Des Vertannes began his career with British Airways in 1970. During 14 years at the airline he held several management positions including Cargo Manager Gulf States and Saudi Arabia in the early ‘80s. In 1984, Vertannes established and managed his own forwarding business before joining Air Canada. Vertannes next move was to ground handling company Menzies Aviation where he served as Chief Executive at Air Menzies International (AMI) and Managing Director Menzies World Cargo. Vertannes was Executive Vice President Cargo for Etihad from April 2007 and, prior to that, Head of Cargo at rival Gulf Air. He retired in 2014 as Global Head of Cargo, IATA. 

Chris Notter started as a Customs Officer and then went into freight forwarding, before entering the airline side of the business and spending almost 29 years with German carrier Lufthansa. Notter has held other senior industry roles including Vice President Cargo Operations at Qatar Airways and he was also previously Vice President Operations. Notter then moved onto his current role as Chief Ground Handling Officer at Saudi Airlines Cargo after joining the airline in 2014. He now currently holds various consultancy roles. 

Stan Wraight is the Co-Founder of Strategic Aviation Solutions (SASI) with over 40 years of senior air cargo management experience in operations. His extensive management back ground includes his positions as Vice-President of Global Cargo Sales and Marketing for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines; Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the U.S. firm Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings. Wraight led the team that founded Volga Dnepr’s Airbridge Cargo in 2003, which has grown to be a global scheduled cargo operator. Wraight also serves or served on the boards of various companies including scheduled and all cargo airlines, an all passenger LCC airline based in Europe where he was also Vice President and engaged in ACMI services and strategy, ground handling companies and E Commerce logistics entities.  

Henrik Ambak started in freight forwarding, and then moved into ground and cargo handling, before joining Cargolux in 2001, overseeing worldwide ground and cargo operations. Ambak joined Emirates SkyCargo tasked with developing and implementing strategies securing the continued Emirates leadership in service delivery. He managed the airline’s Dubai cargo terminals at Dubai International Airport and Dubai World Central, cargo handling and trucking suppliers, standards and procedures, special load engineering and load mastering and IT systems usage used to facilitate and support the SkyCargo business. From December 2023 Ambak retired from full time work.

Tim Strauss joined Amerijet in August 2020 as Chief Executive Officer, with oversight of all aspects of Amerijet’s day-to-day cargo operation, including leading, directing, developing and implementing customer-centric initiatives and solutions. Prior to joining the company, Strauss held leadership roles in global sales and operations at Air Canada, Hawaiian, Delta and Northwest Airlines. Tim began his career with Emery Worldwide in 1987 (now UPS Supply Chain Logistics) where he held roles of increasing responsibility, starting as a cargo handler and completing his tenure as Vice President of Transportation and Logistics.

Janet Wallace has over twenty years of experience across all the customer touchpoints at Air Canada. In 2016 she was appointed Director Cargo Transformation. With overall leadership of process engineering, regulatory, training & third party contracting for Air Canada’s worldwide Cargo operations. Her focus is on building a quality & culture organization that is fit for growth. Also pursuing Masters of Science in Transportation Management- MS Supply Chain at the University of Denver.

Thomas Mack has been Executive Vice President Global Air Freight and Member of the Global Forwarding Management Board since July 2018. In his role, Mack leads the global air freight business of DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist of Deutsche Post DHL Group. Mack is a highly experienced manager with more than 40 years of expertise in the airfreight industry. He joined Deutsche Post DHL Group from Schenker AG, where he has been responsible for air freight worldwide since 2001. Prior to this, Mack has worked for Panalpina and Kuehne + Nagel.

Steve Forrer joined AFCO in 2011 and is responsible for overall investment and business development initiatives. Forrer has led and managed large transactions and platform level investments that have included private, public, and hybrid capitalization and ownership structures. Forrer holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Virginia Tech and Master of Business Administration from The George Washington University. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute, has served on ULI Product Councils, and is the founder and Co-Chair of the ULI Airport Development Council. 

Robert Fordree started his aviation career with Lufthansa Cargo at Heathrow Airport and worked in a number of operational roles. Fordree then moved to Menzies Aviation with responsibility for cargo commercial activity across the UK before assuming responsibility as VP Global Key Accounts. Fordree's next move was to spend 10 years with Etihad Airways where his final role was Head of Cargo Operations in Abu Dhabi. He returned to the UK in October 2017 for his second stint with Menzies Aviation, this time based in Edinburgh as VP Cargo Development with a mandate to deliver product development in the cargo sector.

Zack Oakley currently serves as the Deputy Director Operations and Planning for the Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD). As deputy director of the Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD) Oakley has overseen the planning and construction of over $150 million of air cargo infrastructure improvements. Oakley is currently working with airline stakeholders on the next phase of infrastructure improvements to continue to support air cargo growth at RFD. Oakley is an Accredited Airport Executive (A.A.E.) through the American Association of Airport Executives.

Amar More is an accomplished professional with over 25 years of experience in supply chain, consulting and technology industries. More was appointed as the Domain Controller of Cross Border Domain at United Nations CEFACT, and is on the panel of trade facilitation experts at UNECE . More was elected to represent the technology domain in the air cargo industry on the Board of Directors of “The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA)” headquartered in Miami, Florida. He also assists several governments on conceptualizing trade facilitation initiatives to usher in “Ease of Doing Business” using digital technology.

Mammen Tharakan holds over fifteen years of leadership in aviation across various ground handling, airline and airport functions. Mammen Tharakan joined Edmonton International Airport in 2018 as the Director, E-Commerce, Cargo & Aviation Real Estate, where his duties include identifying new technologies and partnerships that support the aviation sector. Tharakan holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Hult International Business School in Boston, Massachusetts USA.

Kester Meijer works at KLM Cargo as Director Operational Integrity, Compliance & Safety. Meijer is member of the KLM Cargo management team. Meijer has extensive knowledge and experience in both Air Cargo Supply Chain Logistics, Compliance and ICT. Putting this unique combination to work on connecting with stakeholders and orchestrating innovative concepts, where processes are combined with new technology and standards. Meijer strongly believes our industry is in the era of a paradigm shift, where Data, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things and Blockchain will provide new ways to collaborate and connect. 

Glyn Hughes has been involved in Air Cargo for over 37 years having started his career with British Caledonian in the UK.  Hughes joined IATA in 1991 and become IATA's Global Head of Cargo in June 2014, where he had overall responsibility to deliver the agenda agreed by the Cargo Committee to support the Air Cargo industry.  In February 2021, Hughes joined TIACA as its first Director general where he works with the Board to deliver the organization's vision for a safe, profitable and united air cargo industry that embraces modern technologies and practices sustainably and fairly serve trade and social development worldwide.

Nathan De Valck heads the Cargo Product & Route development team at Brussels Airport. De Valck is responsible for the business development and key account activities for airlines, forwarders and shippers at Brussels Airport, as well as the further development of the various specializations and products such as pharma, perishables, animal transport or e-commerce. De Valck managed the CEIV pharma community certification program at BRUcargo making Brussels Airport the first cargo community in the world to be CEIV pharma certified. De Valck is co-founder and chairman of Pharma.Aero and a full member of the IATA Time and Temperature Working Group.

Olivier Bijaoui turned small cargo handling company SFS, now Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), into the largest cargo company in the globe and second largest ground handling company in the world. Between 2004 and 2016 he was Executive Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of WFS. On leaving in 2016, the company had 18,000 employees, was present at 188 airports in 22 countries, serving 300 airlines, handling of four million tonnes of cargo and 50 million passengers per annum. Since leaving Bijaoui has been the President and the Owner of OB Invest.

