Routes Africa 2016

Tenerife, Canary Islands
• 26 – 28 June 2016

Routes Africa 2016

With 250 delegates expected, Routes Africa provides unrivalled cost and time-saving benefits, offering serious, business-focused discussions with senior decision makers on expanding your route network.

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Strategy Summit Speakers

Edmund Makona

CEO, Air Zimbabwe

Edmund Makona is the Chief Executive Officer of Air Zimbabwe (Private) Ltd, the national flag carrier of Zimbabwe employing around 800 people. He also serves as an ex officio member of the Airline’s Board of Directors. The organisation operates both domestic and regional flights and plans are underway to resume international flights.

His prior responsibility was Head of Quality, Safety and Security of Air Zimbabwe to which he has also been leading the IOSA program since 2007.Edmund Makona is a qualified aeronautical engineer by profession , has also served in various portfolios in the Airline including ground school technical conversion for pilots and training for engineers. He has represented Air Zimbabwe on various industry fora and has been involved in safety initiatives jointly spearheaded by AFRAA and IATA to a number of African Airlines.

His aviation career spans over thirty (30) years and is a strong believer in African Aviation Renaissance.

Africa is yet to release its full aviation potential and the best is coming.

Participating Talks and Sessions

Fernando Estrada

Chief Strategy Officer, Vueling

Currently holds the position of Chief Strategy Officer at Vueling Airlines, where reporting to the CEO, is responsible for business planning, strategy, alliances and corporate development. Prior to that held responsibilities in network planning, airport planning and slots at Vueling Airlines and led the team responsible of the merger between Vueling and clickair where he enrolled in 2007.

Before working for the airline industry, Fernando made a full range of strategy consulting work for 7 years in more than 8 countries.

Fernando has a BS degree in Telecommunication Engineering and a Master at IESE Business School.

Participating Talks and Sessions

Ali Tounsi

Secretary General, ACI Africa

Participating Talks and Sessions

Raphael Kuuchi

Vice President, Africa, IATA

Raphael Kuuchi is the IATA Vice President for Africa. He has many years’ experience in air transport management, operations and consulting. After working with an airline for 13 years, he joined the Nairobi-based African Airlines Association (AFRAA) in 2005, as Commercial Director and later as Director Commercial, Corporate and Industry Affairs. In this capacity, Mr. Kuuchi initiated and oversaw many projects in airlines business development, commercial operations, IT and communication, liberalization/market access, aero-political/regulatory affairs and training across Africa.

Now as Vice President for Africa, Mr. Kuuchi is leading the IATA Africa team in providing support to the growth and development of aviation and working with stakeholders to ensure safe, reliable, competitive and environmentally sustainable aviation business in Africa. Top on his priority list are issues of safety and security, liberalization, reducing the high cost of operations, regulatory harmonization, capacity building and the environment.

Mr. Kuuchi holds an MBA from Henley Management College, UK and a B.Sc. degree in Business Administration. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (FCILT) UK.

Participating Talks and Sessions

Richard Bodin

Chief Commercial Officer, fastjet

One of the co founders of Fastjet, Richards broad role encompasses Sales, Marketing, Distribution, Product, Yield management, Network development and Ancillary Revenue. 

Richard has spent his working life in travel and tourism.

After working 10 years overseas for the UK tour operator First Choice, he returned to the UK to complete an MBA. He then joined easyJet in its early years assisting in its growth from a pre AOC, wet lease operator to one that had over 35 B737’s flying an extensive route map across Europe. After easyJet, Richard has led the launch of another Low Cost Airline called Jet2.com in the UK, conceived and launched a brand new UK Tour Operator called Jet2holidays, and carried out a turnaround project for the Virgin Travel Group, launched easyJet holidays and an Online Travel Agent. 

Participating Talks and Sessions

Gad Wavomba

Senior Consultant, Sabre

Gad is a Senior Management Consultant within Sabre’s airline consultancy group, providing business consulting services such as Revenue Management, Network Planning, Pricing and Revenue Integrity for airline clients worldwide. He provides advisory to C-level global airline leadership teams while functioning as a liaison with clients for medium to large projects. Gad has worked with global carriers in developing strategies to maximize revenue and apply industry best practices across commercial groups.

His areas of expertise revolve around Revenue Management, Revenue Management O&D transition, Organization Structure & Processes, Commercial Management, SPA/Partnerships/Codeshare, Network Planning, and KPIs/Reporting. A certified multi-engine private pilot, Gad has a MBA from Aston Business School in Birmingham, United Kingdom and an undergraduate Airline Business degree from Embry- Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, United States. Prior to joining consulting, Gad held positions at Southwest Airlines, America’s largest domestic airline, in Network Planning and Revenue Management as well as Network Planning experience at Continental Airlines and Arik Air in Nigeria.

