Willie Walsh became the eighth person to lead the International Air Transport Association (IATA) when he took on the role of Director General on 1 April 2021, after an airline industry career spanning over 40 years.

Walsh is deeply familiar with IATA, having served on the IATA Board of Governors for almost 13 years between 2005 to 2018, including serving as Chair (2016-2017).

Born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1961, Walsh joined the country’s flag carrier Aer Lingus in 1979, as a cadet pilot, becoming a captain in 1990. One year earlier, he had moved into a management position in the airline’s flight operations department, beginning a rise that led to his being appointed chief executive of Futura, Aer Lingus’ Spanish charter airline in 1998.

He returned to Aer Lingus in 2000 as COO and was appointed chief executive in October 2001 at a time when the carrier was in a grave financial crisis following the 9.11 attacks. Walsh led a radical restructuring that returned Aer Lingus to profitability.

In 2005, Walsh was appointed chief executive of British Airways (BA). He led BA through the 2008/09 Global Financial Crisis, established a transatlantic joint business venture with Iberia, Finnair and American Airlines, and oversaw the 2011 merger of BA and Iberia under a newly established parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG). Walsh served as chief executive of IAG from its inception until he retired in September 2020.

At IATA Walsh will work from the association’s main offices in Montreal, Canada and Geneva, Switzerland.

A citizen of Ireland, Walsh holds a Master of Science and Business Administration from Trinity College, Dublin.

Dr Rory Sullivan is CEO of Chronos Sustainability, Visiting Professor in Practice at London School of Economics (LSE), Chief Technical Adviser to the Transition Pathway Initiative (TPI) and Senior Associate at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.

He is an internationally recognised expert on responsible investment, having supported many of the world’s leading asset owners and asset managers to develop and implement their responsible investment strategies, and having played a leading role in the development and delivery of the CA100+ Net Zero Company Benchmark and the CA100+ Investor Expectations on Aviation, the Global Investor Statement on Responsible Climate Lobbying, the TPI’s management quality framework and various sector assessment frameworks (including for aviation), and the ICAPs Expectations Ladder and associated guidance.

He is the author/editor of eleven books and of many papers and reports on responsible investment, climate change and related issues, including Responsible Investment and Fixed Income Markets (editor with Joshua Kendall, Routledge, 2023) and Climate Change and the Governance of Corporations (with Andy Gouldson, Routledge, 2021).

Oisin Lunny is an award-winning marketer, webinar and podcast host, MC, public speaker, virtual event consultant, UX business professor, and journalist. His work has been translated into Chinese and Arabic, and read over half a million times as a senior contributor to Forbes, music editor at PHOENIX Magazine, and via regular contributions to The Guardian, CX Magazine and many others.

Oisin has hosted, moderated, and given keynote presentations at over 250 conferences in every corner of the world, including TEDx and SXSW, where he is a member of the advisory board.

He is the host of the Siemens Advanta podcast and the Audio Talks podcast by HARMAN and has worked in a series of leading global technology firms over the past 20 years as Global Product Manager, Country Manager, VP of Technology, Senior Market Development Manager, and Chief Evangelist.

In his spare time, Oisin keeps his lifelong passion for music alive by hosting a fortnightly radio show on Slack City Radio.

Marie-Louise Kelly is the Chief Financial Officer of ORIX Aviation. In her role she is responsible for leading ORIX Aviation’s finance team and she holds a key position as a member of the leadership team in terms of strategic planning and directing a number of operational functions across the organisation.  

Marie-Louise joined ORIX Aviation in 2009. Prior to being appointed to her current role, she held various positions across finance, commercial, corporate planning and structuring. She was appointed Chief Financial Officer in 2016, joining the Board of ORIX Aviation in 2018.   

Marie-Louise has over eighteen years’ experience in financial services. Prior to joining ORIX, she trained in KPMG Dublin’s Financial Services Tax division. She holds an Honours Degree in Commerce and an Honours Masters of Business Studies from University College Dublin. Marie-Louise is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Advisor. She was appointed Chair of industry lobby group, Aircraft Leasing Ireland in July 2022. 

Anne is the Chief People Officer at Aer Lingus, having taken up that role in Summer 2023.  She is a seasoned HR director with over 20 years of experience across the finance, technology, and consultancy sectors. Anne is excited to bring her broad HR knowledge to the airline industry. Living her whole life close to Dublin Airport, her new position as CPO of Aer Lingus is her ‘dream job in a dream company’. She is focused on building a market-leading People function that facilitates all those working there to have long and fulfilling careers at the airline. At the core of the People function will be a DEI strategy that will level the playing field, provide equitable opportunities, and enable all employees to thrive and reach their potential. Anne holds a B.Comm. (Management) degree, a H.Dip. in Psychology and an M.Sc. in Social and Organisational Psychology.  She has recently completed the Professional Certificate in Governance.  Anne has worked in organisations as diverse as PTSB, Accenture and Twitter and is proud to be a non-executive director of the Special Olympics Ireland. Passionate about human performance and using data to make great people-related decisions, Anne recently co-authored a book, ‘How to be a CPO’, with Jennifer Geary.

Shane is a Director at KPMG Sustainable Futures leading the ESG & Sustainability service line. Sustainable Futures are a dedicated cross-functional team of experts who help corporates and public sector clients plan and execute programmes addressing ESG topics, decarbonisation and long-term value creation. 

The team brings together a wide range of disciplines including sustainability practitioners, economists, engineers, corporate strategists, accountants and financiers to help clients navigate the complex and fast evolving climate change and sustainability agenda. Our service lines include ESG & Sustainability, Decarbonisation & Circular Economy, Renewable M&A, Energy Advisory, Reporting & Assurance and Sustainable Finance. 

Claudia Hügel has been responsible for group-wide sustainability / ESG rating and reporting at Lufthansa Group for more than 5 years. She deals with the sustainability regulation landscape such as the non-financial declaration ,the EU Taxonomy and (draft) CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive), the European Sustainability Standards but also with the overall strategic aspects of ESG and future impacts for the airline industry In this capacity, she is also responsible for the Lufthansa Group’s Reporting which addresses in particular the finance industry such as Sustainability Factsheet, the TCFD-, SASB- and CDP reporting to name the most important ones.  

Claudia Hügel acts also as interface to the finance community and in particular towards investor relations and the rating agencies as well as corporate finance. Since 2001 Claudia has been working at Lufthansa Group in various senior management positions. She was responsible at headquarters for the global sales strategy and sales steering before moving to Singapore as country representative for Lufthansa being responsible for sales in parts of Asia including Oceania. Back in headquarters Claudia Hügel established lean management as an approach to agile working processes and set up a group-wide process academy. Before joining Lufthansa Claudia worked as a project manager at Roland Berger, International consultants for 4 years. Claudia studied business administration at Ludwig-Maximilian-University in Munich. 

Andrea held roles supervising back-office operations for various start-ups before commencing her career in the aircraft leasing industry in 2010. After spending five years in the insurance team at AWAS (now a part of DAE Capital), Andrea moved to BOC Aviation to work as VP and head of Insurance, building the insurance function from the ground up and handling matters relating to airline lease compliance, and the procurement of aviation and various non-aviation insurances.

In early 2023, Andrea created the Wilson Consulting Group to provide high quality insurance training and consulting services to the aircraft leasing industry. With 13 years’ experience in insurance in two global top 10 lessors, Andrea is an exceptionally skilled consultant with a strong network of contacts within the aviation leasing and insurance industries.

Andrea holds a BA in Business Studies from Trinity College, Ireland and is a Certified Insurance Professional with the Insurance Institute of Ireland. She is one of the founding members of PropelHer; a networking group that aims to inspire, motivate and enable women to advance their careers in aircraft leasing. Andrea is an ambassador for Airlink, a non-profit organisation that works with aviation and logistics partners to transport relief workers and emergency supplies for reputable non-governmental organizations (NGOs) responding to rapid-onset disasters and other humanitarian crises around the globe.

As Vice President of Sustainable Finance, Tom leads the global team focused on Green, Social, and Sustainable financial instruments. Tom has held senior roles across corporate finance, and asset management. Tom is active in the advancement of innovative financing structures to be leveraged in new industries and sectors. He is a contributor to the UNGC’s working group for the Global Guidance on Blue Finance based on the Sustainable Ocean Principles including SDG14 (Life Below water) and SDG6 Clean Water and Sanitation. Over the past several years Tom has been involved in initiatives to support blended finance solutions in emerging market infrastructure, closing the gap between vital development and private capital. He is a founding member of EMIF Group, established to provide sub-national governments in emerging economies with the capital and direction to develop critical urban infrastructure that is bankable for global private capital. In cooperation with UN Habitat and its Cities Investment Facility (CIF). In his private life, Tom is passionate about working to preserve healthy oceans, and supporting local artists. 

Éamon is an expert on green and sustainable finance, including debt capital markets and lending transactions, having advised the Irish state on their first green bond in 2018 and acted for a number of lenders and borrowers on sustainability-linked and green loan transactions in the Irish market. He has also advised on the development of a ground-breaking and award winning nature-based financing solution related to the development of new native Irish broad-leaf forestry. He frequently delivers presentations to industry organisations and clients on the latest developments in sustainable finance and also publishes regularly in this space.

Ms. Hara is the Executive Chairperson of ACG and is also a Senior Managing Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Tokyo Century Corporation (“TC”).  Ms. Hara assumed the Executive Chair role in December 2019 following TC’s acquisition of ACG.  

Ms. Hara joined TC in 2011 and has been responsible for strategic planning and cross-border M&A for TC’s specialty finance businesses with particular focus on the aviation sector.  

Prior to joining TC, Ms. Hara worked for Shinsei Bank and Citibank specializing in structured credit and asset finance. Prior to these roles, Ms. Hara was with Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank (now Mizuho Bank) fulfilling a variety of roles in corporate and investment banking, including several years in the London and New York offices. 

Ms. Hara holds a B.A. in International Relations from Tsukuba University and a certificate in Leadership and Management from UCLA Anderson School of Management. 

Peter was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2004. He has worked in aircraft leasing and finance for over 30 years, starting his career with Guinness Peat Aviation (GPA). Peter holds a B.Eng from University College Cork (UCC).

Andrea Dermody has over twenty years experience working across the Global Financial Services marketplace. With experience in Talent Management, Learning & Development and Diversity & Inclusion, most recently Andrea led inclusion and diversity for State Street in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) with responsibility for fourteen European locations, 12,000 employees and 50+ Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). She is now managing director of her own consulting practice, Dermody, working with clients across healthcare, technology, engineering, financial services, aviation and semi-state environments.

Andrea holds a BA in History and Economics and a PgD in Business Studies from UCD and a MSc in Human Resource Development from Sheffield Hallam University. She has also completed a course in Black Studies with the Institute of Antiracism and Black Studies. She is a qualified executive coach and a chartered fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Andrea specialises in helping organisations to build inclusive cultures that embrace multiple points of view to drive business success. As deputy chair of the financial services sub-committee of the 30% Club in Ireland from 2019 to 2022, Andrea led their pivotal research project, “Making the Change Count”, working to drive gender diversity and she was also a founding member of the steering committee for OUTstanding in Ireland at its inception in 2017, driving LGBT+ inclusion across the marketplace. She is an adjunct lecturer in Dublin City University Business School and since 2021 has been Programme Director for the Irish government initiative, Balance for Better Balance, supporting Irish business to achieve gender balance at board and leadership level. Clients include semi-state utility organisations, global insurance companies, technology startups and multi-national construction organisations.

Nicholas Halterman is a Senior Associate at the Rocky Mountain Institute’s (RMI) Center for Climate Aligned Finance, where he is a member of the sectoral decarbonization team. Since 2021, he has served for the as the technical lead for the Aviation Climate Aligned Finance Working Group, an initiative facilitated by RMI in conjunction with six global financial institutions to develop a consistent and robust measurement and disclosure standard for aviation financiers.

Prior to joining RMI, Nicholas was a research fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. He holds a B.A. in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from Balliol College, University of Oxford. 

Engineer from Danish Technical University 1989.  I have been with Topsoe for +30 years in many rules (engineer, start-up of plants, Project manager, Head of Engineering in Denmark and India, Head of sales in the Middle East and head of Sales globally). Country manager for Arcadia in Denmark and plant manager for Arcadia eFuels in Denmark.

An accomplished director with a demonstrated history in leading data and news businesses who leverages an extensive aviation industry network and financial expertise to inform business decisions that support the transition to net-zero emissions. Known for creating exclusive aviation financial intelligence, investigative journalism, new market development, strategy, tailored advanced analytics, price discovery and public speaking. Before joining Airfinance Journal to deepen its data and news services, Laura created and launched the financing news platform at Cirium following the sale of her media company to Reed Business/Relx.  

