Speakers
Chairperson
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.
Bill has over 25 years of experience in the air cargo industry in airline sales and revenue management, freight forwarder operations and airline technology. He started his career at American Airlines Cargo and subsequently held leadership roles at Commodity Forwarders and Sabre, before joining Dallas Fort Worth airport in 2020. He has primary responsibility for implementing the airport's Cargo Cloud, business development from the catchment area and a variety of other short and long-term initiatives.
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.
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.
Chris joined FMC (now JBT) back in 1999. Since then, he has worked in different areas within the company including after-sales, marketing and sales. Since 2006 he has been responsible for accounts in Central Europe. In 2007 Chris relocated with his family from Madrid to Frankfurt and this year he has relocated again to JBT's headquarters in Orlando, where he is now responsible for accounts in North America, Central and South America.
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.
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.
Dominic is well experienced in the global cold chain logistics field, in which he has worked for 20 years, developing worldwide rental programmes for transport of temperature-controlled pharmaceuticals. Prior to this position, he was Managing Director at va-Q-tec, where he was responsible for building a global rental network and container fleet from scratch. Preceding that role, he was Managing Director at MBI aero, which consulted on transportation solutions for high value/life critical products requiring a controlled environment throughout their transportation cycle. Previously, Dominic was Chief Operating Officer at Envirotainer. He has an engineering background and originally studied Software Engineering, then reading Systems Engineering before starting his career in defence avionics and cockpit systems.
In 2020, Donna opened the US offices of Kale Info Solutions. She still serves as President and CEO of Mullins International Solutions and Mullins International Academy. Prior to starting Mullins International Solutions, Donna served as Branch Manager for the Atlanta office of CV International. Before this, she was President and CEO of Alpha Sun International. Donna has served in the international transportation community since 1982, where she began as an importer of wholesale merchandise. Upon leaving the import side of the trade, Donna started her career in the brokerage and transportation arena. She has held various volunteer positions including President and Chair of the AIFBA and President and Chair of the AACA. Donna has also held an Adjunct Professor's position with Clayton State University, where she was involved in the Logistics and Supply Chain Management and teaches the ABC of Customs Brokerage as well as other international classes and courses. She also serves on the Advisory Board for the Logistics and Supply Chain Business of College at Clayton State University and Atlanta Technical College.
Henrik is currently Senior Vice President, Cargo Operations Worldwide, for Emirates Skycargo. Most recently he was the Nominated Post holder, Ground Operations, at Cargolux, where he oversaw Standards & Procedures, Contracting of Handling and Trucking, Ground Safety, ULD management, Customs and eBusiness. In addition to this he had responsibility for the IT services used by the Sales & Marketing Division. He further serves as an Officer of the IATA Ground Handling Council and is on the Board of Cargo2000. Prior to joining Cargolux in 2001, Henrik spent 16 years in operational and commercial management roles in airport and cargo handling, as well as in trucking services in the Nordics.
Senior Director, Economic Analysis and Statistical Services
Airports Council International (ACI) World
Janik joined ACI World in April 2020 and now heads the Economic and Statistics team within the ACI World's Economic Department. The team's primary responsibilities include statistical and economic analysis of air transport and forecasting future air travel demand. He came to ACI from Air Canada, where he worked in the airport development, revenue management, and cargo department for over ten years. Janik has Doctoral research work in Epidemiology as well as an MBA in Aviation Management.
Joanna joined AirBridgeCargo Airlines as General Manager, S. China & S.E. Asia, in 2008. In 2012 she was appointed Vice President/Regional Director – Asia & Pacific. In 2017 she moved further into the Volga Dnepr Group's management and is now responsible for the development of long-term strategic partnerships in the Asia and Pacific region. Joanna has a degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a Master's awarded by the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology.
Kamesh is a highly seasoned professional, with 30 years of senior leadership experience in the aviation industry, spanning South Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa and North America. He is currently CEO of Celebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management India. His former experience embraces Lufthansa Cargo and Menzies Aviation, and he has been an aviation consultant. A graduate in Commerce from Delhi University, Kamesh holds also a Master's from Hult International Business School, UK.
Kristof Philips is TCR Group's Chief Operating Officer, since the beginning of 2020. During his former position as Managing Director of TCR UK, Kristof achieved a substantial transformation of the Groups' British subsidiary, resulting in a tangible positive impact on local people and processes. Besides his experience in the aviation industry, be this with Airports, Airlines or independent ground handlers, Kristof has a solid background in M&A, business consultancy, projects' transformation and JV management. His out-of-the-box, passionate and innovative management approach is fully dedicated to consolidating TCR's pivotal role as Integrator for sustainable and long-lasting apron solutions, in a fast-changing industry.
Magali joined the aviation industry in 2008 and moved into air cargo in 2015. She has occupied various positions at Lufthansa Cargo in the Asia-Pacific region and was most recently responsible for sales and commercial development in that area. Her previous experience in the B2C travel technology Booking.com is now proving most relevant, with her new role as CCO of CargoAi, in which she is focused on driving digitisation in the airfreight ecosystem.
At Agility, Matthias is responsible for global airfreight initiatives, focusing on industry collaboration, data interchange and data sharing and compliance with industry standards, as well as innovation in the air cargo world. Over 20 years ago he started in the industry by studying business administration - with a focus on freight forwarding, transportation and logistics - and since then has gained much experience in various areas of the logistics industry, with over ten years spent in air cargo.
Since 2014 Matthias has been Agility’s delegate at Cargo iQ and since 2019, a Cargo iQ board member. Matthias was recently elected Chairman of IATA's Digital Cargo Working Group.
