| Speaker Biographies |
| 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. | |
| Mr Martin Gauss CEO airBaltic Martin Gauss is the Chairman of the Board and CEO of airBaltic. He joined the carrier in November 2011. Under his leadership airBaltic executed a robust turnaround program leading the airline back to profitability. Martin Gauss is a professional with more then 22 years of experience in the airline industry. Martin Gauss started his aviation career as a pilot on Boeing 737 with British Airways subsidiary Deutsche BA in 1992. From 1995 he was working in different management functions of Deustche BA. He became the Director of Flight operations in 2002. In this role he was member of the integration group of Easyjet and British Airways. In 2003 British Airways sold Deutsche BA to the Intro Group of Hans Rudolf Wöhrl. Martin Gauss became the joint Managing Director of Deutsche BA (dba) with the responsibility to relaunch the airline, in which he also took a 10% stake. Under Martin Gauss dba became profitable. In 2006 dba was sold to Air Berlin were Martin Gauss as Managing Director of dba was responsible for the integration of dba into Air Berlin. He has also held CEO positions in Cirrus Group and in the former Oneworld member airline Malev. Martin Gauss still flies as a Captain on a Boeing 737. | |
| Captain Rick Dominguez Executive Administrator ALPA Captain Rick Dominguez serves as ALPA’s Executive Administrator, directly supporting the ALPA President. Dominguez is a Delta Air Lines B-767 captain based in Atlanta, Ga. Dominguez previously served as ALPA’s International Affairs Committee Chairman and has been an active ALPA volunteer supporting the Delta Master Executive Council (MEC). He has fulfilled the duties of MEC International Affairs and Alliances Committee Chairman and Code Share Committee Chairman, as well as Executive Administrator for his pilot group. The Delta captain was also a member of the MEC’s Strike, Strategic Planning, and Negotiating Committees. In addition to his time operating the B-767, Dominguez has flow the B-727,L-1011, MD-88, and B-737 for Delta. He was a U.S. Air Force officer for nine years where he flew the T-37, T-38, and F-15. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Syracuse University, with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering and currently resides in Tampa, Fla. | |
| 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. In 2006, he relocated to Nice to become the Head of LATAM Marketing team. 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 several positions for 10 years in the Telecom industry in companies such as AT&T and 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. | |
| Mr Svend O. Leirvaag VP Industry Affairs and Corporate Social Responsibility Amadeus IT Group SA Svend O. Leirvaag, Vice President Industry Affairs, is responsible for Amadeus’ relationships with travel industry organizations, governmental bodies or regulatory authorities globally. Industry Affairs also encompasses Amadeus’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental Sustainability activities and initiatives, e.g. the global partnership with UNICEF on microdonations on travel websites or the work Amadeus is undertaking to provide comparison tools for emissions across transport modes. Svend started his career in 1986 as a management trainee with Scandinavian Airlines. In 1988, Svend joined recently established Amadeus, and worked four years in the area of market product management based in Madrid and Sophia Antipolis in France. In 1992 he rejoined Scandinavian Airlines as Marketing Director for Norway, in this capacity responsible for distribution, marketing, and frequent flyer programme. Working for the SAS CEO he also led the introduction of TQM/LEAN in SAS´commercial division worldwide, and the development and implementation of SAS’ travel agency programme in Scandinavia. After deciding to leave SAS in 1997, Svend embarked on a successful management consulting career, and worked as a trusted advisor to top management of companies across several industries, with a particular focus on commercial strategy, customer management, and digital technology. He has led a number of development projects, sometimes taking temporary management positions, including the commercial launch of newcomer airline Norwegian. Svend has broad international management experience from the airline industry, travel management, online travel distribution and customer relationship management. Svend is currently serving as member of the Steering Committee of TAP TSI and the Amadeus-led All Ways Travelling Consortium, and in his capacity also heavily involved in projects like Shift2Rail and the Full Service Model, an EU industry initiative to develop new standards for rail distribution, and ETTSA Chairman. | |
