Speakers

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, Spain to Frankfurt, Germany. In 2020 Chris obtained a prestigious Executive MBA from the University of Reading in the UK. Now Chris and his family are based in JBT’s headquarters in Orlando, FL. Here he acts as Region Manager for Central and South America as well as managing strategic accounts in North 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.

Enrique Vargas, Peruvian, is a Bachelor in Economics from Tampa University (USA), and holds a Graduate Degree in Maritime, Port and Fisheries Administration from ENAM (PERU National Merchant Marine School), graduated from the Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School and the High Management Program from Universidad de Piura.
He has more than 20 years’ experience in the port and airport industry. He is the director of Andino Investment Holding, a Peruvian corporation with more than 45 years of experience in local and international markets. It consists of 9 companies with national reach covering real estate, financial services, infrastructure, maritime and air services.
Enrique, since his beginnings in the Andino Group, has led two of its main companies Cosmos Agencia Marítima, and Neptunia, as General Manager. He is currently the General Manager of SAASA (Servicios Aeroportuarios Andinos S.A.), a group company providing airport services: ground support, FBO, and storage.
SAASA has a unique and different proposal in the sector, with the aim of covering and adapting to the logistic needs of the air industry, guaranteeing effective, agile, and 100% safe operations.

Jan joined TCR in 2017 as the Group's Commercial Director, after a broad experience in the aviation industry, having worked for ground handlers and airlines worldwide. He actively contributed to the Group's expansion through Europe, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific. Since 2020, in his new role, Jan has been sharing TCR’s GSE solutions with the North American handling market.

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.

Nirmala is Chief Operations Officer at Caribbean Airlines based in Trinidad & Tobago. She leads the following teams, Flight Operations, Inflight, Ground Operations, Quality, Safety, Customer Experience and Enterprise Learning and Development.

A 33-year veteran of the Aviation industry, Nirmala is a solutions driven executive and led key transformational projects for airline mergers, operational restart, fleet Induction and enhanced Customer Experience at Airports. Nirmala holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management from the University of the West Indies; a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from the Edinburgh Business School in Scotland and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of the West Indies in Trinidad.

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.

Roger has been with Swissport since August 2002, and was appointed Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing for North America, in May 2012. Prior to this he was Vice President Sales for the East Region US and Canada, from 2006 to 2012. Earlier, he served as Swissport's General Manager in Orlando Sanford, from 2002 to 2006. Roger has spent over 28 years in the airline industry, and has held various management and executive management positions. He is a graduate of the University Central Florida in Orlando.

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.

David has been working in RF and microwave technologies since 1979. The Army enabled David’s growth as a system engineer in many applications and he became specialised in installations for communications and sensor devices. In 1994 he moved to a business development role for Rhode and Schwarz, securing defence and commercial contracts. David then joined BAE Systems, as Head of Sales of Airborne Communication Systems. During this time, David supported the integration of secure communications on various helicopters. A spell as a Director of a component manufacturer served as the impetus to the establishment of dBD Communications in 2002.

Tim spent 38 years as a ramp service agent. Seeing far too many of his fellow ramp agents get injured and suffering injuries himself he decided that there had to be an affordable better way to do the job. What he came up with is TISABAS, an affordable compact, folding motorized conveyor that makes agents' jobs safer, easier and saves the airlines money.

As the founder of Quantum Aviation Solutions, David brings years of industry experience to the venture. He has worked in airline ground operations since 1988 and started a ground handling company, Ramp One, in the early 1990s. In addition to working for two major airlines in the US, David has also held the position of Vice President for a large airline and airport IT company. This combination of experience led to the creation of Quantum and the focus on airline operations below the wing. He has served in the past on committees with IATA, ACI and SAE. David has a degree from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and a Master's from the University of Georgia, in Athens.

25 + years of global experience across IT and Business Process Outsourcing, M&A, running complex Operations, Technology and Business Development across various industry verticals. Lived and worked across Asia, Europe and North America.

Max has been a fixture in operations, safety, auditing, training and the airports world for more than 30 years, having worked for major Canadian carriers like Air Canada and Canadian Airlines. He has also worked with several major ground handlers and with the Greater Toronto Airport Authority in its Emergency Planning department. Max's experience in safety, auditing, station management, adult education and international airport operations have all contributed to his present roles. Max was the Chairman of both the IGOM Task Force and the ISAGO Oversight council since their inception until 2018, leading the development of the next generation ISAGO model. He is the president of GAC Aviation Services & Consulting, they are dedicated to delivering solutions to improve Ground Operations in the aviation industry, with a focus on safety, compliance and operational excellence.

After over 35 years in leadership positions with international aviation companies such as LAN Airlines and IATA, Patricio continues developing new projects enriched by state-of-the-art technology. Today he leads Aeronex Cargo, a turnkey cargo solution for passenger airlines and most recently entered into a seven year partnership with JetBlue to manage its cargo business. He holds a degree in Economics from the University of Chile. 
Patricio started work in the National Planning Office of Chile, later joining LAN Airlines as a Planning Analyst and successively progressed to the position of President and CEO. He went on to take up the position of President of ALTA and joined the Miami office as Regional Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean for IATA.

As executive vice president for TLD America, Jeff is responsible for leading the sales, service and spare parts groups within the US and Canada. TLD is the global market leader in equipment design, assembly, distribution and after sales support for airport ground support equipment. Jeff’s organization supports these functions with in North America, specifically focusing on both commercial aviation and cargo industries throughout the region. With the largest breadth of electric products, TLD is focused on advancing the industry and supporting greener and leaner aviation solutions. As innovation and efficiency lead the future of aviation, Jeff is charged with driving TLD’s technologically advanced “Future Ready” ground support equipment into the marketplace. Serving as a board member of IAEMA (Int’l Airport Equipment Manufacturers’ Association) Jeff joins in supporting the aviation industry and driving common initiatives on a global scale. Prior to TLD, he spent 17 years with Textron working in various sales and leadership capacities building his broad industrial background and experience. Jeff holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing from Michigan State University. He currently resides in Connecticut with his wife and two sons.

Gabriel Roque is a seasoned aviation executive with over 15 years of experience in operations management and strategic planning. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from UNICAMP and a Master's in Production Engineering from USP. Currently serving as the CEO of INFORM in Brazil, Gabriel specializes in utilizing AI, advanced algorithms, and digital decision-making software to solve complex operational challenges. In addition, he has a strong background in Work Force Management, high-complexity operations, and efficiency improvement initiatives. Gabriel's extensive experience includes executive roles at LATAM Airlines and Ekantika Brasil, where he demonstrated his expertise in optimizing processes and driving success across various industries.

Barbara is primarily engaged in strategic business planning and economic analysis for airlines and airports. Prior to joining ICF, she worked for Aeromexico Airlines in network planning. Barbara has extensive experience in statistical and financial data analysis, forecasting for route and scheduling planning, benchmarking, fleet planning, assessment of business plans and developing revenue budget forecasts. She also participated in a joint project for Aeromexico and Mexicana, and was involved in implementing, maintaining and developing the forecasting profitability valuation model. Barbara holds an Master's from Thunderbird, The Garvin School of International Management, and a BSc in Actuarial Science from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico.