SPEAKERS

This year within the conference room, GHI invites airline leaders for a candid view of what they see as the essential components of a winning ground handling business strategy over the next five years.

Over in the Cargo Zone... deploying drones, humanoid operatives and electric GSE to optimise air cargo journeys are among the headline seminars at GHI’s Cargo Zone in Lisbon this November.

Keen to see the speakers in action? 

Ground Handling Expert
EASA
Assistant Vice President, Cargo Business Development
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
Chief Operating Officer
Universal Hydrogen
VP Business Development Ecommerce Express & Forwarding EMEAA
Worldwide Flight Services (WFS)
Senior Vice President, Ground Operations & In-Flight Services
Pegasus Airlines
Global Sales Director
Textron GSE
Founder & MD
Change Horizon
Chair ETF Ground Staff Committee
European Transport Workers Federation

Daniela Modonesi is currently the Ground Staff Committee Chair at the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF), a european trade union federation representing 5 million transport workers in 41 countries. she is also the elected Women's Representative in the civil aviation section of the International Transport Worers' Federation - a global trade union federation representing nearly 20 million transport workers in 150 countries - whilst also being the Civil Aviation Regional Secretary for the italian trade union FILT-CGIL. Daniela works as ground staff for a groundhandling company at Bologna Airport. She graduated with a magna cum laude from Bologna University Alma Mater Studiorum and has a Master's degree in International Studies on Philanthropy (Bologna University and IUPUI Purdue University Indiana , USA) . She became active in trade union work related to aviation issues at local and national levels and then, since 2010, at both european and international levels. Daniela is a keen fan of both rugby and volleyball, and loves to study languages and history.

Senior Consultant, Leadership & Organisational Development
Desiree Perez Coaching & Consulting

Desiree is a recognised expert in the aviation industry for her work with leadership teams and individuals on leadership and professional development. Prior to her 16 years in aviation, Desiree lived in Argentina, then Germany, before being relocated to the US in 2011. Desiree served as a senior leader in the aviation industry on a global level, leading multicultural customer excellence teams for some of the most recognised airlines, airports and service providers. During that time she witnessed first-hand the importance of leadership development. Desiree currently speaks on the importance of leadership development in an ever-changing aviation environment, with an increased focus on profitability, customer service and safety.

Partnerships Manager Ground Handling
Schiphol Airport
Aerodrome Project and Improvement Lead
London Gatwick Airport
Director of Operations
Easyjet
Chief Technology Officer
Viggo

Jelmer started out in aviation working as a baggage loader at Eindhoven airport, whilst studying at the University of Technology, where he was caught by the aviation virus. After gaining operational experience in the various Viggo daughter companies, Jelmer became the leader of the Viggo Business Development team, subsequently becoming the CTO of Smart Solutions by Viggo, a separate consulting branch within the Viggo holding. As a happy father of 1 son, I try to divide my time between my family, work and long distance cycling.

Marketing Director
Aviation Ground Equipment Corporation & IAEMA Chair
Executive Director - Commercial & Business Development
Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals (HACTL)
Senior Manager Airline Partnerships
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
Global Customer Relations
RSMART
VP Sales & Marketing
Vestergaard
Ground Operations Seasonal Readiness Manager & IATA DAQCP Inspector
EasyJet
Chief Operations Officer
Avianca Cargo
Aerodrome Operations Specialist
London Luton Airport
Vice President & General Manager
Textron GSE
Portfolio Director & Conference Chairman
Ground Handling International

Max joined GHI in 2017 after launching and hosting conference and award events in the UK manufacturing industry. A trained journalist, Max strives to deliver innovative content on stage, online or in print that challenges, educates and entertains. As a non-aviation professional - Max is always eager to don the hi-vis jacket and get out on the apron to experience the everyday challenges facing ground handling businesses and their airline customers. Max graduated as a biochemist from Cardiff University in 2001. He became a NUJ/NCTJ accredited journalist in 2003. Max went on to an award-winning 14 year editorial career including stints at magazines in the UK pub, pharmacy and manufacturing sectors. Outside of work - Max is never far from a book, the fridge or the 5-a-side football pitch.

Commercial Director ROW
Mallaghan
Director Global Cargo, Security & Network Operations
Dronamics
Chief Executive Officer
Saudi Ground Services Company

CEO – Saudi Ground Services

Board Member – TLD Arabia

Board Member – SAAS (Saudi Al-Amad Airport Services and Air Transport Support)

Raed Al-Idrissi stands out in his area with wide ranging executive experiences, extending over 20 years, varying between ground services operations and project management. He was appointed the CEO of SGS in January 2021, after fulfilling the role of the EVP of Operations during the preceding year.

Raed has been known for being a result-oriented leader, with exceptional communication and team-building skills, demonstrated in overseeing the performance ten thousand employees across all 28 airports around the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. His customer-focused approach stands behind his outstanding management of the operations that serve 100 million passengers boarding over 700 thousand flights annually.

rior to joining SGS, Raed started his career in operations with Saudi Aramco back in 2001, serving various roles in the company and making major contributions everywhere he lands; most significantly, achieving a record cost avoidance of almost 1b SAR. In 2016, he became the Chief of Ground Services Operations, which he served in until 2019. In his latest role at Aramco, Raed led multiple successful projects; including utilizing technology to rehabilitate the Shaybah Runway, obtaining the International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (ISBAH) Certificate for eleven Aramco stations, and remarkably improving the operational processes resulting in better turnaround performance reaching 97% in on-time performance.

Raed is an alumnus of King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals, holding an Executive MBA and a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Management.

Global Head, Special Projects
SATS Airport Services
Chief Executive Officer
Sensus Aero
Chief Operating Officer
Alliance Ground International
VP Sales & Service Airport Technology
Goldhofer
Group Chief Executive Officer
TLD