| Mr Keisuke Okada Special Advisor to the Chairman ANA Holdings Keisuke Okada joined ANA as a trainee aircraft engineer in 1974 after graduating from The University of Tokyo’s School of Engineering. He rose through the ranks and soon held a variety of managerial posts in ANA’s Engineering and Maintenance Division, including roles in Planning and Production Control. Okada moved on to Head Quarters as deputy director of Airline Alliances in 1998, where he oversaw ANA’s entry into the Star Alliance. He was then appointed Executive Vice President of Corporate Planning and Cargo Marketing & Services for ANA Group and promoted to the board of directors in 2004. From 2007 to 2013 he held the reigns of Alliances and International Affairs and was also responsible for the entirety of ANA’s IT services, which include the challenges of process innovation and digital marketing. During this time period, from 2010 to 2013, he was appointed to a chair of the Star Alliance Management Board where he created synergies and fostered positive business relationships with executives from other member airlines. In April 2014, he stepped down from the board of ANA and is now serving as the Special Advisor to the Chairman of ANA Holdings at his office in Tokyo. Okada is a cycling enthusiast and in his free time can often be seen enjoying the fresh air on his bike along the banks of the Tama River in suburban Tokyo. He currently resides in Tokyo with his wife, and is the proud father of two sons. | |
| Mr. Yiannis N. Paraschis CEO Athens International Airport S.A. Mr. Paraschis is the Chief Executive Officer of the “Athens International Airport S.A.” (AIA) since 2007. He joined AIA shortly after its establishment in 1996. Prior to the Airport Company, he worked for ten years in international management consulting. Mr. Paraschis is the Immediate Past Chair of the Governing Board of the world trade association of airports, Airports Council International (ACI). He is currently member of the Board of the European trade body, ACI EUROPE, which he has also served as Chairman for the period from 2007 to 2009. He is the Chairman of the Board of the Athens Airport Fuel Pipeline Company S.A. Mr. Paraschis participates as a member in various other boards of companies and trade associations such the Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE), the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV), the Greek National Tourism Organisation (GNTO) and the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises (SETE) as well as Marketing Greece SA. He holds a M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering and a Ph.D. in Operations Research from the University of Hamburg in Germany. | |
| 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 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. To that extent, Vincent notably sits on the Welcome City Lab steering committee, the World’s first travel startup incubator. 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 15 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. | |
| Mr Bobby Healy CTO CarTrawler Bobby Healy is an experienced inventor and technology entrepreneur specialising in booking engine software. He joined CarTrawler in 2005 having begun his career building computer games for Nintendo at 16 years of age. Prior to joining CarTrawler, Bobby founded Eland Technologies which he later sold to airline technology giant SITA and remained as CTO until 2005. His booking solutions are now in use by 80% of the world's top 20 airlines. Bobby continues to be an avid computer programmer and is a frequent speaker on the international circuit on subjects related to technology in the airline industry, ancillary revenue and online distribution. | |
| Mr Johnny Thorsen Senior Director, Strategy and Product Marketing Concur Johnny is the global product and strategy owner for Concur Messaging based in San Francisco, California since Concur acquired conTgo in March 2013. Prior to Concur Johnny spent 6 years as the co-founder and CEO of conTgo Ltd, being at the forefront of the mobile travel technology revolution, focusing on “point of experience” software for corporate travellers, while maintaining his strong links to the travel procurement and security areas.. Prior to launching conTgo, Johnny has held a range of senior positions in the travel technology industry with major players such as Travelport, Sabre, HRG and CWT. In January 2011 Johnny was named one the 25 most influential people in the global business travel industry by the US-based BTN magazine, reflecting the developments conTgo experienced since the major break-through during the ash cloud crisis in April 2010. | |
| 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. | |
| 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. | |
| Professor Rigas Doganis Chairman European Aviation Club Prof. Rigas Doganis has acted as aviation consultant and strategy adviser to numerous airlines, airports, banks and governments around the world. He is currently a non-executive director of easyJet, Europe’s second largest low-cost airline, and was previously a non-executive director of South African Airways. He sits on the Board of Hyderabad Airport in India and is Chairman of the European Aviation Club in Brussels. Prof. Doganis served as Chairman and CEO of Olympic Airways in Athens from Feb-1995 to Apr-1996 and successfully implemented a major restructuring programme which produced Olympic’s first profit in 18 years. He set up and headed the Department of Air Transport at Cranfield University (UK) from 1991 until 1997 and established it as the pre-eminent academic centre in Europe for post-graduate teaching and research in air transport. He is now a Visiting Professor at Cranfield.
From 1976 until 1992 he was Visiting Professor in Airline Management at the Asian School of Management in Manila. Prof. Doganis is a well-known author in the field of aviation economics. A new enlarged fourth edition Flying Off Course: Airline Economics and Marketing was published in Jan-2010. This has become the basic text in its field. He is also the author of The Airline Business. He wrote one of the very first books on airport management entitled The Airport Business. Japanese, Spanish and Chinese language editions of these books have been published.
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| Ms. Emmanuelle Maire Head of Unit, Internal Aviation Market and Airports, DG Transport European Commisison Emmanuelle Maire works at the European Commission in Brussels. She currently heads the team in charge of Internal Market and Airports policy in the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, one of whose principal tasks is economic regulation in the shape of European legislation on internal market, CRS, insurance, airport charges, slot allocation and groundhandling at European airports. Emmanuelle Maire joined the European Commission as a civil servant in 2001 to work in the Directorate for Energy and Transport in Brussels. She first worked in the field of state aid, preparing the European Commission's decisions on the permissibility of state aid to airlines (2001-2004). She joined the EU aviation negotiating team in March 2004 and worked on the EU-US air services negotiations which were successfully concluded with a first-stage agreement signed in April 2007 in Washington, D.C. She also assisted the Director of Air Transport of the European Commission, Daniel Calleja, on the general coordination of European aviation policy between 2005 and 2010. Emmanuelle Maire graduated in political science and international relations from the Universities of Grenoble and Paris-Panthéon Sorbonne in France, studied political science in Germany and holds a European Masters degree from the College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium. | |
| 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 Timo Jarvela Head of Route Development Finavia Timo Jarvela leads the Finavia route development and Airline customer saccounts management team. The team is responsible for all 20 FinaviaAirports but has very strong focus on Helsinki Airport development andgrowth on Asia - Europe traffic. The Airline account management and routedevelopment team takes care of Airport pricing, traffic forecasting andbudgeting, Airline customer account management, route development analyticsand business case to Airlines. Mr. Jarvela has been over 10 years within Finavia on different positions. Heis graduated from Helsinki University, major in economics. | |
| Mr Joni Sundelin SVP Network Sales & Marketing Finavia Mr. Joni Sundelin, M.Sc.(Econ), has worked at Finavia as the Senior Vice President, Director of airport network, Sales & Marketing and Ground Handling business since 2012. His main competences are to restructure & develop businesses and working structures, to build up new business models in the customer interface both in b-b and b-c business environment, service business management and development in general. These competences are complemented from the vast experiences in executing mergers and acquisitions, creating joint ventures and other modes of collaboration. Further to these, internationalizing of service businesses could be described as one of the core experiences, both organic and nonorganic. Prior to his appointment at Finavia he worked in various business director responsibilities both in the Logistics Business and in pharmaceutical distribution and wholesaling in Finland and other northern European countries . His training comprises M:Sc. in Economics and Management & Leadership courses at IMD. Joni Sundelin has served in various positions of trust. Currently he acts as a Board Member of Finavia Group companies. | |
| Mr Kari Savolainen CEO Finavia Corporation Mr Kari Savolainen is the CEO of Finavia Corporation since January 2012. Prior to his appointment at Finavia he worked as the CEO of Steveco Oy, the leading port operator in Finland, for over 6 years. He has a strong background in logistics and IT with four years as SVP of Logistics Services at Itella (Finnish Post Corporation), six years at Finnlines Oyj as SVP of Business Development and IT, and over 11 years of experience in various IT-related tasks at Kymmene Oy. Kari Savolainen has served as Chairman or Board Member in various companies or organizations. Currently he acts as Board Member at Service Sector Employers PALTA, member of the negotiation body of the Finnish Meteorological Institute, member of the Advisory Board of Ilmarinen pension insurance company and member of the Traffic Committee of Finland Chambre of Commerce. Mr Savolainen holds an MSc in nuclear physics. His interests involve sports (cross-country skiing, cycling, swimming), classical music and mathematics. | |
| Mr Hubertus Hessel Vice President, Commercial Strategy and Planning Finnair Plc Hubertus Hessel serves on Finnair’s Commercial Management Team and is responsible for commercial strategy initiatives, business analytics, distribution and commercial partnerships, including Finnair’s joint businesses with other airlines and its membership in the oneworld alliance. Previously Mr. Hessel has served as Finnair’s Area Vice President, Revenue Management and Pricing, and prior to that held management roles at other airlines including airBaltic and SWISS. He began his career in 2001, coinciding with the beginning of great upheaval and volatility in the aviation sector, working with both LCCs and network carriers as they successfully transformed their businesses. | |
| Mr Pekka Vauramo President & CEO Finnair Plc Sandvik 1985−2007 President of Drills Division President of TORO Loaders Division of SMC President of the Undeground Hard Rock Mining Division Country Manager in Finland Cargotec Corporation 2007−2013 COO & Deputy to CEO COO at Cargotec Corporation/MacGregor, Hong Kong Finnair Plc Joined Finnair on 1 June 2013 President & CEO on 1 June 2013 Other positions Normet Group Oy, Member of the Board, 2008− Glaston Plc, Member of the Board, 2011− The Association of Support Service Industries, Member of the Board of Directors, 2013− | |
| Ms Sari Viljamaa Managing Director Finnish Business Travel Association Sari has more than 25 years of experience in Business Travel and Meetings Management. Since 2011 she holds the position of FBTA Managing Director, and is a member of the GBTA Europe Partnership Council. Sari joined FBTA from CWT Finland where she was Director, Meetings & Events and a management group member. Before that, Sari worked for several years in Finland Travel Bureau (American Express Travel) in various management positions for Sales and Marketing. | |
