The Judges

Gustavo is the Director of Abiax Air Aviation. Before co-founding Abiax Air in 2008, he was the Director of Strategy at the Latin American Airline Association, but also worked developing aviation projects for Canadian government. Before joining the aviation industry he held senior and CEO positions in the financial and insurance sectors within Latin America. Gustavo holds an MBA in Aviation Management from Concordia University, Montreal, a diploma in Sustainable Tourism and a degree in Business Administration. He teaches Evaluation of Investment Projects and Aviation Economics for Latin American civil aviation authorities. A writer, he has also participated in conferences as a speaker, moderator and chairman, and has attended more than 100 aviation and airport events.

Mohammed has 29 years’ experience of the ground handling industry, having enjoyed a career at Servisair, where he progressed through the ranks from Senior Operational Management roles to Vice President Business Development Global Cargo, sitting on the Ground Handlers Executive Committee.

Nick has worked in aviation since 2004, starting in ground handling dispatch and operations with Swissport at Manchester airport. He then moved into duty management positions, both front and back of house, before working as a service delivery manager, being responsible for key contracts including Emirates, Air France, KLM and Finnair. Nick joined Monarch Airlines in 2014, where he worked on operational performance and the development of risk management processes. In 2017 he joined easyJet at Gatwick, as a Quality & Safety Specialist, and latterly as Ground Operations Quality & Safety Manager from January 2019.

Max joined GHI in 2017 after launching and hosting conference and award events in the UK manufacturing industry. A trained journalist, Max strives to deliver innovative content on stage, online or in print that challenges, educates and entertains. As a non-aviation professional - Max is always eager to don the hi-vis jacket and get out on the apron to experience the everyday challenges facing ground handling businesses and their airline customers. Max graduated as a biochemist from Cardiff University in 2001. He became a NUJ/NCTJ accredited journalist in 2003. Max went on to an award-winning 14 year editorial career including stints at magazines in the UK pub, pharmacy and manufacturing sectors. Outside of work - Max is never far from a book, the fridge or the 5-a-side football pitch.

John has been in the civil aviation industry for over 50 years, initially with various airlines including British United Airways, before joining Servisair in 1968. He became Commercial Director, then Managing Director and subsequently Chairman and CEO. He was a founder Vice Chairman of the International Ground Handling Council and Chairman of the International Aviation Handlers Association since its formation, until December 2010. He now assists a number of ground handling related companies in various capacities in different parts of the world.

Desiree is a recognised expert in the aviation industry for her work with leadership teams and individuals on leadership and professional development. Prior to her 18 years in aviation, Desiree lived in Argentina, then Germany, before being relocated to the US in 2011. Desiree served as a senior leader in the aviation industry on a global level, leading multicultural customer excellence teams for some of the most recognised airlines, airports and service providers. During that time she witnessed first-hand the importance of leadership development. Desiree currently speaks on the importance of leadership development in an ever-changing aviation environment, with an increased focus on profitability, customer service and safety.

Celine is a recognized driver of positive change with 20 years of experience in international environment. Former Head of Cargo Transformation at IATA and Transition Director of TIACA, Celine is the founder of Change Horizon, a management consulting company which supports aviation and logistics organizations with their sustainable corporate strategies, development, and transformation projects. Passionate about learning & development, Celine is the co-founder of the IATA FACE program to attract, develop and retain the young talents in air cargo in 2013 and the Women in Aviation & Logistics (WAL) initiative to improve the gender balance within the industry in 2021.

Robert is Executive Vice President Cargo for Menzies Aviation, and based in Edinburgh. He re-joined Menzies in October 2017, having spent the previous nine years with Etihad, mostly based in the United Arab Emirates, where he held the position of Head of Cargo Operations, with accountability for hub operations and the global cargo handling network, overseeing significant growth of the airline and its cargo handling business. Prior to the move to Abu Dhabi, Robert’s first tenure with Menzies was a ten year stint in various commercial roles, including global key account management. He learnt the cargo business in his early years with Lufthansa Cargo based at London Heathrow in a number of operational and quality management roles. Robert is a former board member of cargoiQ and a current member of IATA’s Cargo Handling Consultative Council. He holds an Advanced Masters in Airline Operations Management from ENAC University in Toulouse, France.

Sam is the editor of Ground Handling International magazine, Air Logistics International and Ramp Equipment News. Being new to the industry, she’s hit the ground running meeting key players in Europe and the UK and growing her understanding of the key challenges facing the sector. She has more than 15 years of experience in journalism with previous newspaper and magazine publishing companies. She has travelled the world as a B2B editor of a previous African business title, covering multiple industries including air cargo. She has a BA (Hons) in Modern Languages and European Studies.

Olga is a Senior Manager at American Airlines, Airport Purchasing for Hubs & Spokes stations. Originally from Minsk, Belarus, she gained an undergraduate degree in Sociology from the Belarusian State University and worked in the market research sector prior to moving to the US.
Olga joined American Airlines in 2007, after completing her MBA in Marketing and Supply Chain at the NC State University.
She began as as a Commodity Manager with the Aircraft Interiors (Tech Ops) Purchasing group, where she managed IFE content, soft goods, galley inserts and several seat programmes, before moving on to the Field Services Purchasing group in 2011. Since then she has held several roles within the Purchasing group, supporting airports and cargo services within the US and internationally. She led a team through bankruptcy, service outsourcing, merger-related integration planning and contract consolidation and, most recently, a variety of customer improvement projects.