Sean Dolan serves as the CEO of NorthLink and is responsible for the commercial development, construction, financing and management of the Company.  Dolan has over 25 years of experience investing, managing and financing infrastructure and has a track record of forming successful partnerships with Fortune 500 companies.  Prior to joining NorthLink, Dolan worked as a consultant to Tiger Infrastructure Partners on investments in the air cargo sector.  Previously, he was a partner at Alinda Capital Partners, an infrastructure private equity fund with over $4 billion of assets under management.

Wilson Kwong has been Chief Executive of Hactl since March 2018. Kwong’s 24 year career with the Jardine Matheson Group has also included seven years with Jardine Aviation Services, where he was involved in passenger and ramp handling activities. New initiatives under his management have included digital cargo-locating and ramp efficiency systems, trialing of robotics through a revolutionary Automated Parts Store, the launch of Hactl’s ground-breaking centralised digital Control Centre, accreditation under all three IATA CEIV programmes and the opening of a roof-top solar farm at SuperTerminal1.

Teresa Wojtanka joined Emirates Group in 2012 and has successfully worked in multiple management positions for Emirates Airline and dnata Airport Operations in the areas of the Management Consulting, Strategy Advisory, Outsource Management, Operational Performance & GSE Optimisation. In January 2022, Wojtanka was appointed Head of Operations Support & Innovation for dnata Switzerland, based in Zurich. The scope of her new role covers responsibilities for Business Technology & Innovation, Resource Management, Training & Environment as well as GSE Management.

Michael T. Steen joined Atlas Air Worldwide in April 2007and was appointed Executive Vice President in 2010. He is responsible for all aspects of the Company's global sales and marketing activities, including strategy, new products and services, brand positioning and marketing communications. Additionally, Steen is President and Chief Executive Officer of Titan Aviation Holdings, Inc., a wholly owned dry-leasing subsidiary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc. Steen has served in global leadership roles for market-leading companies such as DHL, Exel Plc and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Steen is currently serving as Chairman on the Cargo Committee of the International Air Transportation Association (IATA).

Vito Cerone is Senior Vice-President Sales & Customer Experience for Cargojet. In this role, he has overall responsibility to lead and implement Cargojet’s International expansion, charter sales, digital, interline and revenue management. Cerone joined the company in Sept 2021 and has over 31 years’ experience in the aviation industry. He started his career at Air Canada, holding various management roles. Prior to joining Cargojet, he was Vice President, Cargo Sales & Commercial Strategy at Air Canada Cargo, where he oversaw all global sales and commercial activities.  He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada.

At Swissport, we are pioneers. We work constantly on achieving sustainable results, and we creatively explore new options and improved solutions through digitalization and automation. By introducing digital solutions and new technologies into our processes, we enable our employees to concentrate on value-adding and rewarding tasks, or we aim to provide support or relief. Dirk Goovaerts, Global Cargo Chair, will present Swissport’s latest innovative solutions, from kiosks to unmanned, automated guided vehicles; from Speedcargo to Integrated Weighing Solutions. Through innovation-driven projects, Swissport and aims to be a leader in the air cargo industry, simultaneously improving efficiency and results for the clients while attracting young talent. Swissport goes beyond technology – we recognize the power of combining experience and exchange. It drives the creation of cargo communities that bring stakeholders together to create innovative products through collaboration and co-operation. At Swissport, we believe in constant development through the right tools and methods and in empowering employees by creating the most advanced work environment in which they can thrive.

John Batten has over 35 years’ experience in senior positions in the aviation Industry, including the setting up of TNT Airways, the post of Senior Vice President Cargo at Qatar Airways, and Executive Vice President – Cargo at Swissport. Within this role, Batten became a key member of a number of IATA working groups on e-Freight, e-AWB and Cargo 2000 where he was on the board as an adviser. He is now a Board Member of CargoIQ. In 2015, Batten re-joined the Handling Business with Worldwide Flight Services as Executive Vice President Business Development and then, starting June 2016, acted as Interim CEO for Europe, before taking the lead of WFS’ Cargo operations as EVP Europe, Middle East, Africa & Asia (EMEAA).