| Mr Ghaith Al Ghaith CEO flydubai Ghaith Al Ghaith is Chief Executive Officer of Dubai-based flydubai which was launched in 2008 and has built up a network of more than 90 destinations served by a fleet of 49 aircraft. Al Ghaith has a long track record in aviation. He started his career at Emirates Airline joining in 1986 as a Management Trainee. During his more than twenty year career at Emirates Airline he held a number of positions including Executive Vice-President Commercial Operations Worldwide and Area Manager UK and Ireland. Al Ghaith holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Arizona, USA. | |
| 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 David Rutnam Manager, New Distribution Capability Regional Implementation IATA David Rutnam is the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Manager New Distribution Capability Regional Implementation. He is responsible for managing the implementation of New Distribution Capability (NDC) in Europe and the CIS countries. David has over 30 years of experience in the aviation industry. He has been with IATA for nearly 10 years, previously working on the successful implementations of 100% Electronic ticketing (ET) and Bar Coded Boarding Passes (BCBP) projects. Prior to IATA, David worked for a number of airlines including British Airways, Qantas, Air New Zealand and United, mainly in IT. David holds a BSc in Mathematics and Computer Science. | |
| Captain Martin Chalk President IFALPA Elected President of the International Federation of Airline Pilot Associations (IFALPA). • IFALPA Represents more than 100,000 professional flight crew from over 100 countries Previously, served for six years leading the foremost European level Aviation Safety/Technical Organisation, ECA. 32 years as a Professional Pilot in military, regional, commuter, short haul and long haul posts. Presented at numerous conferences on technical and political aviation topics; i.e. African Aviation Conference, EU-USA Air Transport Agreement Summits, EU-Arab Air Safety Summit, EU Aviation Safety Roadmap Summits. Professional Experience Captain, British Airways 1997 - Present A380 B747-400 A320/319 First Officer, British Airways 1988 - 1997 A320/319 BAe ATP HS 748 Commissioned Officer, Royal Air Force 1983 - 1987 BAe Jet Provost BAe Hawk BAe Jetstream Deputy President and President, IFALPA 2014 – Present President, European Cockpit Association 2005 - 2011 Director, External Relations, Air Transport Agreements Member, EU Transport Commissioner’s Aviation Platform Member, EU Aviation Crisis Coordination Cell Personal Qualities and Interests Martin is a self-motivated, principled, strong communicator who values integrity as the foundation of all relationships, both social and professional. A lifelong interest in rugby union (London Wasps season ticket holder for 15 years) mirrors his solution focussed, disciplined, team oriented approach to life and work. Martin is a successful professional pilot with one of the world’s best known network airlines, and he has augmented this career with more than two decades involved in the development and advocacy of improved policy in air safety. | |
| Mr Geoffrey Lipman President International Council of Tourism Partners • Former Executive Director IATA: President WTTC: Assistant Secretary General UNWTO. Worked closely with industry CEOs and Ministers of Tourism, Transport Environment and Economy, around the world for 30 years Member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council. • Served on public / private sector Boards in Africa, Europe, Middle East and Canada: Tourism Envoy to UNDP Administrator; Member EU Commissions on Airline Liberalization and on Tourism Employment: Environment Advisor to the Governor of Jeju Island, Korea: President ICTP (International Coalition of Tourism Partners) • Written / lectured widely on tourism strategy, sustainability & liberalization; co-author/ editor of two books and numerous journal articles on Green Growth & Travelism. Visiting Professor at Universities in Europe, USA and China. For more than four decades he has played a leading role in the emergence of Travel & Tourism as a serious socioeconomic sector. As Executive Director at IATA in the 1970s helped drive a new liberalization agenda, responding to airline deregulation. As first President of WTTC throughout the 1990s, he worked to pioneer new systems of measuring the sector, creating CSR Certification and supporting China’s efforts to open Tourism markets. As Assistant Secretary General of UNWTO he spearheaded new development support systems, led the Davos Climate Summit and launched G20 Summit recognition program. Lipman has championed Travelism with Heads of State, Ministers, Chief Executives and grass roots activists. and is leading a global green growth initiative. He has worked closely with the World Economic Forum since the early 90's on its Competitiveness and Smart Travel activities and is the longest serving Member of its Global Agenda Council. | |
| Mr Gabriel Mocho Rodríguez Civil Aviation and Tourism Services Section Secretary International Transport Workers Federation Gabriel Mocho Rodriguez has 17 years of experience in the airline industry, both as an employee and a trade union officer. For 12 years he has been directly involved in trade union work both as a leader in the National Cabin Crew Union of Argentina and as the Regional Education Coordinator of the International Transport Workers Federation’s (ITF) Americas Office. He has been an active trade union representative in international trade union movement and taught on a number of training courses for shop stewards and officers. Gabriel currently holds the position of Civil Aviation and Tourism Services Section Secretary at the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), which represents 630.000 aviation workers in more than 130 countries. He is responsible for liaising with international organisations and regulatory bodies, executing the Section’s industrial policies, especially in multinational companies and groupings, and developing the Section’s educational program. | |
