Mr Anutin Charnvirakul

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health, Thailand

Biography

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health of the Kingdom of Thailand, Anutin Charnvirakul is the leader of the Bhumjaithai (Thai Pride) political party. He was the Bhumjaithai candidate for prime minister in the 2019 Thai general election and was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health on 10 July 2019.

Mr. Anutin has rendered long and distinguished service to the Royal Thai Government, having served as Deputy Minister of Commerce and Deputy Minister of Public Health. International media have described Mr. Anutin as a young, promising leader with charismatic qualities.

Before entering politics, Mr. Anutin was President of Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction, a premier regional firm, and served on the board of Thai Solar Energy Public Co. Ltd.

Mr. Anutin is also a volunteer for the Thai Red Cross. A licensed pilot, he has been known to fly his single-propeller aircraft in urgent medical missions for the Thai Red Cross, personally transporting patients for emergency medical treatment while also delivering organs for those in dire need of transplants.

With his profound wealth of experience in politics, business, and public service Mr. Anutin is prepared to play a meaningful role in the affairs of Thailand for many years to come.

Mr Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum

Attorney-General, Minister for Economy, Civil Service and Communications, Minister responsible for Civil Aviation and Minister responsible for Climate Change, Fiji

Biography

Hon. Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum is the Fijian Attorney-General, Minister for Economy and Minister responsible for climate change.

The Attorney-General is a global proponent for the cause of climate action, particularly with regards to the development of new, innovative means of accessing climate finance. He also serves as the Fijian Minister responsible for civil aviation, where he consistently advocates for fair, competitive and carbon-conscious management of international airline markets.

Mr Eamonn Brennan

Director General, European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation

Biography

Eamonn Brennan is the Director General of EUROCONTROL based in Brussels, Belgium.

Prior to joining EUROCONTROL, he was Chief Executive of the Irish Aviation Authority with responsibility for the safety regulation of the fast growing civil aviation sector, providing air navigation services in Irish airspace and ATC at major airports and North Atlantic Communications. He was significantly involved in the promotion of the industry, which saw considerable growth with high levels of safety, performance, cost efficiency and expansion of services, investments in technology, resources and infrastructure. He has also worked on international positions in South East Asia, based in Kuala Lumpur, in Malta and London and led the successful Airline Group bid for the first ever part privatisation of a European Air Navigation Service Provider in the UK.

Eamonn has served as Chairman of CANSO Global, Chairman of the COOPANS Alliance, and has worked in the past with the Boards of Borealis, Aireon, Entry Point North and the IAA.

He is a graduate of the National University of Ireland, a chartered accountant and a private pilot. He loves aviation.

Mr Stephen Creamer

Director, Air Navigation Bureau, International Civil Aviation Organization

Biography

Steve Creamer has served as Director of the Air Navigation Bureau at ICAO since April 2015. Steve previously held a number of executive and managerial positions at the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration with over 33 years’ experience in the Air Traffic and International Aviation organizations. They include serving as FAA Regional Office Director for Europe, Africa and the Middle East; and serving as a member of the ICAO Air Navigation Commission.

Steve began his career in air traffic operations, eventually managing all Alaskan and North Pacific airspace, pioneering new airspace use techniques that improved capacity and access for all operators. More recently his work has broadened to the international implementation of procedures and technology systems that improve aviation safety, with a careful eye toward retaining capacity and efficiency.

Mr Steve Dickson

Administrator, U.S. Federal Aviation Administration

Biography

Steve Dickson was sworn in as the FAA Administrator by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao on August 12, after being confirmed for a five-year term by the U.S. Senate on July 24, 2019. Dickson recently retired from service as the senior vice president of Flight Operations for Delta Air Lines.

In this role, he was responsible for the safety and operational performance of Delta's global flight operations, as well as pilot training, crew resources, crew scheduling, and regulatory compliance. He also flew in line operations as an A320 captain, and previously flew the B727, B737, B757, and B767 during his career. Captain Dickson is a strong advocate for commercial aviation safety and improvements to our National Airspace System, having served as chairman of several industry stakeholder groups and Federal advisory committees.

A former United States Air Force Officer and F-15 fighter pilot, Dickson is a Distinguished Graduate of the Class of 1979 at the United States Air Force Academy, as well as a graduate of the Georgia State University College of Law, magna cum laude.