Participating Talks and Sessions

Yolanta Strikitsa

Director, Strikitsa Consulting

MBA from California State University Hayward (USA), BA from Gnesinykh State College (RF). During the last 15 years Yolanta has dedicated herself to management consulting and executive search. She has been living and working in USA, Russia and UK, where in 2003 she set up her own business. Prior to Strikitsa Consulting, Yolanta has been working for Morgan Chase, Leucadia National Private Equity and Price Waterhouse. Yolanta is fluent in English, Polish and Russian.

Strikitsa Consulting has been specializing in executive search and consulting services to airports and airlines from 2003 and have completed assignments in UK, Europe, Russia & CIS and SE Asia. 

Participating Talks and Sessions

Carlos Alonso

President, Tenerife Island Government

Stephanie Wear

Director of Economic and Air Service Development, Tenerife Tourism Corporation

Stephanie Wear is the Director of Economic Development of the Tenerife Tourism Corporation since 2012. Under her purview, she is responsible for air service development and attracting foreign direct investment to the island as well as promoting Tenerife as a leisure destination. The top priority of her department is to work with airports, airlines and corporations to create business opportunities on the island and increase the number of tourists that visit Tenerife.

Before her job at the Tenerife Tourism Corporation, she worked in the Foreign Trade Department of the Chamber of Commerce of Santa Cruz de Tenerife where she specialized in International Procurement and European Union projects. During that time, she was named as one of three Private Sector Liaison Officers (PSLO) of the World Bank in Spain. Previous to that position she had her own import company in the United States.

Born in Washington DC, Stephanie lived most of her life in the US before moving to Tenerife, Spain, eight years ago. Her dual nationality and cross-cultural background has been the main motivator for her line of work.

Participating Talks and Sessions

Mikhail Gordin

Director for Innovations, National Research Center

Mikhail Gordin, Director for Innovations of the National Research Center «Zhukovsky Institute” is a reputable aviation and airspace expert.

Graduated from Bauman Moscow State Technical University in 1993 Mikhail had extensive international career in high-tech manufacturing and energy sectors. The Russian National Research Center “Zhukovsky Institute” was established by the RF government in 2014 to coordinate all aeronautical research and development activities.

The Center manages five leading Russian State Research Centers: Central Aerodynamics and Hydrodynamics Institute after Professor Zhukovsky (TsAGI), Central Aircraft Engine Research Institute after Baranov (CIAM), State Scientific and Research Institute for Avionics System (GosNIIAS), Siberian Aeronautical Research Institute after Chaplygin (SibNIA), and Aeronautical Systems State Testing Range (GkNIIPAS). Mikhail serves as the Member of the Management Board for the Center and responsible for innovation and international development.

Participating Talks and Sessions

Vicente Dorta

CEO, Tenerife Tourism Corporation

Since last March 2016 is the Chief Executive Officer of Tourism of Tenerife . He has held the position of Director General of the Chamber of Commerce of Santa Cruz de Tenerife for the past 13 years, where he promoted projects such as the network of business incubators , the Factory of Tourism Innovation Canaries or programs to support the internationalization and competitiveness the provincial business community.

Previously he worked at the Commercial Office of Spain in South Africa and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI ) . BA in Economics from the University of La Laguna , is Master in International Business from the University of Surrey (England ), and has completed the Program Management and Business Management at ESADE Business School . In addition , it dominates the French and English languages.

Participating Talks and Sessions

Stephan Hannemann

Market Manager, MEA, Embraer

Mr. Stephan Hannemann, is a Market Manager at Embraer covering Africa & Middle East. Raised in Heidelberg, Germany, Stephan holds a banking degree from the Industry and Trade Chamber in Düsseldorf and a bachelor degree in Aviation Management from the University of Applied Sciences Bad Honnef / Bonn.

Stephan started his post-graduate career with Qatar Airways being based in Doha, Qatar, where he was responsible for the African and later European network as a Senior Analyst in the network planning department.  In this role he shaped the intercontinental network as well as ensuring the airline becoming a key player in Africa.

Subsequently he joined the Sales and Marketing team of Embraer in 2014, where Stephan supports airlines throughout the region with market, technical and product related tasks, whilst always offering active support in the fields of network planning and strategy.

In his free-time he enjoys skiing, surfing and travelling the planet.

Participating Talks and Sessions

Carolyn Burnett

Senior Conference & Industry Relations Manager, Routes

Participating Talks and Sessions

Neil Chernoff

Senior VP, Network Planning & Alliances, Iberia Airlines