Speakers
Passionate about innovation and sustainability, Céline is always looking for ways to challenge the status quo, improve processes, answer new business challenges and customer needs. It led her to creating Change Horizon, a consulting company which supports aviation and logistics organisations with their development and transformation programmes.
From May 2020 to February 2021, TIACA entrusted Céline to lead its transformation and facilitate the move as its Transition Director. Prior to creating Change Horizon in 2019, Celine was the Head of Cargo Transformation at IATA.
Chris is the National Head of KPMG’s Global Strategy Group in Ireland, a hub for the network’s Aviation Strategy work. He is also KPMG’s Global Chair of the UAV Working Group, with clients across the ANSP, operator, lessor, airport and OEM supply chain.
Christian is the Senior Director Network Airside & Airport Affairs for DHL in Europe and has been in his current position since January 2011. His responsibilities range from airline auditing, safety management, airside related training and ground handling contracts up to aircraft weight and balance systems and DHL`s Operations Standards, which are a key connecting link between airline and ground operations. Prior to this he had been managing the Network Operations Control Center of DHL's biggest hub in Leipzig. Before joining DHL in January 2009, Christian filled a number of management positions in the aviation industry, with a strong focus on ground handling and cargo operations, including that of Station Manager in Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Cologne for Swissport International. He is also the current Chair of the IATA AGSA Technical Group and a member of the IATA Cargo Handling Council.
Christina has been working with Aegean Airlines since 2004. She started in ground operations and has since occupied different positions within the company, among which was a year at Sofia airport as Station Manager, Middle East Regional Manager and Airport Services Manager. Currently she is in charge of Aegean’s contracts portfolio, being responsible for the ground handling and airport agreements of Aegean’s network. At the same time, she manages the ground handling invoice control team.
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.
Since 2020 Diana has been Senior Director European Region for ABC. For three years before that she was Deputy Vice President Europe, having moved from being Managing Director LUG Aircargo Handling. Previous posts have included those of Managing Director at Fraport Cargo Services as well as Head of Finance, Accounting & Controlling at Fraport Cargo Services.
Dieter started his career in aviation in customer services at Belgian airports for Jetairfly (Tui Airlines Belgium) and took multiple responsibilities within ground operations, inflight services and product development and innovation. He was responsible for the integration of the Moroccon subsidiary Jet4you with Jetairfly in 2012 and became the nominated postholder for ground operations for TUI Airlines Belgium, making him the youngest nominated person for a fleet of this size and aircraft types worldwide, a position he still holds. He became Director of Operations of Tui Airlines Belgium in 2016. In his current role, Dieter is the board member responsible for ground operations for Tui fly Benelux and for all ground support activities for Tui airlines Belgium, Tui fly The Netherlands, Tui fly Nordics and TUI Airways UK.
Forsyth is Chief Executive Officer of Edinburgh Midwest Aviation Partners, a company focussed on investing in aviation logistics and technology businesses, backed by substantial private capital.
In his previous career, he served as Chief Executive Officer with John Menzies plc, and as President & Managing Director of Menzies Aviation plc, which at the time had over 36,000 staff, spread across 220 airports in 34 countries turning over around £1.3 billion. A qualified management accountant and holding an MBA from the University of Edinburgh, he built his career at Menzies on conceiving, opening and leading several products, businesses and joint ventures, including Menzies operations in Africa and India. A stint early in his aviation career as Commercial Director also led him to become well versed in the mechanics of airline/handler pricing, negotiation and contracting, and his years as an operational leader gave him a deep understanding of ground operations.
In 2017 Forsyth led the completion of the $202m acquisition by Menzies of ASIG, the world’s largest independent into-plane fueller, from BBA plc, one of Menzies Aviation’s most successful landmark acquisitions.
Franck joined AirBridgeCargo Airlines five years ago and has been part of the air cargo industry for over 28 years. He is currently Country Manager France and Regional E-commerce Manager Europe. Prior to joining ABC, Franck had worked for Air France KLM Cargo Group for over 23 years, holding a variety of positions including Customer Service, Sales Representative Special Products, Duty Station Manager, International Sales Manager Airmail and, latterly, Senior Product Manager Postal Solutions. In his last role Franck was specifically supervising industry developments and quality measurement, along with EDI implementation for worldwide sales and operations. He was also Vice Chairman of the IATA Air Mail Board and served on the IATA-UPU Contact Committee.
Director
Abiax Air Aviation
Gustavo is the Director of Abiax Air Aviation. Before co-founding Abiax Air in 2008, he was the Director of Strategy at the Latin American Airline Association, but also worked developing aviation projects for Canadian government. Before joining the aviation industry he held senior and CEO positions in the financial and insurance sectors within Latin America. Gustavo holds an MBA in Aviation Management from Concordia University, Montreal, a diploma in Sustainable Tourism and a degree in Business Administration. He teaches Evaluation of Investment Projects and Aviation Economics for Latin American civil aviation authorities. A writer, he has also participated in conferences as a speaker, moderator and chairman, and has attended more than 100 aviation and airport events.