Megha Palkar joined Cargo iQ’s management team in 2018 as Assistant Manager. Palkar supports the team as well works on her own initiatives, including Cargo iQ’s monthly quality and benchmarking reports. Palkar brings a fresh perspective from the developing world into the industry and is excited to work on projects that drive big changes and have a wide, lasting impact on the air cargo industry. Cargo iQ is an IATA special interest group and its members include representatives from across the supply chain.

Torsten Wefers entered the aviation world in 2000 at Dusseldorf International Airport (DUS) working in the marketing & strategy department. In 2003 Wefers moved to Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN) being part of the passenger airline business development team. When CGN airport founded in 2009 for the first time a cargo sales unit Wefers had been promoted leading the unit as Head of Cargo Sales. In this role he coordinated and managed all cargo sales/marketing activities. After setting up a new a CGN business unit and an internal interim management project Wefers finally was been assigned as Director Cargo in 2018, taking over full responsibility for the cargo development of CGN.

Racheal Ndegwa is an innovative and accomplished CEO with over 16 years’ experience, having held senior positions, among them, Chief Finance Officer (CFO), Chief Operating Officer(COO) & now CEO mainly in the aviation industry. Ndegwa is currently the CEO of Swissport Kenya Limited. Ndegwa is among the first female Kenyan CEOs in the industry, and has been able to steer her company’s growth for the past 16 years by spearheading the company to achieve financial goals. Ndegwa is a Certified Public Accountant with KASNEB and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree having majored in Economics and a Master of Business Administration (Finance) both from the University of Nairobi. 

During most of his career spanning over 30 years, Yossi Shoukroun has been involved in Airports and Air Cargo Industry, as an Executive and line management in General Management, Operations Management, Planning, Project Management, Business Development and Financial Management. Shoukroun is an experienced Managing Director with a demonstrated history of working in the airlines and aviation industry. Shoukroun is a team member, leading the airline’s growth and success with vast experience in Supply Chain Management and complex logistics systems.

Rich Kilmer is the CEO and Founder of CargoSense - a logistics intelligence company combining cutting edge IoT sensors and sophisticated logistics process modeling to build unparalleled visibility and diagnostic solutions targeting the life sciences industry.  Kilmer is a software industry expert, an international speaker, and has led several successful startups prior to founding CargoSense. Kilmer started his career in the U.S. Air Force, working on secure systems supporting the Office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon.  

Audrone Keinyte is the CEO of Bluebird Nordic, an Icelandic ACMI leasing and Air Freight company, and BBN Cargo Airlines Holdings, the holding company of Bluebird Nordic. With a career in the tourism and hospitality industry spanning over 20 years, Audrone Keinyte is an expert in business management, international markets, and commercial strategy - all valuable experiences when leading Bluebird Nordic through the next stages of its development. Prior to joining the aviation industry, Keinyte was the CEO of the largest tour operator in the Baltic region.

Vitaly Smilianets is Founder and CEO of Awery Aviation Software, an aviation business management software development company. Established in 2009, Awery creates advanced aviation software platforms with unlimited expansion capabilities for customers including, commercial and cargo airlines, private operators, cargo GSAs, handling agents, courier companies, air charter brokers, and aviation services providers. CargoBooking, powered by Awery, is an open-access, online booking and quoting portal, developed in close cooperation with stakeholders to meet market demands for a solution connecting capacity and demand on one platform.   Fifteen years of professional experience in: global aviation software projects; an expert in IT solutions; WEB; Rich Internet Applications; ERP Systems; Mobile Platforms; and Software Development. Previously worked in aviation selling aircraft to the Middle East Region while studying software development and IT as a hobby. Vitaly studied Economics and Banking and is currently completing a PhD in marketing at National Aviation University, Kyiv, Ukraine.