| Mr Eamonn Brennan Chief Executive Irish Aviation Authority Eamonn Brennan is Chief Executive of the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) with responsibility for the provision of Air Traffic Management (ATM) in Irish controlled airspace (covering some 451,000 square km), aeronautical communications on the North Atlantic (handling over a million flights per annum), and Air Traffic Control at the major Irish Airports, as well as the safety and security regulation of the civil aviation industry in Ireland. Mr. Brennan was the Commercial Director of the Authority prior to his appointment as Chief Executive in 2003. He was educated at St. Joseph's College and University College Galway where he graduated with a B.Comm. He subsequently qualified as a Chartered Accountant. He then worked for a decade in executive and consulting roles in Ireland, UK, Malta and in South East Asia, mainly in the travel, aviation and tourism industries. He has an avid interest in aviation and has held a private pilot's licence and has enjoyed flying in Ireland, the UK, Europe and Malaysia. The IAA has a similar structure to the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States and Mr. Brennan is also responsible for the safety regulation of the worldwide operations of major Irish carriers, e.g. Ryanair, Aer Lingus, maintenance organisations, pilots, airworthiness and other regulatory matters. As well as being a member of the Board of the IAA, Mr. Brennan is also a member of the Board of Aireon, a joint venture between the IAA, Iridium Communications Inc., Nav Canada, ENAV (Italy), and Naviair (Denmark), which was established to launch the world’s first satellite based air traffic surveillance system from 2017. He is also a member of the Board of Entry Point North, an international provider of Air Traffic Controller training services, in partnership with Naviair, LFV (Sweden) and Avinor (Norway). He was Chairman of the Eurocontrol Chief Executive's Standing Conference 2004-2006 and Chairman of the Air Navigation Services Board of Eurocontrol 2006-2007. He was a member of the Executive Board of the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) from 2005 to 2011 and served as Global Deputy Chairman and Chairman for various periods. He also served as Chairman of the COOPANS ATM Systems Group (Denmark, Sweden, Austria and Croatia) until 2010. | |
| Mr John Byerly Consultant John R. Byerly, Consultant 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. | |
| Mr Philip Saunders Chief Commercial Officer Kuwait Airways Philip Saunders has been appointed Chief Commercial Officer at Kuwait Airways in September 2014. Before that, he was CCO with Air Malta, with responsibility for leading all commercial activity on a day-to-day basis and spearheading Air Malta’s restructuring in these areas. He was responsible for Sales and Marketing, Distribution and E-Business, Revenue Management, Network Planning, Commercial Agreements and Cabin Services. Philip Saunders has a strong track record built up with 25 years in the industry, with significant experience in turnaround situations. Philip held the position of CEO at Caribbean Airlines, where he delivered a sustained transformation of the customer experience and achieved profitability one year ahead of plan. Previous roles also include Commercial Director at Star Alliance, delivering commercial advantage for the member carriers forming the world’s largest and most successful airline alliance. As EVP Commercial at SN Brussels Airlines, Philip established an effective commercial and operational platform following the collapse of Sabena, and helped create a profitable business against market expectations. He also served in several senior positions at British Airways over 13 years, including management roles in Russia and Switzerland, as well as Commercial Director at Deutsche BA, a subsidiary airline based in Germany. He is a current Board member of the Malta Tourism Authority. Previously he served on the Board of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation. In his personal time, Philip follows a wide range of interests. He is particularly interested in broadcasting – he has himself some experience as a radio producer and presenter for a weekly show for supporters of Millwall Football Club and as a film maker, with one documentary film ‘Lost Voice in The Caribbean,’ shortlisted for a oneworld media award in 2012. Philip also enjoys watching football, theatre, and films – both documentary and box office hits. In Malta he enjoyed outdoor Mediterranean dining, hiking – particularly in Gozo – and the general sense of welcome and community. | |
| Mr Marcin Celejewski Acting CEO LOT Polish Airlines Acting CEO & President of the Management Board, Chief Commercial Officer. A manager with rich experience in the aviation sector, which he has been related with for most of his professional career. Supervisory Board of the company has decided to entrust him the duties of LOT’s CEO effective August 31st 2015. As LOT’s Chief Commercial Officer, from April 2015, he has been in charge of the development of the long-term commercial strategy, development of sales and distribution channels in Poland and worldwide, network development, improving quality of product and customer excellence, building and enhancing relations with current and prospective partners. His cooperation with LOT Polish Airlines, as an analyst in LOT's Strategy Department, started in 1999. Then, for four years he hold a position of Director of the Office in Spain and Portugal, and from 2007 he was Director of LOT’s Network Planning Department. He also has an experience as Sales and Marketing Director in Qatar Airlines. He graduated from the Faculty of Strategic Management at the Warsaw School of Economics. | |
