Content Programme

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.

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.

A senior executive, who has led and delivered large scale operations in AirAsia's Airline structure including Ground Handling and Airport Management. As a GCOO, Javed Malik is accountable for providing AirAsia's group-wide direction on Operational Performance & Standards, bringing Technology & Innovation that will drive guest engagement on the ground, or in the air. Delivering strong financial contribution along the way through collaboration across the Operations Division, which is made up of Engineering, Flight Operations, Cabin Crew, Ground Services across 158 airports, Supply Chain, Safety, Security, and Network Operations Management Command Centre.

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.

With 29 years’ aviation experience, Liam has covered a wide variety of operational roles, from Ramp Services to Terminal Duty Manager, Airport Manager, Operations Manager, Senior Manager Airfield Operations and, more recently, Head of Airside. Over the past five years his primary focus has been on the restructuring of operational activities, in order to create a multi-skilled team encompassed within one single operational department, that of AirOps. As designated Safety Manager, his other key responsibilities include the ongoing development and management of the Operational Safety Management System, the Airside Training Programme and Competency Scheme, along with Summer and Winter Operations.

Matthias is Vice President Corporate Operations at Swissport. He is responsible for Swissport’s operations manual and standard operating procedures, corporate health and safety, training and quality. In his function, Matthias aligns to industry bodies such as IATA to assure compliance with international standards. Matthias has been vice-Chair of IATA’s IGOM taskforce since 2013. Before joining Swissport, he worked as a Manager for SWISS International Air Lines and as Senior Consultant on behalf of Lufthansa Consulting for various airlines and airports across the world.

A senior executive, who has led and delivered large scale operations in AirAsia's Airline structure including Ground Handling and Airport Management. As a GCOO, Javed Malik is accountable for providing AirAsia's group-wide direction on Operational Performance & Standards, bringing Technology & Innovation that will drive guest engagement on the ground, or in the air. Delivering strong financial contribution along the way through collaboration across the Operations Division, which is made up of Engineering, Flight Operations, Cabin Crew, Ground Services across 158 airports, Supply Chain, Safety, Security, and Network Operations Management Command Centre.

Funda, growing up in the world of aviation, is an expert in International Relations with a MSc degree from University of Manchester on Corporate Communications & Reputation Management. She had the opportunity to work in various department in Çelebi globally, including her time spent in India over a year. While she is an expert on Cargo Operations, she had been also in Business Development and Strategic Planning and prior to her current role she was the Sales and Marketing Manager of Çelebi Turkey. Since 2018 she is heading MarCom globally for Çelebi Aviation Group.

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.

Raul joined Menzies Aviation early in 2020 as SVP Commercial Operations and is leading the sales and operational growth for the group in the Americas. Prior to joining Menzies, Raul had a five year career with Swissport International in a number of roles including VP Sales, Marketing and Business Development, as well as leading the Cargo Handling Division for Swissport in Latin America. Before he joined the aviation industry, Raul had a 20 year career in supply chain management in strategic roles with companies such as Panalpina, SONY and IBM, working from different locations including Colombia, Canada, Thailand and the US. Raul is an industrial engineer and holds an MBA from York University.

Ruben started his career in Avianca as the Commercial and Airports Chief at Avianca Services. In 2015 he was promoted to Ground Operations Manager for the Bogota hub. Two years later Ruben assumed the post of Ground Operations Director, taking responsibility for all the below the wing operations (both in house and outsourced) of Avianca's network. Since September 2019 he has been Cargo Operations Director for the Avianca Cargo division. With more than 16 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.

With 29 years’ aviation experience, Liam has covered a wide variety of operational roles, from Ramp Services to Terminal Duty Manager, Airport Manager, Operations Manager, Senior Manager Airfield Operations and, more recently, Head of Airside. Over the past five years his primary focus has been on the restructuring of operational activities, in order to create a multi-skilled team encompassed within one single operational department, that of AirOps. As designated Safety Manager, his other key responsibilities include the ongoing development and management of the Operational Safety Management System, the Airside Training Programme and Competency Scheme, along with Summer and Winter Operations.

Since January 2017, Catherine Erkelens has founded the Aviation niche firm Erkelens Law. She brings to the firm an experience of over 20 years working for the Aviation sector. As from 2003 until 2016, Catherine has been the co-head of an international firm’s international Aviation Group. She has developed a strong client base and leading reputation working for companies operating in or dealing with the Aviation & Aerospace sector, and was responsible for several landmark litigations with international impact. Her experience includes regulatory, commercial and contentious advice in relation to airport economic regulation, airport charges, groundhandling, slot regulation, air traffic control, privatization of airports and ATM, security and safety, as well as the relationship between airlines, airports and other stakeholders, and the use of new technologies in the Aviation and Aerospace sectors. Catherine led a.o. the “Zaventem tax case” on airport charges, and other litigation related to: security charges, passenger service charges, the use of airport infrastructure, the liberalisation of the groundhandling market, air traffic control, commission for travel agents. She represents and assists airlines, airline associations, groundhandling service providers, airport services providers, airports, governmental bodies, technology service providers, communications services providers. Catherine also has in depth knowledge of Data Protection regulation and has worked on several Technology projects. She is a member of the International Aviation Women’s Association, the European Aviation Club and the European Air Law Association. Erkelens Law is also an Associate Member of A4E.

Wolfgang has more than 20 years of experience in aviation. He held numerous management positions in ramp handling, cargo and passenger handling. He finally set up a centralised load control company before he decided to move into consulting. A specific passion of his is how people behave and decide. This led him into game theory and the quest to apply it to the aviation industry.