Since 2014 Henrik has been Senior Vice President, Cargo Operations Worldwide, at Emirates Skycargo and since 2018 Chair of the Board at Cargo iQ. At SkyCargo he oversees the continued development and execution of the service delivery strategy, including the Dubai hub, global ground handling and trucking, standards & procedures, operational safety & compliance, as well as co-ordinating IT and systems development. Henrik started as a freight forwarder but early moved to airport and cargo handling, spending 13 years in various management roles until he in 2001 joined Cargolux as VP Cargo Operations.
Ivar has many years of experience in the aviation industry. Initially he worked as an aircraft engineer with Scandinavian Airline Systems, when it was still operating propeller-driven aircraft. Later, he worked on the development of the maintenance planning system, and in 1982 became head of SAS airside safety worldwide. Ivar undertook training as an aircraft accident investigator at FAA’s School in Oklahoma City, where he received a Human Factors degree and a Safety Management Training certificate from the University of Southern California. He also became responsible for all SAS insurance claims and has handled more than 1,000 cases, including some as an expert witness. For the past ten years he has also been a manager at SAS corporate insurance and has been a member of IATA ASG since 1992, helping in the development of the Airport Handling Manual. With a commercial business degree from Copenhagen Business School, Ivar aims to use his knowledge and experience in his own consulting company.
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.
In 1981 Joachim joined Lufthansa as an apprentice. Between 1985 - 1989 he worked in aircraft maintenance, gaining licences on Boeing 707, 727, 737, DC10 and the Junkers Ju52. At end of 1989 he moved to Lufthansa Occupational Safety Flight Operations. Since 2020 Joachim has been additionally a liaison officer between the airline and the public health office in Frankfurt.
Lee has over 30 years of GSE manufacturing-related experience, ranging from engineering design, product development, customer service, business development and global sales, service and marketing management. He is currently responsible for all global sales, marketing and aftermarket services for JBT.
Markus currently heads up the Project Management Office at Global Load Control. He is a Professional Futurist and Senior Project Manager, with over ten years' experience in managing multi-disciplinary projects in fields as diverse as engineering, IT, business process optimisation and aviation. He has executed project work in South Africa, Germany, the US, Turkey, the Czech Republic and Angola. To degrees in Electrical Engineering and Project Management from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology Markus has added a Master's in Futures Studies, gained from the University of Stellenbosch Business School.
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.
Nuria holds a Masters Degree in Aeronautical Engineering, specialized in airport infrastructure and aeronautical business management, from Polytechnic University of Catalonia and Black Belt Lean Six Sigma Certification. She started her career at Vueling Airlines. Since 2013, she worked as consultant at ALG, being involved in airport and airlines growth plans, due diligences and certifications in Europe, Africa and South America. In 2016, she joined Edinburgh Airport operations division, leading all continuous improvement projects in airside among ground handlers, airlines and airport stakeholders.
Nuria became part of Iberia Airport Services (IBAS) in 2019 and is currently heading the Commercial and Business Transformation teams. In this capacity, she is responsible for short- and long-term handling services sales and marketing strategy, managing a current portfolio of more than 200 airlines in 29 Spanish airports. Thanks to her extensive experience in airport operational management worldwide and strategic consultancy, she also strives to deliver innovation and digitalization to IBAS operation with the goal to offer better and more efficient handling services, adapted to each airline customer and business model.
Owen has been working with Mallaghan since 1998 and holds a degree in Business Administration. He worked initially in the field of product support and after-sales for Mallaghan and through this period he developed experience of ground support equipment and customer support. In 2010 he took up the position of Sales Director and thus runs the sales team for the company, with offices in Germany, UAE, Singapore and the US. In his spare time he enjoys following sports.
Senior Consultant
Damarel Systems
Paul is a Senior Consultant at Damarel. He has 20 years' experience in designing and delivering class-leading solutions for ground handling operations, including operational databases and automated billing systems.
Ralph is a chemist with a deep experience in toxicology, metabolism and pharmacokinetics. He founded HECOSOL in 2016, together with Dr Andreas Lindner. Their research and development of antimicrobial compounds has led to a patent application in the EU, Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, Singapore and the US.