| Ms. Regula Dettling-Ott Vice-President EU Affairs Lufthansa Group Prof. Dr. iur. Regula Dettling-Ott, attorney-at-law, joined Lufthansa in 2010 as Vice-President EU Affairs. She is responsible to handle regulatory and industry affairs at EU level for the Lufthansa Group. Prior to working for Lufthansa, Regula Dettling-Ott was handling International Relations & Government Affairs at Swiss International Air Lines. Before joining SWISS, she worked as an attorney for many years (partner in a Swiss law firm), specializing in air law including liability matters and accident investigations after major air disasters as well as regulatory matters such as traffic right issues and airport regulation. Regula Dettling-Ott is a graduate of the University of Bern (Switzerland) and has done post-graduate studies at Georgetown University (Washington D.C). She holds a doctorate of the University of Bern and is a member of its faculty (Habilitation). She lectures on air law, has published extensively on various subjects in aviation and participated in many global aviation conferences. | |
| Mr Tim Murungi Head of Partnerships & Strategic Development – EMEA Mozio Tim currently oversees Strategic Partnerships in EMEA at Mozio (www.mozio.com With over 14 years of experience, Tim has also held several roles in the technology industry including roles at Silverpop - IBM and Oracle. | |
| Ms Alison Bell Senior Director MTT Prior to joining MTT in 2014, Alison held senior positions in various blue chip travel companies such as Travelport where her roles included Regional Managing Director for Northern Europe, VP Travelport Leisure and CMO, EMEA. Her most recent role was VP Europe at TravelClick, a leading provider of revenue generating solutions for hoteliers. In 2007, she founded her own award-winning Spa website (www.spa-ireland.com With over 20 years’ experience in the travel technology industry, Alison brings significant industry knowledge and entrepreneurial know-how to MTT. She led MTT's recent engagement with Singapore Airlines and is responsible for further expanding MTT’s customer base internationally. Working across MTT’s customer portfolio, and as a regular traveller herself, she has a strong sense of what travellers really want and how mobile can help deliver the best possible travel experience. | |
| Mr Martin Warner Principal MW Travel Consultancy Limited Martin Warner has 35 years experience in Travel Distribution, is Principal at MW Travel Consultancy Limited; a global consultancy and strategic advisor to the travel industry. He is a Founding Partner, Travel Innovation Partners, a General Sales & Services Agency that serves the software and sales & marketing needs of the travel and airline 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, Mr. Warner 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 of Global Account Solutions at CWT responsible for the companies top 100 multinational client business, a US$4Bn top line business unit. | |
| Mr Stein-Erik Nodeland Director Norwegian CAA Stein Erik Nodeland is currently director of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in Norway, a position he was appointed in March 2012. As a director of the CAA, he is in charge of 186 employees. Before joining the CAA in 2010, Mr. Nodeland was program director for the norwegian F35 fighter program in the Ministry of Defence. With the exception of a 2 years period as a commercial pilot in SAS, Mr. Nodeland has spent his entire career in the Royal Norwegian Air Force. His experience includes all levels from pilot to Squadron Commander and Chief of the Operational Group at Rygge airbase. From 2002 to 2004 Mr. Nodeland was Air Wing commander and chief of air operational activities at Bodø Main Air Base. From 2004 to 2010 he was appointed Major General and Inspector General of the Air Force. Besides graduating from the Air Force Academy (1984) and the Norwegian Defence University College (NDUC) I and II (1992-1994), he has a master in public finance and management from the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH). Managing risks has been an important aspect throughout Mr. Nodeland`s leadership career. These skills will also be important in handling challenges associated with balancing safety and efficiency in a dynamic and international aviation industry. | |
| Mr Guliz Ozturk CCO Pegasus Airlines Güliz Öztürk is working at Pegasus Hava Taşımacılığı A.Ş since 2005. Formerly, she worked for Turkish Airlines for 13 years in various positions like International Relations Manager, VP Alliances, VP Marketing and the last position was SVP Sales and Marketing when she left. During her career there, she launched the first web site and the web sales of the Company, also the introduction of the FFP and the co-branded credit card partnership was other important projects she led. Mrs. Öztürk, joined to Pegasus Airlines in 2005 as the Head of Scheduled flights, to commence the scheduled operation as the company was a charter operator then. She was the member of the team who has successfully transformed the company from a charter operator into the first and the only LCC of Turkey. Mrs. Öztürk, who is graduated from Bosphorus University, Istanbul, is currently working as the Chief Commercial Officer of Pegasus. | |
| Mr Greg Thomas President & Executive Chairman PrivatAir After receiving his LLB in European law from the University of Warwick, England, Greg worked as a lawyer for Wilde Sapte, a City of London law firm specialised in banking and finance. He joined the previous Shareholder Group of PrivatAir and also became legal counsel and company secretary of PrivatAir in 1994 and has been a Member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors since 1998. Greg, who is a qualified glider and fixed wing pilot, was appointed Chief Operating Officer of the PrivatAir Group in January 2001 and Chief Executive Officer in February 2003. In 2009 he led a successful Management Buy-Out of the Company when he also became President. After 12 years, Greg Thomas relinquished the position of Chief Executive Officer but retained the role of Executive Chairman. | |