Bob Rogers has been around ULD since the early 80’s, so over 40 years. During that time Rogers was responsible for the operations of Nordisk Aviation Products across Asia Pacific. After retiring from commercial activities Rogers continued to be active in the industry through involvement in standard setting activities in IATA and in promoting a better understanding and treatment of ULD through ULD CARE where he is the Vice President and Treasurer. Rogers is also the author of the publication ULD Explained ( available on the ULD CARE on line store).

Ross Marino has over 30 years of aviation experience, having worked in numerous senior and executive management roles in Australia, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Marino had a 15-year-long career at dnata, one of the world’s largest providers of ground handling and air services, where he was instrumental in growing dnata into a leading global organisation, and most recently held the position of Chief Executive Officer Europe. Previously, Marino worked for Menzies Aviation, another leading ground handling and air services provider, and Emirates Airline. Marino was appointed CEO of Unilode in February 2022.  

As Head of Innovation at CHAMP Cargosystems, Lucas Fernandez focuses on evolving and innovating CHAMP’s current and future product portfolio with the objective to identify opportunities where smart usage of technology and IT can create additional value to the stakeholders of the air cargo supply chain. Fernandez' keen interest and expertise in new technologies and Internet of Things (IoT) started 10 years ago and was triggered by the deep belief that a small invention can change the world. Prior to joining CHAMP, Fernandez worked as VP Product for Etix Everywhere in Luxembourg where he was responsible for the lab division and the development of a Software as a Service (SaaS) based solutions portfolio for the management and monitoring of critical datacenter operations.

Arpad Szakal is an Executive Search & Leadership Assessment professional and a former aviation lawyer. Szakal is an experienced consultant with specialised expertise in the engineering, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors, as well as aerospace & defence. Szakal has a broad industrial background having previously worked as an Associate at a boutique executive search firm in London. Whilst at the firm, he delivered a number of transport and energy-related search mandates and also supported the maritime & finance practice on C-Suite and senior management assignments. Szakal brings in-depth knowledge of international markets having successfully delivered executive and Board-level assignments globally.

Lars Droog is a passionate and seasoned international business executive with more than 20 years of multi-cultural management experience and a proven track record in the management of local, regional and global organizations. Droog has had the privilege to work for internationally reputable organizations like Tosoh Corporation, Thermo Fisher Scientific and currently as director at Cytek Biosciences. He is also chairman of TIACA’s Shippers’ Advisory Committee, chairman of evofenedex’s Airfreight and Express Council, a committee of the Dutch Shippers’ Council and board member of evofenedex.

Konrad Best, Senior Vice President of Business Development and Strategy, started his career alongside his university studies as an entrepreneur in the media business in the early 1990s. He moved into the telecommunications sector in 2004 and worked in several management positions in the B2C division at Telefonica O2 Deutschland and in the ProSieben/Sat1 Group. From 2016 to 2021, he was responsible for new digital business models and the digital B2C strategy at Munich Airport as Head of Digital.  

Tim Isik joined Etihad Cargo in 2022 as Vice President Commercial. Based in Etihad Cargo's headquarters in Abu Dhabi, he oversees the carrier's global commercial operations. Isik joined Etihad Cargo from American Airlines, where, as Director – EMEA & APAC Cargo Sales, he was responsible for directing cargo sales strategy for online and outsourced markets to ensure maximum profitability, productivity and revenue attainment across the region. Managing a core team of 36 employees spread across five offices, further supported by a team of GSA partners across 35 locations, Isik successfully oversaw the deployment of iCargo for American Airlines in the region and successfully cultivated relationships with cargo and airport operations.

Reinier Danckaarts began his career in Industrial Automation and later on Refrigeration before entering the Air Cargo Industry via Envirotainer. After a 9 year stint as Head of Partner Management and other functions and a short period with Van Riemsdijk (VRR) he started at Kuehne+Nagel to develop a service specifically tailored to Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare. At present he is VP for Airfreight Product Development and Innovation topics. Within this role many facets of Air Cargo are being dealt with that have the potential to change the way of working as we do today.