Ali UZUN serves as the General Counsel and Sustainability Director for Pegasus Hava Taşımacılığı A.Ş. (Pegasus Airlines). Ali has been leading Pegasus Airlines’ legal work since 2013, and in 2022, he took on the responsibility of the newly established Sustainability Office. His work covers legal matters, administrative governance of board functions, engagement with stakeholders and the governance of sustainability efforts across the company. He also serves as the chair of IATA Legal Affairs Council, as a board member at Hitit Bilgisayar Hizmetleri A.Ş. (Hitit Computer Services)  and is a board member and member of the board of trustees at Sağlık ve Eğitim Vakfı (Health and Education Foundation). A lawyer by profession, he graduated from the Galatasaray University Law Faculty in 2007 and is a member of the Istanbul Bar Association. He holds several professional certificates relating to capital markets, data privacy, sustainability strategies, and sports law.

Julie is a seasoned aviation professional with over 25 years of experience in the industry. After spending 15 years at GECAS, Julie joined Shannon Engine Support (SES) as CEO in 2013.  2023 marks her 10^th anniversary as CEO of SES, Julie has played an integral role in driving the company's growth and success.  Under her stewardship, SES has significantly expanded its portfolio of LEAP spare engines and has worked to expand its customer base and solutions. Her strategic leadership has helped to establish SES as the world's largest lessor of CFM56 and LEAP engines.

Julie is a respected leader in the aviation industry, and her deep knowledge and experience have been invaluable in guiding SES through a period of rapid growth and change. She is committed to building strong relationships with customers, partners, and suppliers and is passionate about providing innovative solutions that meet the ever-changing needs of the industry.

Ulrike Ziegler is president of impact on sustainable aviation e.V., a non-profit association founded in early 2022 by leading financiers, lessors, consultancies and universities in Aviation. impact e.V., a global platform, promotes climate protection in civil aviation by developing effective industry standards for translation into a sustainability-linked finance framework. Furthermore impact e.V. engages in facilitating the funding of technologies (e.g. SAF), which are crucial for decarbonizing aviation.

Ulrike has more than 20 years aviation experience and held senior positions at UniCredit Bank as Global Head of Aircraft Finance and at ING Germany as Head of Aviation. She has worked with airlines and lessors around the globe at various stages of their business development. Keen to facilitate change she has spearheaded major strategic projects at both UniCredit and ING.

Ulrike has served as long-standing member of the Investment Committee of the HSH Global Aircraft I fund. Prior to her aviation career she has worked in Project Finance, Export Finance and Syndications.

In his role at Uniper Innovation, Harald’s job is to transform Uniper into a leading company for achieving a carbon neutral energy system. With his team, Harald is responsible for developing Uniper towards an SAF producer. He has gained a vast experience in project development, technology and regulation regarding Power-to-Liquid, Biofuels and Hydrogen. He has initiated and developed the SkyfuelH2 project, being one of the first PBtL-SAF projects worldwide. Harald is part of the an SAF expert group of the German government as well as the EU Renewable Low Carbon Fuels Alliance on SAF.

Prior Uniper, Harald was Managing Director of the German energy think-tank EWI, being one of the firsts to analyse in-depth the role of H2 and PtL for achieving climate neutrality in Germany (e.g. dena Leitstudie). Besides, Harald worked twice at the IEA, became reviewer of the World Energy Outlook, and was member of a 5 people expert panel consulting the British government.

Harald holds a PhD in Energy Economics, a diploma in Economics and a diploma in Geoinformation Sciences.

Jorge Dieguez joined IATA more five years ago to coordinate the global advocacy related to Distribution and Payments.

Since September 2021 he holds the position of EU Affairs Director, ensuring IATA’s dialogue with all EU Institutions and Brussels-based stakeholders.

Prior to this assignment, Jorge worked in equivalent roles in the most prominent companies of the steel and chemical sectors. He has always been motivated by reaching consensus among stakeholders and policy makers in order to find suitable solutions for the industry that meet societal expectations.

Working for Arcelor Mittal he was very much involved in the adoption of EU Emission Trading Scheme, and for several years coordinated the Public Affairs Committee of Eurofer, the European Steel Federation.

In his position at DuPont he was very active in coordinating the industry position towards the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the Ozone Layer, successfully resulting in an agreement to radically reduce related emissions, estimated at around 2% of the global total.