Mr Duong Tri Thanh

Chief Executive Officer, Vietnam Airlines

Biography

Mr. Duong Tri Thanh has served as President and CEO, a member of the Board of Vietnam Airlines of Vietnam’ flag carrier since 1 June 2016. Previously, he was EVP of Vietnam Airlines and Chairman of the Board of Jetstar Pacific Airlines. Mr. Thanh started his career in 1983 at Vietnam Air Traffic Management Corporation, Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam as Coordination Controller. He joined Vietnam Airlines in 1990, and was appointed General Manager of Southern Branch in 2004. He became Executive Vice President in 2008, a role he held for 8 years until his promotion to President and CEO in 2016

Mr Warren Fernandez

Editor-in-Chief, The Straits Times

Biography

Warren Fernandez is Editor-in-Chief of English/Malay/Tamil Media in Singapore Press Holdings. He is also Editor of The Straits Times, Singapore’s biggest selling English daily newspaper. He joined the paper in 1990 as a political reporter and rose to become News Editor. He later also served as Foreign Editor and Deputy Editor. He left to join Royal Dutch Shell in 2008 as a Global Manager for its Future Energy project, before returning to the paper in February 2012 as its editor.

He graduated with First Class Honours from Oxford University, where he read Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and also has a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. Both degrees were obtained on Singapore Press Holdings scholarships.

He is a board member of the National Parks Board (NParks), SPH (Overseas) Ltd, Straits Times Press Pte Ltd, The Straits Times Press (1975) Limited, Asia News Network (ANN), Singapore Symphony Group (SSO), National Arts Council and Chairman of The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund.

He has recently been elected President of World Editors Forum (WEF) which is the leading network for print and digital editors of newspapers and news organisations around the world. WEF is part of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

Mr Michael Gill

Executive Director, Air Transport Action Group

Biography

Michael Gill is executive director of the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), the only global association that represents all sectors of the air transport industry. Its mission is to promote aviation’s sustainable growth for the benefit of global society.

He was appointed as Director, Aviation Environment of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in November 2013, with responsibility for developing and implementing IATA’s work in the environment field, particularly in the areas of climate change, noise, biofuel commercialisation and the IATA environmental assessment programme.

Prior to that, he spent six years as senior legal counsel in IATA, supporting IATA’s external affairs portfolio. In that role, he led IATA’s delegation to three ICAO diplomatic conferences on airline regulatory and security issues.

Before joining IATA in May 2007, Michael was an aviation lawyer in private practice at the Paris Bar, acting for airlines and their insurers.

He holds law degrees from both King’s College, London and the Sorbonne University in Paris, as well as a masters degree from the University of Edinburgh. He is admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales and an avocat in France.

Mrs Angela Gittens

Director General, Airports Council International (ACI World)

Biography

Angela Gittens began her tenure as Director General of Airports Council International (ACI World) in 2008. She was formerly airport CEO for Miami and Atlanta and Deputy at San Francisco International Airport. In other previous roles, Gittens served as Vice-President, Airport Business Services for HNTB Corporation and as Vice-President at TBI Airport Management.

Gittens is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and has served on numerous aviation industry boards and committees including the FAA Management Advisory Committee, the FAA Research, Engineering and Development Committee, and more.

Mr Goh Choon Phong

Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Airlines

Biography

Mr Goh Choon Phong joined Singapore Airlines (SIA) in 1990 after graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has held senior management positions in SIA in Singapore as well as overseas. He joined the company’s Board of Directors on 1 October 2010 and was appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on 1 January 2011. Mr Goh is also a Board Director of SIA Engineering Company; Chairman of Budget Aviation Holdings Pte Ltd, which owns and manages Scoot; a member of the National University of Singapore Board of Trustees; and an Independent Director on the Board of Mastercard Incorporated. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the International Air Transport Association and was its Chairman between June 2017 and June 2018. Mr Goh is also on the Executive Committee of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines.

Ms Nancy Graham

Consultant to Google Loon

Biography

Nancy is the President of Graham Aerospace International, consulting for new aviation and aerospace entrants. Nancy previously served as the ICAO Director of the Safety and Air Navigation Bureau (2007-2015), and an Executive with the FAA for many years.

During her tenure at ICAO, Nancy oversaw a complete overhaul of the Global Aviation Plans (Safety and Air Navigation) including the establishment of specific international performance priorities and targets, a first in the United Nations system. Nancy is a strong believer in government/industry partnerships, sharing common objectives to improve aviation safety and efficiency.

