever, a HR consultancy
company.
In February 2011, he took a position of Societe
Generale Corporate & Investment Banking advisor in Poland.
He is a fluent speaker of French and English. He is
married and has three sons.
| |
| Mr Sadiq Gillani Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Lufthansa Group
Sadiq Gillani has been the Chief Strategist for
Lufthansa Group since May 2011. He is responsible for Group Strategy, Portfolio
Strategy, Innovation, Sustainability as well as driving major strategic
projects.
He was formerly the Chief Commercial Officer of Webjet,
a Brazilian low cost carrier based in Rio de Janeiro and supported the growth
of the airline and preparation for an IPO.
He has 10 years consulting experience, with a focus on airline strategy. He was
formerly a Senior Vice President with Seabury, a boutique airline consultancy,
in Sydney and New York, advising airline clients across the world, including
Qantas, Air Canada, US Airways, Malaysia Airlines and Etihad. He started his
consulting career at Bain & Company in London and Johannesburg. He also
supported with the launch of two startup airlines in the United States.
He
completed his MBA at Harvard Business School and holds a BA and MPhil in
Management Studies from Cambridge University. He is a keen traveller, having
visited 115 countries and lived on 6 continents.
More
information can be found at: http://sadiqgillani.com. | |
| Mr Nawal Taneja Airline Business Strategist and Published Author Massachusetts Institute of Technology & Ohio State University Nawal Taneja has over 45 years of experience in the airline industry sector, having worked for and advised major airlines and related businesses worldwide. His experience also includes the presidency of a small airline that provided schedule and charter service with jet aircraft and the presidency of a research organization that provided consulting services to the air transportation community throughout the world. Within the academic community, he has served on the Faculties at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (as an Associate Professor) and at the Ohio State University (Professor and later as Chair of both the Department of Aviation and the Department of Aerospace Engineering). On the government side, he has advised worldwide Departments of Civil Aviation, Finance, Economics, and Tourism in matters relating to the role of government-owned airlines and their management. He has also served
on the Boards of both public and private organizations, presents at industry
conferences worldwide, and continues to
advise senior executives in airlines and related businesses as well as senior
government policy makers on managing the:
| |
| Mr Martin Warner Principal MW Travel Consultancy Limited Martin Warner is Principal in MW Travel Consultancy Limited; a UK based global consultancy and strategic advisor to the travel industry. He is also a Founder Partner and Chief Innovation Officer at Travel Innovation Partners (Mar 2013-‐present), London, UK. Travel Innovation Partners is a General Sales & Services Agency that serves the software and services needs of the travel and airline industries. Prior to this Mr. Warner was Executive Vice President, Market Strategy & Segmentation at Carlson Wagonlit Travel (Aug 2011 -‐ Dec 2012). Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) is a global leader specializing in business travel management. As the Executive VP, Mr. Warner was responsible for devising and implementing the Marketing Strategy of all the arms of the business including Corporate Travel, which was focused on creating value based travel management solutions for corporate customers. In the period 2008 to 2011, Mr. Warner was
Chief Operating Officer, Asia Pacific at Carlson Wagonlit Travel (Jan
2008-‐Aug 2011). Here he was responsible for all the Asia Pacific Operations
of the business. Mr. Warner served as a member of CWT's Executive Team for 10
years, reporting to the President / CEO. He also served in non-‐Executive
board positions in the companies Jt-‐ Ventures in China, Japan, India,
Indonesia & South Africa, as well as Executive board member of subsidiaries
in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Before 2008 (from 2003) he served as EVP of
Global Account Solutions at CWT responsible for the companies top 100
multinational client business, a US$4Bn top line business unit serving many
Fortune 500 members.