Jorge has always been a passionate about commercial aviation, and his career made of him a very frequent traveler that understands well the consumer perspective of airline industry,

Heida Njola Gudbrandsdottir has served as Deputy Chief Operating Officer of Icelandair since 2021. Before joining Icelandair in 2016, she was Leader of Condition Based Maintenance at Rio Tinto Alcan in Iceland and later Manager of Customer Service at Marorka, focusing on energy efficiency in shipping. At Icelandair Heida’s main responsibilities include the OCC operation, integrated planning and performance, climate action and energy transition partnerships. Heida holds a BSc degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Iceland and a MSc degree in Financial Engineering from Reykjavik University, Iceland.

Dr Christoffer Lythcke-Elberling is Head of Transition Analytics at the ‘Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping’, a non-profit research and development center established to catalyze shipping’s transition to carbon neutrality. Christoffer’s team is the Center’s analytical heart, working across all expertise areas to assess what interplay between technology development, business practice, and market frameworks that is needed to drive the shipping industry’s transition to net-zero.

Following his graduation as Ph.D. in applied thermodynamics from the Technical University of Denmark, Christoffer joined the sustainable energy company Ørsted and has worked with offshore wind operations and e-fuel production business development at various stages across the globe.

Christoffer is a member of the Danish Young Academy of Technology, Science & Innovation and sits in the advisory board to the Sustainable Energy education at the Technical University of Denmark. In 2023, he was listed on the renowned ‘Berlingske Talent 100’ as one of the top 100 rising talents in Danish business.

Özlem joined MUFG in Nov 2019 as a Director in Aviation Origination team in London. She covers aviation clients in EMEA providing a variety of secured aviation financing solutions involving portfolio, warehouse, PDP and engine financings amongst others. Prior to MUFG Özlem worked for DVB Bank for around 11 years Netherlands, Greece and the UK in aviation and shipping finance in various teams. Özlem is part of the ESG team in Global Aviation Finance Office at MUFG and have been a speaker in conferences on the subject.

Karen is a Co-Founder and Director of SustainabilityWorks (SW), a consultancy on a mission to accelerate Ireland’s transition to a sustainable future. She specialises in helping businesses develop, implement and communicate ambitious sustainability and ESG strategies. Over her 20-year career Karen has advised many well-known businesses and brands in Ireland and internationally across a wide range of sectors, from energy, to retail, to healthcare, to aviation.

Prior to SW, Karen worked in London for the Carbon Trust and for sustainability consultancies Salterbaxter and Corporate Culture. She has a Masters in Organisational Psychology from the London School of Economics and a BA in Psychology from Trinity College Dublin. Karen is a member of the Guaranteed Irish Appraisals Board and a big advocate for the leadership role Irish business and industry can play in delivering on our national climate action goals.

CEO in Nordic Electrofuel since February 2016.

Have successfully developed the company and funded it with seed capital. Have negotiated and secured important contracts together with his team, which includes off-take, utilities, CO2 supply, long term renewable Power, Oxygen deliveries / distribution.

Have built up the organization with a very high qualified management team.

Brought the company through Basic Engineering and ready for construction.

Secured a maximum grant award of €40 million from the EU Innovation Fund in July 2023, were the company also scored highest of all Mid-sized projects achieving 82.5 out of 90 points.

Background and synopsis:

Corporate and investment finance professional with 31 years of Investment banking experience. Very extensive experience from fundraising and M & A Activity. Leading and participating in huge amount of Placements. Previously top rated and high profiled Investment analyst both domestically and internationally. Has shown high entrepreneurship through founding and developing an Investment Bank from 2 to 50 employees and going from NOK0 to NOK80 in Revenues in five years.

Co-founder of two investments banks and CEO of both. Have advised many companies which under his guidance have grown to large companies. Have in all jobs been a significant contributor for the Companies where he worked.

Co-Founder and previous board member of Norge Mining and CEO of Norwegian subsidiary Norge Mineraler a company which has reported one of largest mineral discoveries in the world in the recent years.

Lev is a partner in the Climate Finance team at Philip Lee LLP.  He spent the first six years of his career as an aircraft finance lawyer with Vedder Price both in London and in Singapore. He then spent several years with Baker McKenzie in Sydney where he redirected his practice towards renewable energy projects and international climate change law. His current practice focuses on climate change mitigation projects in the Global South including nature conservation and restoration, waste management and energy efficiency in the verified carbon market and in the markets developing under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Philip Lee also has a growing practice in sustainable aviation fuel finance and offtake mandates. In September of this year Philip Lee won the Best Law Firm for Voluntary Carbon Markets award by the leading internationally publication, Environmental Finance Journal.

