Event Speakers

Ainesh Advani is a Senior Consultant at Lufthansa Consulting. As a member of our Network and Fleet Management Solution Group, he brings with him over nine years’ aviation industry experience specializing in airline network and fleet strategy. His projects have involved airline network, fleet and schedule planning topics alongside air service development (ASD) for airports across the global market portfolio of Lufthansa Consulting

Bernie Baldwin has been in aviation publishing since he joined the Royal Aeronautical Society in January 1988 as production editor of The Aeronautical Journal. In October 1993, he became head of the Society’s publications department and editor of Aerospace, later Aerospace International.

In June 1998, Bernie became editor of Airlines International, published by Insight Media on behalf of IATA. At Insight Media, he was also associate editor of ACI’s Airport World.

Bernie moved in May 2000 to become editor of Regional Airline World. In 2007, he led the magazine’s change to become Low-Fare & Regional Airlines. In 2016, Bernie was instrumental in the latest brand change of the magazine to LARA.

Bernie left LARA in February 2017 to pursue a career as a freelance writer and editor.

In October 2015, Bernie received the ERA Award for Personal Excellence from the European Regions Airline Association (ERA) for "Outstanding contribution to intra-European air transport". He has also won three Aerospace Journalist of the Year awards (2000, 2003 and 2007) in the Best Regional Aviation Submission category.

In 2001, while studying Tourism and Hotel Management at Akdeniz University, Mr. Batu began his professional journey at Tantur and later joined the Work & Travel program, gaining international experience at Northstar, Denali Princess Lodge and in a restaurant in Pittsburgh. After nearly three years in the United States, he returned to Turkiye and continued his career at Gözen Aviation before transitioning to Corendon Airlines.

Over the years, he held roles in Security and Quality, Ground Operations Management and later Ground Operations Director, focusing on operational excellence, quality, safety, and IOSA compliance. Since 2023, he has been serving as Chief Operating Officer, overseeing the airline’s operational strategy, cross-functional coordination and performance across our international network.

Patrick Baudis is a seasoned aerospace executive and thought leader with over 30 years of global experience in commercial aviation. He has held senior roles at Airbus, Bombardier, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, where he led global marketing and strategy teams, contributed to multi-billion-dollar sales campaigns, and played a pivotal role in the launch of major aircraft programs including the A320neo, A350, and C Series (now A220).

Patrick is the co-founder of Airline Factory, supporting airlines with business planning, fleet and network optimization, and strategic growth. He also leads Ascendium Aero Advisory, advising OEMs, suppliers, and service providers on product definition, market positioning, and commercial strategy.

An aeronautical engineer (ENAC, France), Patrick combines technical depth with commercial expertise. He has led multicultural teams across five continents and advised top industry leaders on high-stakes decisions. He is currently based in Paris.

Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Lublin University of Technology. He completed postgraduate studies in agriculture at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, human resource management with a focus on European standards at the Warsaw School of Economics, and an MBA at Lublin University of Technology. From 2019 to 2020, he was a member of the University Council of Lublin University of Technology.

Since 2006, he has been running a business in the field of insurance. Since 2008, he has been the owner of a marketing and event company, responsible for organizing festivals and concerts, commercial negotiations, the company’s economic policy, and team management.

City Councilor of Lublin from 2014 to 2024. Since 2019, he has been the Chairman of the Social Council of the Neuropsychiatric Hospital named after Prof. Mieczysław Kaczyński in Lublin, of which he has been a member since 2016. Since 2021, he has been a member of the Program Council of Polish Radio Lublin. From 2021 to 2024, he was the Director of Totalizator Sportowy, where he managed the managerial staff and administration, sales, strategy, and commercial negotiations. Member of the regional assembley of the Lubelskie Voivodeship for the 2024-2029 term.