| |
| Mr Mike Thompson Had of Sales, EMEA & Americas Navitaire Mike Thompson is responsible for sales of Navitaire services for the airline, rail and broader travel market across Europe, Middle East, Africa and the Americas. Navitaire offers a range of proven solutions including for reservations and has been an industry leader in championing direct distribution and ancillary sales for airlines around the world. Mike has more than 30 years of experience in the aviation industry, including over 15 years providing technology solutions to clients. Prior to joining Navitaire, Mike has worked with both legacy and low cost airlines, large corporate travel agents and GDS companies having held key sales, product development and delivery roles at American Airlines and Sabre | |
| Mr John Grant Executive Vice President OAG John is responsible the management and enhancement of OAG’s product portfolio and new product development which includes OAG’s Flight Schedules database, Flight Status and its rapidly evolving analytical products, the OAGs Analyser Suite. Previously, John served as Managing Director of ASM, a leading consultancy specialising in air service development for airports. During his tenure there he achieved a number of successes for the company and its clients, including the successful re-positioning of Kuala Lumpur as Asia’s major low cost airline network centre and the expansion and development of Lima Airport into a major hub facility in South America. Whilst under John’s leadership, ASM was twice voted the best consultancy by the UK Airport Operators Association. John has worked for a range of airlines and airports around the world in areas including finance, marketing and commercial management. He worked at British Caledonian, on the development of its Middle East network, and at Air UK and KLM, where he managed commercial operations and led the rebranding of Air UK before moving to ASM. | |
| Mr Michael Hodgson Head of EMEA Sourcing and Global Indirect Sourcing RBS Michael has worked for The Royal Bank Of Scotland for over 15 years, his role involves developing and maintaining a third party supply chain service in over 23 countries. His team are responsible for the strategic sourcing approach to travel management throughout the global organisation to deliver industry best practice and innovation to T and E. Michael has a long history in the travel and leisure industry having grandparents who worked and set up travel agencies in the North of England. He lives in Amsterdam but travels a lot in his role so has first hand knowledge of his own teams travel strategy. | |
| Mr Richard Nuttall Chief Commercial and Strategy Officer Royal Jordanian Richard Nuttall, current Chief Commercial & Strategy Officer with Royal Jordanian and former CEO of Bahrain Air, has 25 years of experience in the Airline Industry spanning 5 continents. After 12 years in various roles with Cathay Pacific Airways, he has also held positions as Commercial Head for Philippine Airlines and Kenya Airways, and Regional VP for the Americas with Polar Air Cargo. He has a Mathematics degree from Oxford University and a Sloan Masters degree from London Business School. | |
| Mr Scott Gillespie Managing Director tClara Scott often breaks new ground – and a bit of glass - in the corporate travel industry. As Managing Director of tClara, he is pioneering the concept of traveler friction and its impact on traveler retention rates. As Founder and CEO of Travel Analytics, he built a world-class travel sourcing consultancy, serving many of the world’s largest buyers of air travel. Scott is a leading authority on travel procurement, travel data and Managed Travel 2.0, He is the author of a U.S. patent, has been named one of Business Travel News Top 25 Executives, and a Thought Leader by Buying Business Travel. Early in his career while at A.T. Kearney, he helped pioneer the concept of modern travel sourcing. Scott writes the popular blog “Gillespie’s Guide to Travel+Procurement”, and speaks at travel industry conferences around the world. Scott holds an MBA from the University of Chicago. He and his family reside near Cleveland. | |
| Mr Peter Lybeer Manager Business Travel Thalys International Peter joined Thalys International in May 2008 as an Account Manager. As from 2010, he was acting as a Business Development Manager in The Netherlands and Germany. As of 2012, he’s heading the Business Travel department, acting as a lead person for both corporate and individual business travel. | |
| Mr Toby Joseph Partner TJA A 30 year travel industry veteran ,Toby has extensive experience with travel management companies, having served as EMEA VP Sales for Carlson Wagonlit and Chief Operating Officer and MD Europe for Tui Business Travel ( TQ3 Travel Solutions).
He also has held senior commercial positions with Eos Airlines, Jumeirah Group and easyJet, as well as providing consulting services for a wide range of companies as TJ Associates. | |
| Mr Mattijs ten Brink Managing Director - Chairman Transavia
| |
| Mr Ian Heywood Head of Supplier Relations Travelport Ian’s key focus is to ensure that Travelport offers a consistent global approach to airlines worldwide that enables them to maximise their yields and increase revenue streams through the GDS channel. To further strengthen airline relationships and help enhance long term, mutually beneficial partnerships that enable airline customers to distribute their flights and merchandising content in a way that works for their key businesses and other key industry stakeholders. A key part of Ian’s work been the launch
of the Travelport Merchandising Platform with ‘Aggregated Shopping’ ‘Ancillary
Services’ and ‘Rich Content’ which enables airlines to adapt their business
models to whatever competitive/ economic environment they operate in and for
travel agents to access enhanced airline content in their normal
workflow.