Mike is responsible for all aspects of the global commercial marketing strategy, including marketing, direct sales, advertising, external communications, brand strategy, service/product development and portfolio marketing. Additionally, he is also President of Airborne Global Solutions.
His most recent role prior to joining ATSG in 2018 was that of Chief Commercial Officer for Dicom Transportation Group of Canada. Prior to that Mike held senior management positions in major air express companies including TNT Europe, DHL and Airborne Express.
He holds a degree in Business Management and Marketing from Temple University.
Nazri is the Senior Vice President, Cargo Services, at SATS. Prior to this, he was SATS’ Senior Vice President, Apron Services from 2018 to 2020, and SATS’ Senior Vice President Passenger Services from 2015 to 2018. He was seconded to PT Jasa Angkasa Semesta between 2004 and 2015, where he held the position of Vice President Director and Chief Operating Officer.
Nazri joined SATS in 1994 and initially took on various positions in baggage and apron transport, passenger services and cargo services. He sits on various Boards of SATS’ subsidiaries and he is also a member of the Board of Commissioners of PT Jasa Angkasa Semesta. He graduated from the National University of Singapore with a BSc, majoring in Sociology.
Assistant Manager, Operations Innovation & Change Management
IATA - International Air Transport Association
Patricia has been working for the IATA Cargo team for six years. Currently, she supports the Cargo Sustainability activities and the development and communication of initiatives, helping the industry to keep pace with the volume growth in cargo operations, through innovation and change management. Before that, Patricia worked in the Cargo Transformation team, supporting activities related to innovation and industry engagement, and previously in Nestle's Corporate Supply Chain team. Since 2018 she has led the IATA Future Air Cargo Executives programme.
Paul Cheng joined Hactl in 2000 and was appointed as General Manager - Service Delivery in 2018. He is now responsible for the operation of SuperTerminal 1, which provides cargo terminal services, ground services and customer services to over 100 airlines. Prior to his current position, he was Senior Manager – Ground Services.
Robert is Executive Vice President Cargo for Menzies Aviation, and based in Edinburgh. He re-joined Menzies in October 2017, having spent the previous nine years with Etihad, mostly based in the United Arab Emirates, where he held the position of Head of Cargo Operations, with accountability for hub operations and the global cargo handling network, overseeing significant growth of the airline and its cargo handling business. Prior to the move to Abu Dhabi, Robert’s first tenure with Menzies was a ten year stint in various commercial roles, including global key account management. He learnt the cargo business in his early years with Lufthansa Cargo based at London Heathrow in a number of operational and quality management roles. Robert is a former board member of cargoiQ and a current member of IATA’s Cargo Handling Consultative Council. He holds an Advanced Masters in Airline Operations Management from ENAC University in Toulouse, France.
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.
Former Executive Director
Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFFA)
Ruth has more than 40 years of experience in international goods movement, global trade, sector training and association management.
An accomplished speaker and subject matter expert, Ruth has held several senior operational, sales and executive roles during her 27 years as an international freight forwarder, always with a CIFFA member firm. During that time she has made significant volunteer contributions to the development and delivery of the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association's education programmes. In 2008 she became CIFFA Executive Director, and since then has represented her industry in the Canadian and global arenas.
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.
Steven joined Liège airport as Cargo Development Manager Asia in 2006 and became the Commercial Director, responsible for the global cargo development as a core business. He also took charge of passenger, real estate and Liège Airport Consulting. Based in Hong Kong, Steven works for the Belgian cargo airport in a global role.
Thomas has been based in Singapore for the past ten years, after gaining several years of experience in Europe, Africa and in Asia. He is now the Managing Director of JBT Aerotech for the Ground Support Equipment and Airport Infrastructures division. Thomas is responsible for all commercial affairs in the region, from India to the Pacific area to south-east Asia, including Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea.
Thomas is currently Director, Global Hub Operations and Product Development, at Cainiao Network, Alibaba Group, and responsible for delivering operational strategies and innovating new processes and product enhancements for global e-Hubs. Thomas possesses over 18 years' experience in the aviation industry and specialised in strategic management, operational planning, commercial and business development in the field of airport, cargo and ground handling services. Prior to joining Cainiao, Thomas worked for dnata as Head of Commercial, International Airport Operations in Dubai, and held several management positions in cargo terminals in Hong Kong. He is also a Member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transportation and is the holder of a Master's in International Shipping and Logistics Management, along with a degree in Engineering.
Vishal has over two decades of global experience in technology and product development.
He holds a BSc in Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology and has been working in blockchain technology for the past five years. He was instrumental in the Freightchain in 2019, together with AirAsia Teleport; prior to Freightchain, he worked at IBM in Singapore, India and the US. He has been granted ten patents and has published several research papers.
Executive Director – Commercial
Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Ltd (Hactl)
Managing Director of Hacis
Vivien was appointed the Managing Director of Hacis in October 2012 and concurrently holds the post of Executive Director of Hactl, overseeing commercial and business development strategies. She also serves as a member of the Hong Kong Logistics Development Council, the HKTDC Logistics Advisory Committee and is a member in Logistics Committee of the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.
Vivien joined the Jardine Matheson Group as an executive trainee in 2000 and has held various managerial positions since then. She has worked in aviation-related business over 15 years, including ground handling services, air cargo and logistics.
Yulia has over 15 years of experience in the air cargo sector and pharmaceutical logistics. She started her career in 2005 as part of the Customer Service team of AirBridgeCargo Airlines, based in Moscow.
She subsequently relocated to Frankfurt to become Customer Service Manager, Standards and Training, during which time she organised and conducted over 100 dedicated training sessions for Volga-Dnepr Group specialists, as well as for the company's partners.
In due course she became the Global Customer Service Deputy Director Pharma and later on, Global Pharma Director of AirBridgeCargo.