Ruben started his career in Avianca as the Commercial and Airports Chief at Avianca Services. In this role he looked after the commercial and operational issues relating to airport services for Avianca Services customers. In August 2015 Ruben was promoted to Ground Operations Manager for the Bogota hub. In this position he was responsible for all the below the wing operations for Avianca, with a scope of 250 daily flights and 2,000 staff members. In 2017 Ruben assumed the post of Ground Operations Director, taking responsibility for all the below the wing operations (both in house and outsourced) of the network. With more than 15 years of experience in the industry, Ruben holds a Business Administration degree, has a Master's in Business Administration and a Master's in Logistics and Operations; he has also accrued extensive training on related matters.
Originally from Italy, Simona is now Operational Manager at Roskilde Airport. Here she is responsible for many Operational areas including project management, training, change management, SMS as well as managing all ground operations activities in Roskilde Airport. In her spare time she enjoys yoga, travelling, cooking and hiking.
Steve is an experienced and widely acknowledged aviation professional noted for his work in operational and financial efficiency. His extensive knowledge and understanding of airport operations and ground handling matters span 20 years, having held management positions with low cost carriers including Go Fly, Ryanair and Sterling Airlines, as well as full service carriers Qatar Airways and Brussels Airlines. Steve also spent several years working for Copenhagen airport, which gave him an alternative operational perspective of facilities. Most recently Steve has been extending his assistance to airlines and airports on a consultancy basis through Global Travel Matters, a company he established three years ago. During Steve's unique and varied history he has driven many operational improvements, through process engineering and change management. These programmes have included vital levers such as insourcing and outsourcing of ground handling activities, cost reduction strategies, resource optimisation, performance development and digital and self-service deployment projects.
Steven has spent most of his career in the world of aviation, having held management positions, operational and commercial across a variety of sectors, for over fifteen years. He joined The Brussels Airport Company in October 2010 as Cargo Marketing Manager, and was appointed Head of Cargo in February 2012. Steven is responsible for developing and implementing the overall cargo strategy of the airport. In 2016, he became the first Chairman of BRUcargo, Brussels Airport’s cargo community.
Thomas completed his post graduate MBA at Denver University. He has an outstanding track record in the area of sales and marketing across different industries, including ground handling. After completing his MBA he had experienced several businesses until taking Directorship roles in key account management and business development functions at Hilti in Liechtenstein. Thomas was subsequently Vice President Global Key Account Management (2013-2016) and Vice President Commercial Africa & Middle East (2016-2018) at Swissport International. Currently, he serves as Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing at Celebi Aviation Holding.
Valentin studied Civil Engineering at L'Ecole des Mines de Paris, majoring in the subject of Production and Supply Chain. He started his career as a management consultant at Oliver Wynman, covering projects both in France and South America. After gaining experience in the automotive industry, Valentin joined United Technology as Head of Operations for the EMEA region; this was followed by commercial responsibility for the oil and gas business. He subsequently joined TLD EMEAI (Europe, Middle East, Africa & India), as Regional CEO, in 2011. In 2017, Valentin had been promoted TLD Group COO and in 2019 TLD Group CEO.
Vincent is now in charge of AF-KLM ground handling procurement for North America, He joined Air France in 1987, spending his first few years in ground handling, passenger, load control and operations functions. A graduate in both IT and Production-Operation Management, he became Resources Manager in Strasbourg, Toulouse and Orly, taking charge of staff planning, rostering and operations scheduling. Subsequently, in 2004, Vincent transferred to ground handling agreements, managing airline accounts in Charles de Gaulle. In 2007, he joined the station's T2G project team, taking charge of operational economics until the opening of the terminal. In September 2008 he joined the ground handling procurement division. In September 2013 he transferred to Air France Cargo, taking charge of cargo handling specifications and CDG cargo handling contracts. handling agreements, managing airline accounts in Charles de Gaulle. In 2007, he joined the station's T2G project team, taking charge of operational economics until the opening of the terminal. In September 2008 he joined the ground handling procurement division. In September 2013 he transferred to Air France Cargo, taking charge of cargo handling specifications (SLAs) and CDG cargo handling contracts.
William has overseen the effective use of technology to transform ground handling operations as well as service of passengers with reduced mobility (PRM) in a wide range of airport sizes including, smaller regional to extremely large airport hubs. An active listener, he strives to understand all the stakeholder’s needs in order to ensure the best possible outcome for everyone involved. William is also the Conference Director of the annual Airport PRM Leadership Conference, a yearly event bringing together management level stakeholders to share best practices, identify operational innovation and a shared vision of continually improving the service for passengers with reduced mobility in airports around the globe.
Wolfgang has more than 20 years of experience in aviation and has held numerous management positions in ramp handling, cargo and passenger handling. He set up a centralised load control company before he decided to move into consulting. In 2021 he joined HiSERV – Smart GSE as Head of Sales & Marketing. A specific passion is his interest in how people behave and decide. This led him into game theory and the quest to apply it to the aviation industry.