Christian is the Director Network Airside & Airport Affairs for DHL in Europe and has been in his current position since January 2011. His responsibilities range from ramp safety, 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 Centre 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.

Fabio is a seasoned manager in air transport, with more than 20 years in the industry. He graduated from the International Relations Institute, in Switzerland, and then took a MA in International Relations at the University of Vienna. He started his career at CANSO, then joined Boeing as a Deputy Director Air Traffic Management in Brussels. He was subsequently made Deputy SG of the now defunct Association of European Airlines, before leading the European Business Aviation Association. He is currently managing the Airline Catering Association and the Airport Services Association.

Thomas completed his MBA at the University of Denver. He has an outstanding track record in the area of sales and marketing across different industries, including ground handling. He worked as Operations Manager at Hapag-Lloyd in Chicago from 1996-1998; was Team Leader at the World Trade Center in Denver, from 1998-1999; and was Director of International Operations at GAKO International in Zurich from 1999 to 2006. From 2006 to 2008 he was International Market Development Manager at CWS-BOCO before taking Directorship roles in key account management and business development functions at Hilti in Zurich. 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.

Before joining BOMBELLI, his family business that specialised in the production of GSE, Andrea obtained a BA in the UK, supplemented by an MSc at Imperial College, London. Subsequently, he achieved much experience by working in the automotive industry (within the Fiat Group) followed by time at the BMW Group, where he was responsible for the development of the brands as well as the dealer network within the UK market. Currently working at BOMBELLI, Andrea is based in Italy and is not only involved in sales, but also in company-wide development projects with touch points in multiple business areas.

Terence heads up the strategic direction of cargo development in the Asia Pacific region for dnata in both existing and new markets. His leadership has resulted in dnata becoming the first cargo handler in Australia to be awarded WHO-GDP accreditation. Based in Sydney, he currently leads the dnata reinvention strategy, with a focus on air cargo growth in the Asia Pacific region. Terence is representing dnata in various industry collaborations. Prior to joining dnata, Terence held senior leadership positions in DHL Australia, with the most recent executive leadership role that of Head of Operations & Product for eCommerce Solutions. Before DHL, Terence had various leadership roles in UPS, including the Head of Industrial Engineering & Operations for Singapore and Malaysia. Terence has in-depth knowledge of the end-to-end supply chain, freight logistics and global trade. He holds a BSc Industrial Engineering from the University of Arizona and an Executive MBA from the University of Sydney.

Peter is a partner in Clyde & Co's global aviation practice. Based in Hong Kong, Peter has over 27 years’ experience working for the aviation industry, including advising operators, passenger and cargo terminals, ramp operators, MROs, FBOs and logistics providers and their insurers on ground handling operations and contracts, contingency planning, emergency response, compliance, investigations, prosecutions, claims and debt recoveries and acquisitions. He regularly advises on the IATA SGHA and has handled some of the leading court cases on Article 8. Peter has worked for an airline and for law firms in the UK, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Helmuth studied Law at Ludwig Maximillian University in Munich. After subsequent positions in international consulting firms and leading positions in the Daimler Benz Group, in 1993 he founded the consulting group Grolman.Result, which focuses on supporting technical innovation and transformation processes of leading international private and public organisations. In 2009, out of a German academy of technical sciences (ACATECH) desire for an efficient co-operation between economy, politics and science, he founded the Deutsches Dialog Institut. In 2011 he bought into the battery development company Kolibri Power Systems which through a management buyout in 2015 was turned into the product and solution provider Colibri Energy. Today he is CEO of the company.

Jelmer started out in aviation working as a baggage loader at Eindhoven airport, whilst studying at the University of Technology, where he contracted 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 COO of Smart Solutions by Viggo, a separate consulting branch within the Viggo holding.

Lars has over 30 years of international experience, with the last 11 years of these spent at Vestergaard Company. There, he is responsible for the full line of Vestergaard products in parts of Northern Europe, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, Australia, South Korea, and China. He also takes overall responsibility for marketing within the company.

With over 19 years in the ground handling industry, Guillermo keeps alive his passion in this business through his interest in GSE.

Jelmer started out in aviation working as a baggage loader at Eindhoven airport, whilst studying at the University of Technology, where he contracted 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 COO of Smart Solutions by Viggo, a separate consulting branch within the Viggo holding.

Benoît is an international and multicultural leader with a wide blend of skills from strategy development to operational/line responsibility in complex and service-related businesses. He worked for McKinsey & Company in senior business development and service performance management roles from 1999 to 2004. He joined DHL Express Europe in 2004 and DHL Supply Chain EMEA in 2009, where he held the positions of Director of Operations, Managing Director, Senior VP of Operations and CEO Germany, Alps & Nordics. Benoît was appointed CEO of Unilode in September 2017. He has a Master's in International Finance and Economics from the Sorbonne University, a Superior Master’s Degree in International Logistics Management from the University of the Mediterranean and has completed the Executive Development Programme of the Columbia Business School.

David is responsible for leading the sales & service teams for JBT's EMEA region.

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.

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.

Ekkehart works with major INFORM customers around the world, and has expertise in various areas of the industry, including passengers, cargo and engineering. From 1991 to 1996 he was Assistant Professor at the Institute for Computer Science, University of Bonn. His knowledge of the development and implementation of fast algorithms has led him to compile several publications on this topic. In 1996 he was made Technical Product Manager at INFORM and since 2010, he has been CTO in INFORM's Aviation Division.