I’m responsible for developing and implementing sustainability and ESG strategy across Avia Solutions Group, having joined Avia Solutions Group early in 2021. Previously, I worked for two years as a consultant and auditor in sustainability and climate change department of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), where I had the opportunity to work with legal frameworks, business dynamics, and environmental challenges.

Additionally, I spent three years between road transportation and finance sectors, absorbing and understanding the keys of both industries. Also, I studied Law and Business Administration complemented by a master’s in Environmental Management. 

Andy Cronin was appointed Avolon’s Chief Executive Officer in October 2022 and is a globally recognised leader within the aviation industry, having held a range of senior roles across the sector for more than 20 years. 

As part of the founding team and serving as Avolon’s CFO from 2010 to 2022, Andy has played a central role in building the company to the industry-leading position it holds today. He has successfully led Finance and Capital Market teams through numerous capital raises, corporate acquisitions, and most notably Avolon’s listing on the NYSE. 

Prior to joining Avolon, Andy served as SVP Investor Markets at RBS Aviation Capital with responsibility for disposal, financing and debt syndication of operating lease and structured debt products to a wide pool of investors and banking communities. Before working at RBS Aviation Capital, Andy worked in numerous commercial and operational roles at FLS Aerospace. 

Andy has a Bachelor of Engineering degree and a Master of Industrial Engineering degree, both with First Class Honours from University College Dublin. 

Having an engineering academic background originally, Vincent has been working within the banking industry and for SG for close to 20 years as of today.

Since 2011, he has been working in and responsible for activities and teams within the structured asset-based finance division of SG CIB, focusing more particularly on projects and assets related to the transportation sector (road, rail, shipping and aviation).

Since the end of 2022, his focus is entirely on the aviation market as Vincent is now responsible of the advisory activity of the aviation business line, which encompasses strategic, commercial and financial advisory, M&A, private capital raise, and ESG advisory, notably in relation to the decarbonization trajectory for the aviation industry.

Ryan Faucett is the Director of Environmental Sustainability at Boeing, where he has responsibility for strategy, global partnerships, and climate policy within Global Environmental Sustainability (GES). In this capacity he provides strategic direction for Boeing’s leadership role in de-carbonizing the aviation industry.

Previously, Ryan led global enterprise market intelligence and market development within Corporate Strategy. He was responsible for future market intelligence and forecasting, competitive intelligence, external benchmarking, as well as inorganic strategy, partnership, & business development integration. He led efforts to create a lifecycle strategy for the New Middle Market (NMA) development program within BGS business development. He has also been a Product Line leader with PL responsibility for a division of Aftermarket parts within BGS.

Early in his Boeing career he helped drive the BCA and EHS environmental integration platform, including one of the world’s first sustainable aviation biofuel business cases, policy analysis, and chairing of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group (SAFUG). He began his Boeing career as an intern in the Commercial Aviation Services Sales and Marketing Organization.

He holds an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA, and a B.A. from the University of Washington. Ryan lives in the Seattle Area with his wife Kelsey and sons Benjamin and Bradley.

Anders Fagernæs is Vice President Sustainability in Norwegian. Norwegian has an ambitious target to improve carbon efficiency by 45 per cent by 2030 compared to 2010. The target will be achieved through three measures: operational efficiency, fleet renewal and sustainable aviation fuels. Pilots in Norwegian are using new data-driven technology to fly smarter, and plans for a full fleet renewal by 2030. Norwegian also entered a partnership agreement with Norsk e-Fuel spring 2023, including both offtake and equity investment.

Jonathan is Vice President for Neste’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) business, responsible for all Commercial and Technical activities globally. Jonathan has led Neste’s SAF business in the Europe/Middle East & Africa region, including engagement with government authorities and policy makers on regulatory matters, to accelerate the use of SAF and support the aviation industry on its path to reduce emissions. Neste is the global leader in renewable fuels and circular solutions.

Jonathan has extensive senior level experience in renewables and the energy industry, responsible for commercial, business development, strategy, M&A, marketing and operational activities. The last 10 years Jonathan has focused on the aviation fuel business.

Jonathan graduated in Economics from London University, and completed an Executive MBA programme at Harvard Business School.

Jan Melgaard has worked with financing, leasing and investing in commercial jet aircraft throughout his career. Prior to joining FPG Amentum in 2010 Jan was CEO of Nordic Aviation Capital and President/CEO of Volito Aviation (spearheaded a joint venture with Goldman Sachs).