Christian Gessner has 2 decades of experience in the Air Cargo Industry. Gessner has worked for Airlines, IATA, Startups, and the last 6 years for technology companies including Unisys, Champ, and IBS. Gessner has been travelling almost two million miles meeting and working closely with industry experts in diverse markets. He successfully launched and executed campaigns as Manager Cargo Services for IATA in DE and AT. Ever since he has been passionate about the transformation of the industry. This passion gives him the ability to demonstrate how technology is key and translate that to the clients. Christian has recently joined Wipro as Senior Partner and Business Leader Airline Platforms.

Raoul started his career at the Royal Dutch Customs in 1993 after finishing his accountancy education. In 1997 a step was made into the air cargo industry when he joined a ground handling company at Amsterdam. Over the past 25 years, Raoul gained expertise in customs compliance, risk & quality management, cargo claims & loss prevention. His interest in business process optimisation and IT resulted in the finding of CargoHub in 2013 and a cargo innovation award by IATA for its first cargo claims community solution in 2015. Raoul is currently actively consulting airports, airlines, ground handlers, road feeders and forwarders in cargo community digital transformation processes to increase transparency, visibility and plannability efficiency on air cargo shipments and truck movements.

Stuart Maddocks, Director, Calibrate Learning and Calibrate Technology Over the last 20 years he has worked with a vast array of Global companies and their leadership teams. To keep up with the latest innovations and cutting-edge technology he has also remained close to the start-up and scale up ecosystem across Europe, the USA and within the UK. Culminating in him personally coaching some of the UK’s top Founders and CEO’s of current high growth SME’s and some well-known leaders in the corporate world. He was Programme Lead for the UK Government Growth Programme for High Growth Businesses in the UK, and has been a trainer, mentor and coach on the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Programme. In his work at Clemorton and Calibrate Stuart primarily helps organisations across all sectors to become more effective through developing their Senior Leadership, sales teams and management populations – making them better equipped to handle the challenges that come their way. From Strategic Planning, Decision Making, Negotiation and Sales, Change Management and operational leadership; their experience in working in partnership with large and small organisations allows them to blend theory and practice seamlessly to give groups and individuals different ways of working to increase results and overall staff satisfaction. His companies have worked globally with over 500 organisations in more than 30 countries in the last 20 years and have collectively helped to develop well over 100,000 leaders and innovators during that time. Stuart brings with him 20 years of consulting and executive coaching experience. Prior to joining Clemorton he spent 10 years in senior management roles within Large Scale Media and Pharmaceutical companies – allowing him to understand the difficulties of leading, selling and working in complex high performance environments. Stuart has consulted Internationally for many organisations, including for the likes of; DHL, The NHS, Oracle, Google, Swissport, Trint, HSBC, Lloyds Bank, Lufthansa, British Gas, Sanofi, and The British Government He has also lectured extensively on matters relating to Management and Leadership, Change, Sales and Negotiation as well as Strategy and Business Growth at University College London, Kings College London, Syracuse University New York, The University of Sussex, York St John, Brighton University and Loughborough University in The United Kingdom. He also holds an Honorary Research Position at University College London.

Philipp Maier has a proven track record in delivering successful Change Management & Training projects for over 15 years. He studied Education and Business & Organisational Psychology and is a change enthusiast. Always searching for the missing link between Technology and the “human factor”, he believes that it is time for every organisation to “surf on the wave of digitalisation” instead of hiding from it. He sees an urgent need for long-established companies in the business to re-invent themselves and continuously innovate their processes and tools landscape. He is a promoter of action-oriented learning and believes in the power of company culture that can make a huge difference when it comes to the resilience and ambitions of large organisations in a volatile business environment.