Nancy holds a Masters degree in Technology Management.

Mr Andrew Herdman

Director General, Association of Asia Pacific Airlines

Biography

Andrew Herdman has held the position of Director General of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) since 2004.

AAPA is the leading trade organization for international airlines based in the Asia-Pacific region, addressing a wide range of both regional and global policy issues affecting the industry. AAPA works closely with regulators and other industry associations with the aim of fostering the sustainable growth of international civil aviation, and ensuring that Asia Pacific perspectives help to shape more effective global aviation policies.

Mr. Herdman previously held a number of senior positions with the Swire Group, Cathay Pacific Airways and other aviation related companies based in the Asia Pacific region. He is a graduate of Oxford University.

Mr Henrik Hololei

Director General for Mobility and Transport, European Commission

Biography

Henrik is 49 years old, an economist by training and holds degree from TalTech (Tallinn Technical University). He has also studied in Aarhus University in Denmark.

He held various positions in the Estonian Government Office between 1995 and 2004 and was mainly responsible for coordinating the work for the Estonian accession to the European Union, working directly with the Prime Minister.

In 2001-2002 he was Minister of Economy.

In 2002-2003 he represented the Estonian Government in the Convention on the Future of Europe.

In 2004 he moved to the European Commission as Head of Cabinet of Vice President Siim Kallas. Vice -President Kallas' first mandate 2004-2010 dealt with Administration, Audit and Anti-Fraud while during his second mandate he was responsible for Transport.

From November 2013 he was Deputy Secretary General of the European Commission and represented the European Commission in the Committee of Permanent Representatives.

On October 2015 he became Director-General for Mobility and Transport in the European Commission.

Throughout the years, he was been awarded for his work and engagement:
the Grand Cross of the Lion of Finland by the President of Finland;
Order of the White Star (3rd class) by the President of Estonia;
Commander of the Cross of Recognition (3rd class) by the President of Latvia.
Chevalier de l'Ordre du Mérite by the President of France;
Order of Honour (Ordinul de Onoare) by the President of Moldova

In May 2014, the Estonian European Movement named him "European of the Year". In September 2018, TalTech named him as the "Alumnus of the year".

In addition, he holds positions of Member of the Supervisory Board of the Estonian School of Diplomacy and Member of the Board of "Hermes Air Transport Organisation"

Married, one daughter.

Mr Sri Jegarajah

Senior Correspondent, CNBC

Biography

Sri Jegarajah is a CNBC Senior Correspondent based in Singapore. An experienced business and financial markets correspondent who specializes in commodities since 1997, Sri follows global energy developments closely.

Covering financial markets for more than 15 years, Sri has reported on major global events including the 2016 Jakarta attacks, 2008 financial crisis, the Indian Ocean tsunami and the aftermath of the 2011 tsunami disaster from Tokyo. He twice received the Bronze Medal in 2009 and 2013 for Best News Correspondent by the New York Festivals International TV & Films Awards.

Prior to joining CNBC in 2005, Sri was an energy reporter for Dow Jones Newswires and Bloomberg News in Singapore.

Mr Max Kingsley-Jones

Executive Director Content, FlightGlobal

Biography

Max Kingsley-Jones was appointed FlightGlobal’s Executive Director Content in March 2015, having been Editor of Airline Business since December 2010. Prior to that, he spent 14 years with Flight International magazine where he was ultimately Deputy Editor. Before joining Flight in May 1996 as Commercial Aviation Editor, Max spent 10 years working in various roles at the UK aviation consultancy Airclaims, now called Ascend by Cirium. The move to Airline Business followed a short spell with Aviation Week magazine as London Bureau Chief.

Mr Patrick Ky

Executive Director, European Union Aviation Safety Agency

Biography

Mr Patrick Ky is the Executive Director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Since 2013, his mission is to further consolidate the role and responsibilities of the Agency and to make the European aviation regulatory system a reliable framework. Before EASA, he was in charge of the SESAR programme. He also held various positions in the French Civil Aviation Authority, Eurocontrol, and European Commission. He has over 20 years of experience in civil aviation. Graduated at the Civil Aviation Engineering School in France, he holds degrees in economics from the University of Toulouse and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Captain Jack Netskar

President, International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations

Biography

Based in Oslo, Cpt. Netskar flies Boeing 737NGs for SAS, his employer for the past two decades. Soon after starting at SAS, he got involved in union work and has been elected to a variety of positions in national, regional, and global organizations. He has served the SAS Pilot Union as Board member, Deputy Chairman, and Chairman, as well as International Director of the Norwegian Airline Pilots Association and as Executive Vice-President, Professional & Government Affairs at IFAPA. As IFALPA President, Captain Netskar is responsible for all aspects of the IFALPA's activities and guides the Federation’s participation in the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Mr Richard Ossendorp

Representative of the Netherlands on the Council of the ICAO

Biography

Richard Ossendorp is the Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to ICAO.