Jan has been an active speaker at several industry events and conferences and has co-authored articles appearing in industry publications such as The Aviation Economist and Airfinance Journal. He received his MBA from Columbia University in New York.

Adam Harris is the Founder and CEO of AsIAm, Ireland’s National Autism Charity. Adam founded the organisation based on his own experiences growing up on the autism spectrum. Today, AsIAm provides support to the autism people and their families, advocates on behalf of the community, and works to support public and private sector organisations and communities in becoming inclusive and accessible.

A Social Entrepreneurs Ireland Awardee, Adam is a frequent contributor to media and conferences in Ireland and overseas. He has also sat and advised on many government consultative and policy committees on disability rights and inclusion. From Greystones in Co Wicklow, Adam was appointed to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission in July 2020.

Stephane is the General Manager EMEA of LanzaJet, a US based sustainable fuels technology company dedicated to carbon recycling and expanding sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the decarbonization of the aviation industry.

Stéphane has 25-year extensive international experience developing sustainable and innovative renewable energy and chemical solutions for both startups and multinational companies.

Prior to joining LanzaJet, Stéphane was heading Sustainable Aviation Fuels activities of the French multinational integrated energy company TotalEnergies. Before, he was the Managing Director Asia Pacific for Ingevity, a leading global manufacturer of renewable specialty chemicals and materials. Previously, he led Cool Planet – a US startup company dedicated to establishing sustainable products for the energy, food, and water markets – equity raise and international expansion. Before that, Stéphane held various positions in the fields of sales and marketing, business and corporate development as well as strategy.

Stéphane earned a Master of International Management from ESLSCA, a Grande Ecole in Paris, France and an Executive MBA from Temple University Fox School of Business in Philadelphia, PA.

Donal Handley has worked in the aviation industry for 22 years and joined AerCap as Head of Government Affairs in 2022. Donal engages with all parts of the aviation value chain on behalf of AerCap, including European and global policy makers as well as aviation industry stakeholders. Donal is active in all of AerCap’s decarbonisation initiatives and supports AerCap’s ESG Management Committee.  

Prior to joining AerCap, Donal was Chief of Staff EUROCONTROL, where he was responsible for overseeing and coordinating the implementation of the Director General's mandate, coordination of strategic affairs across the Agency and managing the activities of the DG's Cabinet. Donal also oversaw the activities of EUROCONTROL's Aviation Intelligence Committee, the Agency Management Board, as well as strategic communication and stakeholder activities. Donal also oversaw EUROCONTROL’s Aviation Sustainability Strategy including positions on SAF, decarbonisation papers and communications and collaboration on EU initiatives. 

Prior to joining EUROCONTROL, he held various positions with the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) from 2004 to 2017, including the position of Head of Corporate Affairs (from 2012-17), with executive responsibility for Shareholder Relations; Communications; International Affairs; Quality Management; Property; and Business Continuity. Other previous roles with the IAA included Functional Airspace Block Senior Manager; Commercial Manager; and Senior Business Analyst. Prior to joining the IAA, he was a Senior Economic Analyst with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), based in London. Prior to IATA, he worked for Aer Lingus as an Economic Analyst in Dublin. 

He has an honours Masters Degree (M.Econ.Sc) in European Economic & Public Affairs from University College Dublin, as well as an honours Bachelor of Arts Degree (B.A.) from University College Dublin. 

Kristen Richmond was appointed EU Government Affairs Managing Director in August 2022.

In this role, Richmond will represent the company’s interests with European Union institutions, international organisations, suppliers and partners in the region with a focus on commercial aviation issues.

As part of Boeing’s European team, she will contribute to the strong connections and solid relationships with stakeholders across the region and support policies that advance the EU economy, promote sustainable growth, and contribute to a safe, innovative and competitive aerospace system that connects EU citizens and businesses.

Richmond brings to Brussels over 30 years of private and public sector experience in policy, law and international business.

Prior to her current position, she served in various key strategic and executive positions across Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Boeing International, Boeing Capital Corporation, as well as at Microsoft, the American Heart Association and the U.S. Senate, where she started her policy career as legislative aide in Washington, D.C.