A French/Danish national, Karin Butot worked for both French and Belgian media before joining the aviation industry more than 25 years ago. During this time, Karin established CONNECT Route Development Forum, a premium aviation event which has grown every year and is now in its 20th year. The last event took place in Tangier, and attracted over 650 delegates. Karin is based in Lyon, France, from where she runs The Airport Agency and CONNECT.

World Fuel Services (“WFS”) – a World Kinect Company – supplies and delivers liquid fuels across its marine, aviation, and land divisions. This includes an extensive global aviation service network, where we provide reliable branded and unbranded fuel supply at more than 100 airports in Europe and many more globally, at which we serve thousands of our customers each day. Tom Cahill, Sustainable Fuels Advisor, leads our European biofuels strategy and oversees SAF supply and compliance.

Managing Director in Aeroports de Catalunya (Airport Operator of the Generalitat de Catalunya – Regional Government of Catalonia), since 2008.

Background in regional airport management and development in competitive environments; such as UK, Spain and Sweden.

Founder and doer of high social impact projects. Specialist in the start-up of new organizations and projects in private and public sectors.

MSc in Civil Engineering specialisation in Transports and Energy, holds Degree in Business Administration and Management, and a Degree in Law.

Andrew Doyle is Senior Director, Market Development for aviation data and analytics specialist Cirium. Currently based in London and responsible for managing the group’s strategic relationships with aircraft manufacturers, aftermarket service providers and suppliers, Andrew has worked for Cirium for 30 years. He most recently spearheaded the launch by Cirium of a suite of BI tools providing accurate estimates for block fuel and emissions for airline flights worldwide. An Aerospace Engineering graduate, he served as a journalist for 18 years covering all aspects of the industry, including a total of five years based in Germany and Singapore. He also edited aviation tradeshow publication Flight Daily News for several years

Ever since writing her first airline magazine article two decades ago, Chloe Greenbank has been immersed in aviation media. She started out working for one of the world’s leading inflight magazine publishing firms, where she helped launch and edit titles for carriers including Brussels Airlines, easyJet, Virgin Express and MyTravel. She was also tasked as a consultant to oversee publications for Korongo Airlines and Air Burkina. An avid traveller, Chloe currently edits Regional Gateway magazine – the B2B title dedicated to championing regional and secondary airports around the globe. She also contributes to LARA magazine and regularly moderates at Aviation Africa.

Omar has over 16 years of global experience with airlines, consultancy, academia and government. Industry experience includes various roles in consulting in diverse markets at ICF, Lufthansa Consulting and Informa. Direct airline work includes extensive experience at Corporate Planning at Qatar Airways and work with Emirates in house consulting. Omar is a guest lecturer and has spoken at leading industry events. Having travelled to over 42 countries has given him a unique stance on international business and client relations.

Specialism: Client management, route planning analysis and strategy formulation
Languages: English and conversational French, Urdu and Hindi
Qualifications: BA Economics and Geography (University of London) and MSc Air Transport Management (Cranfield University)
Based: London, UK

Marcin Jakóbczyk is a law graduate of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin and holds an MBA from the University of Economics and Humanities.

He has served as a Lublin City Councilor since 2018. Previously, he worked as an advisor to the Lublin Voivode and as the Minister of Education and Science’s Plenipotentiary for relations with local government. He also works in public communication as a member of the press corps of the Marshal of the Lublin Voivodeship.

Beyond his professional activities, he has a strong interest in sports, cinema, and music. He has also hosted radio programs, including on Radio Centrum, which reflects his long-standing engagement with media and public communication.

At the beginning of his airline career, Andrzej worked for LOT Polish Airlines, joining the sales department in 1997 and becoming Manager at the Strategy and Planning Department in 2001. 
In 2004 he was running up the first Polish LCC. Afterwards, he was Director Network and Revenue Management of Centralwings.  In 2007 he joined the BMI Group (bmibaby) as Head of Network Planning and Revenue Management.

In 2009 he has launched LOT-Charters, a leisure brand of LOT Polish Airlines. As Executive Sales Director of LOT Polish Airlines he introduced a new tour operator: LOT Travel. 
 