Before he became a member of the ICAO Council, Richard headed the negotiating teams for transport, environment and climate action at the Dutch Permanent Representation to the European Union. During this time he was deeply involved in EU transport policy, including civil aviation.

Richard’s home-base is the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management in The Hague, where he fulfilled various management positions before moving to Brussels, Furthermore, as senior policy advisor at the Directorate-General for Civil Aviation, Richard previously worked on a broad range of international policy questions relating to aviation safety, security, air navigation services and airspace design, passenger rights, market access and environmental regulation.

Mr Kadri Samsunlu

Chief Executive Officer, Istanbul Airport

Biography

Kadri Samsunlu has been the Chief Executive Officer of IGA Airport Corporation since September 2017. Samsunlu has been leading IGA Airport Operation as well as IGA Construction since 2018 and completed the integration of superstructure arm of IGA Construction into IGA Airport Operation in the beginning of 2019. Samsunlu aims to ensure that Istanbul Airport, Turkey's vision project will be a leading regional hub.

Samsunlu, having worked as the general manager and the executive committee member of various investment companies in 1995 – 2006, acted as an investment and corporate finance counselor in Romania and Turkey for three years after 2006.

Samsunlu, having been CFO of Akfen Holding from 2009 until 2017, led many processes in this period, ranging from the launch of the first infrastructure Eurobond, to the realization of various PPP (Public-Private Partnerships) projects, finance management in tourism, real estate, energy marine transportation and airport sectors projects and mergers & acquisitions of the Holding Co. Samsunlu also worked as part of the public offering and delisting process of Akfen Holding. Akfen Holding and its subsidiaries received many international awards during his tenure. Samsunlu worked as a member of TAV Airport Holding executive board and audit committee between 2009 and 2012.

Kadri Samsunlu was born on the 17th of December in 1968. He completed his undergraduate studies in Bosphorus University, Department of Economy in 1991. He then finalized his MBA degree in University of Missouri, USA.

A member of the Association of Listed Companies' Executives, Çorum Education Association, Fenerbahçe Sports Club, Missouri Society of CPAs, among other non-governmental organizations, Kadri Samsunlu is married with three kids.

Mr Ajay Singh

Chief Executive Officer, SpiceJet

Biography

Mr. Ajay Singh is an Indian entrepreneur, co-founder, owner, Chairman and Managing Director of SpiceJet. He has scripted one of the most remarkable turnaround stories of recent times. SpiceJet was on the verge of shutting down in December 2014, having cancelled hundreds of flights, when Mr. Singh stepped in and gave it a new lease of life. From staring at imminent closure to becoming a leading carrier in India, SpiceJet’s turnaround story under the leadership of Mr. Ajay Singh has been one which probably has no parallel in the aviation world today.

Mr. Singh coined BJP’s hugely popular 2014 campaign slogan ‘abki baar Modi Sarkar’ which means ‘Now is the time of the Modi Government’. This slogan helped the current Prime Minister win the election handsomely. Mr. Singh has a knack of turning around ailing businesses, be it a grounded ModiLuft that he renamed and launched as SpiceJet, or advising the government on revamping the loss-making Delhi Transport Corporation.

Mr. Singh was previously Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Mr. Pramod Mahajan, when he revamped the national broadcaster Doordarshan. As OSD in the Telecom & IT Ministry he helped draft the National Telecom Policy and the Information Technology Act which revolutionized the sector.

He is the President of the Boxing Federation of India.

Mr. Ajay Singh is an alumnus of Delhi’s St. Columba’s school. He was awarded the Sword of Honour, the school’s highest award, presented to the student who excels in academics as well as sports and co-curricular activities. He holds a degree in engineering from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, an MBA from Cornell University, USA and a Bachelor’s degree in Law (LLB) from Law Faculty, University of Delhi.