| Alan Joyce Chief Executive Officer Qantas Airways Limited Alan Joyce has been Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Qantas since November 2008. This period has seen Qantas and Jetstar continue to lead the Australian domestic market; the launch of Qantas’ biggest transformation program since privatisation in 1995, the rapid development of Jetstar’s pan-Asian strategy; and the sustained growth of the Qantas Frequent Flyer program. During this time the Qantas Group has taken delivery of more than 120 new aircraft – over a third of its fleet – and invested in infrastructure, technology and training to achieve record customer satisfaction. Mr Joyce served as founding Chief Executive Officer of Jetstar for five years from October 2003, establishing its operations in Australia and across Asia. Prior to his appointment at Jetstar, he spent over 15 years in key positions at Qantas, Ansett and Aer Lingus. Mr Joyce was Chairman of the International Air Transport Association between July 2012 and June 2013. His current roles in business and the community include:
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| Mr Jeroen van Velzen CEO & Co-Founder Roadmap Jeroen started his professional career with Atos Origin. As a Managing Consultant to a number of European firms in the field of e-business, he gained a lot of experience and knowledge about the digital and mobile sector. Jeroen co-founded Mobile2Pay in 2001, one of the first mobile payment systems in the world. That venture failed miserably but….he did learn mobile was here to stay. So he joined and bought into Sound of Data and transformed a national telecom service provider into an international mobile solutions provider for broadcasting and customer care. It was with Sound of Data that he started his crusade for traveler happiness. In 2015 he and two co-founders sold their shares in Sound of Data to follow their travel passion and founded Roadmap. Roadmap delivers an amazing mobile travel experience to millions of (frequent) travelers in 42 different countries through partnerships with travel agencies, corporates, airports and GDS providers. With his energetic speaking style and ability to engage and motivate his audience Jeroen uses a deep-rooted Dutch cultural value to just “tell it like it is”. | |
| Mr David O'Brien Chief Commercial Officer Ryanair David O’Brien was appointed Chief Commercial Officer on 1st January 2014 having previously served as Ryanair’s Director of Flight & Ground Operations from December 2002. A graduate of the Irish Military College, David followed a military career with positions in the airport sector and Agribusiness in the Middle East, Russia and Asia. David is married with four children. | |
| Mr Angelo Contreras Global Product Marketing SabreSonic Angelo is an international business professional with significant technology, product marketing, product management, sales enablement and travel industry experiences. Angelo is currently responsible Product Marketing for SabreSonic. In this role, he manages product positioning, defining the go-to-market strategy for new market launches, oversees the value selling and ROI analysis for SabreSonic, represents the company’s global product vision and drives innovation to support the Sabre hosted airline community. Angelo has over 10 years’ experience in the airline industry with product marketing, product management, project management and sales and customer service roles in Reservations Sales, In-Flight, Inventory & Revenue Management, and Product Merchandising. Prior to Product Marketing, Angelo managed SabreSonic Product Merchandising and Inventory solutions where he was responsible for defining Sabre’s product strategies and roadmaps for Product Merchandising and Inventory. In this role his main focus was defining the product vision and strategy for Ancillary Services, Miscellaneous Sales Services, EMD, and seat and ancillary inventory. Angelo started his international career at LSG Sky Chefs in Irving Texas, where he managed the implementation of Sabre AirVision In-Flight solution to a global customer base; providing project management, change management and transition support. Angelo was part of the core team who launched The House; In-flight Agency for Virgin Atlantic Airways. Angelo also worked 3 years at Trase Miller Technologies/American Airlines Vacations where he provided sales and customer support to Spanish and English speaking clients. Angelo holds a Bachelors of Science in International Business & Language from Tulsa University. Angelo is fluent in English and Spanish. He resides in Panama City, Panama with his wife Graciela, daughter Zofia, and son Milo. | |
| Ms Eija Kurttila Global Travel Manager Telia Sonera Eija Kurttila was appointed as Global Travel Manager of TeliaSonera in October 2009. She is responsible of all Travel Management tasks. Prior to this she has worked 18 years within TeliaSonera Group in various positions which longest was 9 years in Procurement. Before moving into TeliaSonera she worked as a Sales Manager in raw material industry in Finland TeliaSonera in brief TeliaSonera has its roots in the Nordic telecom market and holds strong positions in the Nordic and Baltic countries, Eurasia and Spain. Our core business is to create better communication opportunities for people and businesses through mobile and broadband communication services. | |
| Mr Ian Heywood Global Head of Product & Marketing, Air Commerce Travelport Ian has recently been appointed to the new role heading up Product and Marketing for the Air Commerce line of business. This role involves owning the overall responsibility and being fully accountable for end-to-end product life cycle management for all Air line of business products, from Conception (including customer research, commercial team input, R&D work and competitive analysis), Launch and Adoption (including customer operations and ongoing marketing/positioning), Ongoing growth and Product retirement/sunset. Ian joined Travelport 3.5 years ago where a key part of Ian’s work has been the launch of the Travelport Merchandising Platform with ‘Aggregated Shopping’ ‘Ancillary Services’ and ‘Rich Content and Branding’ which enables airlines to adapt their business models to whichever 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. | |
| Mr Mathias Andersson Chief Operating Officer Travelport Hotelzon Mathias joined the Travelport Hotelzon team earlier this year in the newly created role of Chief Operating Officer. In this role, he is charged with delivering exceptional service to Travelport Hotelzon’s customers and partners, both existing and new, and will lead the company’s Hotel, Key Account Management and Operations team. His appointment follows the recent investment Travelport has made into Travelport Hotelzon entering new markets such as Spain, Italy and the Netherlands. Prior to joining Travelport Hotelzon, Mathias headed up Travelport operations in the Nordic region for ten years. Before joining Travelport, Mathias had a successful career in strategy consultancy which included time running his own firm, Cambit Consulting AB. Before that he held senior consulting roles for American firm, Monitor, and Scandinavian internet business, Connecta. During his time as a strategic consultant, Mathias developed marketing and growth strategies for clients from the airline and transportation sector as well as banks and other financial services companies. Mathias holds an MSc in Business Administration from the Stockholm School of Economics. He is fluent in English, French and Swedish and beginner in German. | |
| Mr Murat Bas Senior Vice-President Turkish Airlines Murat Bas is Senior Vice-President at Turkish Airlines, one of the fastest growing airlines in the world. He has over 10 years of experience in the airline industry with a deep expertise in Network Planning and Marketing&Sales. He currently leads a team responsible to manage the biggest network worldwide. His major task is to strengthen Turkish Airlines growth and to plan the transition of all operations at the network level to the New International Airport. Prior to his recent position, Murat BAS was the SVP for Marketing&Sales for Medium and Long Haul routes and VP for Americas and North Europe regions, supervising 37 directorates. From 2011 to 2013 he was VP for the Middle East region, covering activities of 36 directorates. He was among the executive team to design and manage a unique business model with important investments made for legacy and new destinations, enabling Turkish Airlines and Istanbul to become the duo that offer the fastest connectivity growth worldwide for passengers. He was also member of the task force to create Sabiha Gökçen Airport in Istanbul as a secondary hub and designed the capture plan of Turkish Airlines’ penetration into the growing African market. Murat BAS introduced Commercial Business Intelligence tools in several departments during his tenure. Born in Istanbul in 1981, Mr. BAS is an Industrial Engineer, holding a B.Sc from Istanbul Technical University and a master’s degree from Yıldız Technical University in this field, with a thesis entitled “Dynamic Capacity Management Simulation in Revenue Management and The Implementation to an Airline”. He continues his Ph.D. studies in the same field at Yıldız Technical University. In 2014, Mr. BAS has also represented Turkish Airlines in Brisbane Global Café – “Bringing Future to the Life” Program as a keynote speaker and “Future of Air Transport Conference” in London as a panelist. | |
| Ms Wendy L. Ward Vice President, Marketing & Communications UATP As Vice President of Marketing & Communications at UATP, Wendy L. Ward is responsible for developing and implementing all marketing, communications, brand and promotional activities. The marketing department supports efforts by UATP to increase product awareness, grow membership, develop strategic business operations and position the UATP brand as the unifying ingredient for its Issuing airlines and more than 250 accepting airlines and thousands of travel agencies worldwide. Ward also heads the insurance division charged with growing membership base and product development. Ward brings more than 10 years of global experience in marketing and communications experience to UATP. She holds an MBA in International Business & Finance & Accounting, and a BA in International Affairs. | |
| 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. | |
| Mr Hamid Mamdouh Director of Trade in Services division World Trade Oraganization Mr. Hamid Mamdouh is the Director of the Trade in Services division of the WTO. The Trade in Services Division of the WTO is the part of the Organization responsible for servicing the WTO Council for Trade in Services which oversees the implementation of the General Agreement of Trade in Services (GATS). The Division is also responsible for providing legal, policy and technical advice to Member governments of the WTO. Prior to that he was a Senior Counsellor in the Services Division. He had been the Secretary of the WTO Council for Trade in Services since the establishment of the WTO in 1995. During that time, he was also responsible for legal affairs in the area of Trade in Services. During the Uruguay Round negotiations his responsibilities included legal matters relating to the drafting of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). His previous positions in the GATT include: Assistant to the Deputy Director-General of the GATT and legal advisor on GATT dispute settlement. Prior to that he was a member of the Diplomatic Service of Egypt. As a career diplomat for commercial and economic affairs, his previous posts include; representative of Egypt to the GATT in Geneva, trade policy advisor to the Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade of Egypt, commercial attaché of the Egyptian Embassy in Canberra (Australia), and Egypt's representative to the United Nations Economic commission for Africa in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). As a trained lawyer legal matters have constituted an important part of his work throughout his career. | |