Prior to Travelport, Ian spent the
majority of his working life at British Airways where he joined as an
apprentice and held a number of commercial roles in the UK and overseas. He has
also worked for Qatar Airways as SVP Global Sales and Distribution.
| |
| Ms Lorraine Jacobs VP Corporate Sales & Development Travelport Lorraine Jacobs is VP Corporate Sales & Development at Travelport and together with her global team, is responsible for managing commercial relationships with Corporations. Her remit includes work across procurement, finance and travel functions in a consultative and partnership capacity, demonstrating how Travelport is addressing the changing needs of the industry and ensuring Travelport’s portfolio of products are positioned at the forefront when making decisions surrounding their global travel programs. Prior to her current role, Lorraine was Business Development Director Europe for Travelport where she was responsible for managing commercial relationships with Airlines headquartered in Europe. Lorraine has worked in the travel for more than 25 years and has broad experience of the industry; in addition to spending 15 years working in the GDS business, other previous roles have been with a key European corporate travel agency, and with one of the world’s leading international airlines.
| |
| Temel Kotil CEO Turkish Airlines Born in 1959, Mr. Kotil graduated from Aeronautical
Engineering Department at Istanbul Technical University (ITU) in 1983. He
received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1991.
After founding and managing the Aviation and Advanced Composite Laboratories of
ITU, he also served as chair and associate dean of Faculty of Aeronautics and
Astronautics Engineering.
He served as the Head of Research Planning and Coordination Department in
Metropolitan Municipality of Istanbul.
Going to US for a second time in 2001, he served as guest professor in the
University of Illinois, followed by a position of Research Engineer in Advanced
Innovative Technologies Inc, in Troy, New York, between 2002 and 2003.
Dr. Kotil started his career with Turkish Airlines in 2003, as the Deputy
General Manager in Turkish Technic, Inc. He became the CEO of Turkish Airlines
in 2005. Dr. Kotil has served on the Board of Governors of IATA since 2006 and
on the Board of Directors of AEA since 2010.
Mr. Kotil, married with 4 children, has authored many articles and publications
in the aeronautical science journals, and papers in seminars and conferences. | |
| Mr John Byerly Former Deputy Assistant Secretary US State Department 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 11-Sep-2001. | |
| Mr Daniel Gallaher Business Development and Legal Director Voyage Manager Ltd Daniel started working for Voyage Manager - a technology company that provides an easy to use, advanced and automated system for tracking, monitoring and managing employee travel - in 2013, and is currently the Chief Operational Officer. Prior to this, he has eight years of experience mitigating risks and handling CSR matters as a lawyer specialising in corporate law and M&A in one of Norway’s leading law firms, and business development and M&A in Telenor. Daniel is Norwegian, and holds a law degree from University of Oslo/Université de Fribourg (2005) and an MBA from University of Cambridge (2014). | |
| Mr Alex Cruz President and CEO Vueling Alex Cruz began his professional career at American Airlines working in Dallas improving American's ground operations at its hub airports.The last five years of his 10-year AMR career were in London, delivering solutions to European airlines within The Sabre Group. From 2000 to 2006, he was a partner at Arthur D. Little and later in Accenture as its head of aviation. As a consultant, Alex has directed projects with airlines and travel industry companies around the world. In 2006 he founded Clickair. As CEO, Alex drove Barcelona-based Clickair through a period of spectacular growth, culminating in the 2009 merger with Vueling, turning the new Vueling into the biggest airline operator in Spain (2013, flights, passengers), and into one of the most profitable airlines in Europe.Today, Vueling is part of the IAG Group and flies 16 million annual passengers over 200 routes at 70 European airports with a fleet of 70 planes. Alex is from Bilbao in Spain, has a BS (Central Michigan) and MSc degrees (Ohio State) in industrial engineering. Later he studied an MSc at the Ohio State University, and Business Management and Administration at the Cox School of Business in Dallas. Alex has lived in Spain, Panama, USA and London. | |
| Ms Siew Hoon Yeoh Founder and Editor Web in Travel Yeoh Siew Hoon founded Web In Travel in 2005. She saw a need for the industry to recognize and deal with the changes that would come from the Internet and technology. It started out as an annual conference (now held in partnership with ITB Asia) and has grown into a content and community portal for anyone passionate about the online travel space in Asia Pacific. Other than online travel, Siew Hoon is passionate about inspiring young minds – which WIT does through its WITNext vehicle – and entrepreneurship and innovation through its WIT Bootcamp. Siew Hoon is also a regular speaker and facilitator at travel industry conferences and workshops. She is also a published author, having written titles including “Truth, Lies & Other Stuff”, “Around Asia in 1 Hr: Tales of Condoms, Chillies & Curries” and “Losing My Innocence, Finding My Groove”. In 2009, she co-wrote a children’s book “The Adventures of Habibi, The Wise Turtle”, with 17-year-old Nigel Chee for Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa, Oman, to promote environmental awareness and conservation of green turtles in the Oman area. In August 2012, her second children’s book, “The Story Of Baitong & Boon”, which she c0-wrote with 16-year-old Phantila Phataraprasit, was published. | |