Richmond graduated from the University of Oregon School of Law and practiced law for five years before returning to her work in policy. She is a member of the bar in both Alaska and Washington state. She earned a bachelor’s degree in European history and diplomacy from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

As the Aviation Lead at the Mission Possible Partnership and the Energy Transitions Commission, Max develops strategies how to align the aviation sector and other hard-to-abate sectors with a 1.5°C target. 

Max holds a PhD in CO2 reduction strategies for the European transport sector from ETH Zurich, Switzerland, and Master’s Degrees in Mechanical Engineering and in Automotive Engineering from the Technical University of Munich, Germany. Due to his prior engagements at AUDI, BMW, Deloitte and Siemens, he combines industry expertise from the transport and the energy sector. 

Max is working on climate change mitigation since ~395 ppm CO2 and is convinced climate action is a chance, not a burden. 

Leigh is International Airlines Group’s Sustainable Aviation Fuels and Carbon manager. Over the last 10 years, Leigh has worked on sustainable fuels policy and SAF project development in the UK, EU and internationally and is a member of the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s Fuel Task Group.  Leigh is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and works on developing the group’s investments and offtakes to deliver against IAG’s Net Zero targets.

Julien Manhes graduated from the ENSICA, a French aerospace engineer school, in 2001 and got a master in project management from the French business school HEC in 2002. He started his aviation career in 2002 at Aircelle (now known as SAFRAN nacelle), a French engine nacelle manufacturer fully owned by the SAFRAN group.

He joined Airbus in 2005 and has worked in A380 Marketing as well as Airbus Product Strategy where he led studies on potential evolitions of the A380. In 2013 he worked again in Marketing, dealing with airlines in central and northern Europe and acting as a supervisor on other accounts.

He then contributed to the transition to digital and data analytics in particular for marketing before joining the contract leading a team in charge of aircraft pricing. In 2020, Julien became the executive assistant to the Chief Commercial Officer of Airbus. In this role he supported the CCO and his team handling the COVID crisis commercially.

Since June this year, he joined corporate affairs at Airbus as the leader of a project aiming at ensuring Airbus acts as a catalyst in the SAF deployment globally.

Julien is married and is the father of three kids.

Oskar Meijerink is the head of Future Fuels at SkyNRG, a pioneer and global leader in the development of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The Future Fuels team runs over a dozen projects with the aim of developing new SAF production capacity in cooperation with technology suppliers and other partners. The aim of these projects is the commercialization of future SAF production pathways by assessing the technological and economic viability.

As head of the department, he is also responsible for SkyNRG’s advisory and research activities and he specializes in the commercialization of CO2-to-jet, Fisher-Tropsch and Alcohol pathways. Oskar studied Energy Science at Utrecht University and graduated with distinction by assessing investments in the biojet fuel industry at Imperial College London. 

Since 2020 Dietmar Bloemen is the Sustainable Aviation Programme manager of European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).  He is responsible to coordinate the Agency's sustainability projects and initiatives in line with the EU Green Deal Objectives and EASA's mission to ensure the highest level of environmental protection in aviation.  The programme covers topics such as sustainable aviation fuels (SAF),  novel green technologies and environmental certification methods, operational environmental efficiency measures and market-based measures and environmental transparency actions.   He is also responsible to prepare the Agency for its new role under the ReFuelEU Aviation regulation in particular as regards collecting and analyzing information related to SAF market status, SAF supply, fuel characteristics and regulation compliance status.  

Prior to his current position he worked at EASA in various roles including design organization approval team leader, certification specialist and project manager for international capacity building projects.  Prior to working for EASA, he worked for several years in the Belgian aerospace and airline industry.  Dietmar holds a Masters Degree in Aerospace Engineering from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. 

Josh Frederickson serves as the Director of the Pratt & Whitney Sustainability Office. In this role, Josh provides leadership for the execution of the P&W Sustainable Propulsion Strategy, which includes advancing energy efficient propulsion technologies, implementing sustainable aviation fuels, and protecting the environment through greener and more efficient operations. Serving under the Chief Sustainability Officer, Josh engages with policy makers, industry partners, and advocacy groups to advance the Pratt & Whitney and Raytheon Technologies Environmental, Social, and Governance strategy and plans. 

Prior to his current role, Josh led business development pursuits for the Pratt & Whitney Advanced Military Engines Program. Josh’s 20-year career in aerospace and defense also includes a 10-year civil service career with the U.S. Navy leading energy and environmental programs, including policy and budget development in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. 

Josh holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of Massachusetts and a master’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of Rhode Island.