In 2006 he created Enter Air’s business plan and in April 2010 the first flight took off. 
As a Chief Commercial Officer of Enter Air he has been supporting a dynamic growth of this leisure airline from the very beginning of 2011. 

He has graduated from the Warsaw University of Technology, as well as Berlin University of Technology, where he specialised in airline management. He also completed a post graduate in safety management studies at the London Business School. 
Including Polish he is fluent in five languages (English, German, Czech, and Russian). In his spare time he enjoys mountain hiking, sailing and listening to music. 

Maria joined Hermes in 2009, bringing along considerable experience in the airline business having worked for over 18 years for Cyprus Airways.  Her aviation experience covers a broad spectrum of expertise ranging from commercial and sales to project management and operational disciplines.

In her role as the Senior Manager of Marketing and Communications, Maria is responsible for air service development at Larnaka and Pafos airports alongside the smooth functioning of corporate communication, implementation of digital strategies, stakeholders’ relations aswell as media and community outreach.

Maria is an MBA degree holder from the University of Abertay Dundee in Scotland and the Cyprus International Institute of Management. She is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, having acquired its Diploma in Marketing. She also has an AS Diploma in Hospitality Management from Daytona Beach College in the United States.

Vice President of Lublin Airport, responsible for development and strategic cooperation. He previously held supervisory roles at Lublin Airport and other companies, contributing to strategic decision-making and long-term organizational growth.

He is a member of the Regional Economic Council and the Council of the Lublin University of Technology.

He holds degrees in Management and Marketing from Maria Curie-Skłodowska University and an MBA from the Lublin University of Technology. With over 20 years of experience, he has been actively involved in business initiatives focused on partnership and collaboration

Dariusz Krzowski has been involved in the aviation industry for years. He graduated from the Lublin University of Technology, specializing in helicopter construction. He worked at the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency as Director of the Technical Services Office and Head of the Aviation Operations Department, at the General Inspectorate of Civil Aviation, and was also a member of the Regional Commission for Aircraft Accident Investigation.

He collaborated with Exin, White Eagle Aviation, and SprintAir.

He is a professional pilot. He holds the Gold Glider Badge with Diamond.

Head of Poland Convention Bureau - Polish Tourism Organisation (PTO). Associated with the PTO and the promotion of Poland since 2008. Recipient of the MP Power Awards (2013, 2020, 2023), the “Merit for Tourism” badge (2016), the Vistula Compass Awards (2024), and the Meetings Star title – The Most Influential People in New Europe (2024). In 2025, she became the first person from Central Europe to receive the Paul Flackett IMEX Academy Award. Honorary member of SITE Poland (since 2021), SKKP (since 2025) and MPI Poland (2024–2026). Co-organiser of the ICCA Congress (2022), juror for the UN Women USA Award (2022), and co-author of the book “Ensemble: From Solo to Symphony” (2025). Graduate of the Warsaw School of Economics (2004) and EAD (2014).

Annabelle Lepièce is a partner of the Antitrust, Competition and Trade department of CMS Belgium.
Annabelle advises airports, airlines and groundhandlers on all aspects of European law relating to the air transport sector: antitrust, State aid, Foreign Subsidies Regulation, European directives and regulations, enquiries by national authorities, licenses, etc. For 25 years, she has represented French, Belgian, Dutch, Romanian and Spanish airports and public authorities implicated in investigations led by the European Commission on alleged aids to airlines and airports and she has assisted public entities, airports, and airlines in the notification of aid for the infrastructure, start-up aids, restructuring aid, aid for the energy and the protection of the environment, etc. She advises her clients on strategies relating to airport charges and commercial incentives, she proposes legal options to develop new routes, including PSOs, and she drafts commercial contracts, regulations, codes of conduct, etc. Recently, she has advised ACI and the UAF (the French Airports’ association) on the revision of the European Commission’s 2014 Aviation Guidelines and on a proposal for new start-up aid. Following the pandemic, she worked for various actors of the sector on identifying available public funding and setting up aid schemes for the relaunch of routes.

Yanina Matlak is an accomplished airline and travel industry professional with over 22 years of experience in sales, marketing, and airline commerce, including working for Aerolink LLC (GSA), Ukraine International Airlines, and LOT Polish Airlines. She has held leadership roles, including Director and Deputy Sales Director. Yanina is skilled in market analysis, negotiation, managing international partnerships, and implementing innovative sales technologies. She excels in fast-paced environments, driving revenue growth and brand loyalty. Passionate about leveraging her expertise, Yanina is open to networking and new opportunities to contribute to impactful projects in aviation and travel.

Laila Odiņa, Chairperson of the Board and Aerodrome Accountable Manager of Riga Airport and Chairperson of the Supervisory Board of Latvian Aviation Association, is an aviation professional who has been working in the industry since 1995. Laila holds degrees in business and aviation transport management from RISEBA University of Applied Sciences, City University London, and Zurich International Business School. Prior to becoming the manager of Riga Airport in 2020, Laila Odiņa held senior positions in the Latvian national airline airBaltic, UTair Airlines and Azerbaijan Airlines, as well as in the Board of the Latvian Transport and Communications Institute and Riga Airport Supervisory Board. Laila Odiņa's responsibilities have included the operational and personnel management of airlines, as well as strategic planning, and the development and implementation of procedures and operating standards to reach the financial, quality and safety objectives set by the airlines. Under the leadership of Laila Odiņa, Riga Airport has drafted an ambitious development strategy based on sustainability and growth, aiming to become a Northern European air traffic hub and a climate-neutral airport. In 2024, Laila was elected as a member of the ACI Europe Board.

Experienced aviation expert, CCO, with 25 years of demonstrated history in aviation.

He gained extensive experience in commercial operations, airport management and ground handling in airlines and ground handling companies. He served as Member of the Management Board for Commercial Affairs of the largest company in Poland providing ground handling services. Currently, he has been serving as Commercial Director at Lublin Airport for 5 years. He is responsible for commercial and network development there, focusing on aviation and non-aviation revenues.

He specializes in contract negotiations with international and domestic partners and optimization of operational processes.

He is honoured to be a member of the CONNECT 2026 hosting destination organising committee.
Local patriot, born and raised in Lublin, Poland. Previously, he worked on the municipal team responsible for investment promotion in Lublin and for acquiring FDIs. In 2020, he established the Lublin Metropolitan Tourism Organisation, a municipal DMO. Since then, he and his team have been working to put Lublin on the map as one of the most prominent tourist destinations in Poland and Central Europe. As Lublin was granted the title of European Capital of Culture 2029, he sees airline route development as a key logistical factor in the ECoC 2029's success. 

Valeria Rebasti is International Market Director at Volotea, the low-cost airline specializing in connections between small and medium-sized European cities.

She holds a degree in Political Science from the University of Milan and a Marketing Certificate from UC Berkeley. She has developed a solid and extensive career in the tourism and aviation sectors.

After serving for three years as Sales & Marketing Executive at the airline Go Fly, in 2002 she joined easyJet as Market Manager. In the following year, she assumed roles of increasing responsibility, becoming European Sales & Marketing Manager and General Manager Marketing & Sales at Jet2.com.

In 2012, she joined Volotea at the launch of the airline’s operations in the Italian market. She initially served as Commercial Country Manager for Italy, subsequently becoming Country Manager for Italy and Greece, later also overseeing South-East Europe, before being appointed to her current position.

Christophe is the founder and CEO of Milanamos, voted the Best Aviation Travel Data and Analytics Provider in 2021. Our objective is making travel technology as simple as possible, but not simpler! Our tool PlanetOptim.Future addresses the needs of airports, aircraft manufacturers, consulting, and small to medium and large airlines by providing market intelligence solutions. AIR.PM provides an integrated marketing planning suite for airlines, including scheduling, fleet optimization, route development, and dynamic pricing.

Christophe has twenty years of experience in the aviation industry working for a large international airline and for a major US based IT firm before launching his new ventures. He has an international experience during his consulting, working with major airlines such as Delta Air Lines, Aeroflot, Avianca, JAL, or EgyptAir. Christophe started his career in aviation working in pricing and revenue management and later worked on Network Planning. His consulting practices led him to manage airline restructuring and turnaround, start-up carriers, network and route development, commercial optimization, and specific system implementation projects.

Christophe has completed his academic studies in Econometrics with a thesis on “Systemic Models of Economic Disorganization” at the University of Aix-en-Provence and he has also graduated from the IAE Business School with a specialization on Marketing. Christophe is an invited contributor to the Air Business Academy and HEC business schools’ MBA programs.

Distinguished professional with over 25 years experience in the aviation industry. Broad-based background encompasses excellent strategy planning and execution skills, with demonstrated ability to develop innovative solutions and provide strategic direction. Highly motivated with a dedication to excellence and pride in personal performance. Portfolio of achievements includes growing and improving the profitability and performance, improving brand awareness, and identifying and capturing business opportunities. Respected as a hands-on leader  with effective interpersonal skills, comfortable working in diverse cultures, building good rapport with individuals in the work process, and providing a sense of commitment and contribution to the overall success of team objectives.

Marta works for ATR as Market Strategy Director to understand current and future market trends to ensure ATR’s aircraft competitiveness and leadership within the regional aviation segment. She performs extensive research on the regional aviation market and provides advice to airline customers in network optimization, new route openings, route profitability and commercial topics. Marta has been working in the aviation industry over 15 years. Prior to working at ATR, she held a leadership position in Marketing at Bombardier. She started her career in fleet planning at Iberia, moving to IAG in the post-merger integration of British Airways and Iberia and leading the commercial insights for IAG Cargo. Marta holds a BSc. and MSc. in aeronautical engineering from Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, as well as international management studies from Royal Holloway University.

He currently serves as Head of the Department of Strategy and Investor Relations at Lublin City Hall and as the Mayor’s Representative for the Lublin Subzone within the Euro-Park Mielec Special Economic Zone.

An expert and practitioner in strategic management, including city development strategies and foreign investment. Co-author of the Lublin Development Strategy 2013-2020 and the Lublin 2030 Strategy. Initiator of the Study in Lublin program, Lublin IT Upland (together with other Highlands ecosystems in Lublin) and the Lublin Medicine - Medical & Wellness Cluster.

He has spearheaded efforts to attract modern business services companies to Lublin, resulting in a threefold increase in employment in the industry in recent years.

Born on 3 October 1963 in Kraśnik. An experienced local government official, civil servant and politician. He is a history graduate from the Faculty of Humanities at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, with postgraduate studies in management at the University of Warsaw and education management at the Baltic Higher School of Humanities in Koszalin.

In his hometown, he was a teacher, school principal, councilor and deputy mayor. He served four terms in the Sejm. In 2015-2018, he was Secretary of State in the Ministry of Sport and Tourism, where he was responsible for financial support for sports infrastructure. He supervised the National Stadium, the Central Sports Centre and the Institute of Sport. He is a member of the presidium of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the chairman of the Presidential Council for Territorial Self-Government. On 21 November 2018, he was elected Marshal of the Lublin Voivodeship.

Sport is his great passion. He supports athletes and cheers for Polish teams in various disciplines.

Andras Szabo joined Wizz Air in 2016 and currently holds the position of Network Officer, overseeing the Group's Network strategy and development, Scheduling, Slots, and Airport development functions. During his tenure at Wizz Air he held various commercial and financial roles, including Head of Fleet Acquisition and Head of Network. Before joining Wizz Air he gained experience at Deloitte Central Europe in the fields of M&A Advisory and Corporate Finance. Mr. Szabo holds a Master's degree in Finance, as well as Bachelor's degrees in International Relations and in International Business, each from Corvinus University of Budapest

Journalist / Publicist/ Translator/ Aviation and tourism specialist.

Master of Business Administration in crisis management graduated in CEMI – Central European Management Institute in Prague.

A former employee of Austrian Airlines, he has many years of experience in sales and marketing for various airlines (including e.g. Ukraine International Airlines, Adria Airways, and others), has initiated various GSA projects in Central and Eastern Europe aimed at cooperation with airlines, regional airports, tourism promotion organizations, and others.

Tomasz Szymczak holds an academic background spanning Advanced European Studies from the College of Europe in Natolin (1996), an Executive MBA from Danube University in Austria (1998), and a Ph.D. in International Economics from the University of Gdansk (2013), where he focused his dissertation on the Boeing–Airbus transatlantic duopoly. His career includes senior leadership roles across Poland’s aviation and public sectors, starting as Senior Vice President for Development & Infrastructure at Kraków’s John Paul II International Airport (1999–2002). He later served as Deputy Director of Public Affairs at the National Bank of Poland, and held director-level responsibilities in government and public affairs for the A1 Toll Motorway project. Tomasz went on to lead Warsaw Airport Services and Centralwings Airline as President & CEO, before coordinating airport and infrastructure preparations for UEFA EURO 2012. His governance experience includes serving on the Managing Board of the Polish Erasmus+ National Agency. He has since held commercial and executive positions with Welcome Airport Services, Łódź Airport, Gdansk’s Starter Incubator, and currently serves as Acting CEO and SVP Commercial at Warsaw Modlin Airport.

Charles has 20 years experience supporting GPS navigation, runway safety, airspace design in a variety of roles including project management, training, sales and marketing. For the past 8 years he has working NAVBLUE, an Airbus company dedicated to Flight Operations solutions and services for airlines and aircraft operators; and now in Airbus Consulting overseeing commercial activities for airspace, flight operations, airport operations, cabin design and cybersecurity.

Antoine Toulemont is EU Affairs Adviser at AURA AERO. He has worked with DGAC, the French CAA, for over a decade, as well as with DG MOVE as Policy Officer and ERA as Net Zero Strategy Lead. He is an aeronautical engineer and holds a private pilot licence.

Nina Vojnić Žagar as the General manager of Pula Airport, with over 24 years of experience in Aviation Business, has gained extensive experience in leading the regional airport that is crucial to connectivity and economic development of its region

After graduating from the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Rijeka in 1999, she also graduated from MSC study in Non-Financial Reporting in 2008 at the same University.

She has extensive experience as an EU funding project manager.

Her personal skills include being flexible, reliable and possessing excellent time keeping skills. She is an enthusiastic, self-motivated, responsible and hard-working person. She is also a mature team worker as well as adaptable to all challenging situations. She is great at both working in a team environment and using her own initiative.

Philippe Wilmart has been in the airline industry for over 35 years. He started his career as Director for Belgian airline SABENA, serving in Italy and France. In April 1997, he joined Marseille Provence Airport as Marketing and Communications Director. In this position, he launched the low-cost terminal mp² and implemented Ryanair’s first base in France. In 2009, he became the Chief Commercial Officer of Geneva based carrier Baboo. From 2010-2016, Philippe worked for voyageprive.com as the Global Airlines Director, in charge of international aviation activity. In 2017, Philippe joined French OTA Misterfly-Digitrips to develop the company internationally, based in Barcelona. In 2019, Philippe was appointed CCO at Air Belgium. Between 2022 and 2025, Philippe has worked for various start-up OTAs and tour operators in France. In July 2025, Philippe joined Egis group (portfolio of 21 airports on 4 different continents) as Airport Route Development Director.