Conference Programme Speakers
Michael Ivan Shau
Chief Operations Officer, Cebu Pacific Air
Michael Ivan Shau joined Cebu Pacific Air (PSE: CEB) in 2007 as the airline’s Vice President for Airport Services Department. Since then, he has held positions in various departments, such as procurement, human resources, information systems division (ISD), facilities, cargo, administration and ground support. In June 2014, he was appointed as President and CEO of Cebgo, Inc., CEB’s wholly owned subsidiary (formerly Tiger Airways Philippines).
In September 2016, he was reassigned to CEB to lead the development of the airline’s airport innovations, as well as the entry into service of the A321 containerized aircraft. Today, CEB operates out of 37 domestic and 26 international destinations, spanning across Asia, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and USA.
Prior to joining CEB, Mike served as the Business Unit General Manager of Universal Robina Corporation (URC) Packaging Division from 1999 until 2007. During his earlier years, he has also had experience in the field of manufacturing packaging materials.
Mike studied Industrial Management Engineering, Minor in Mechanical Engineering at the De La Salle University (1985), and attained a Master’s Degree in Business Management, Major in Production from the same university. He recently completed the Advanced Management Program in Harvard Business School (Boston, USA) last October 2018, in preparation for his new role as CEB’s Chief Operations Officer effective December 2018.
Participating Talks and Sessions
Bernadette Romulo-Puyat
Secretary, Philippines Department of Tourism
Having been introduced to public service at a young age, our guest of honor traces her roots from an illustrious line of statesmen and patriots. She is the second youngest in the brood of five of Development bank of the Philippines (DBP) Chairman, former Foreign Affairs Secretary, and former Senator Alberto G. Romulo and Ms. Lovely Tecson-Romulo. She is also the grandniece of former United National General Assembly President Carlos P. Romulo. Moreover, she is also the great granddaughter of Katipunan doctor Pio Valenzuela, after whom Valenzuela City was named after.
A product of the University of the Philippines where she graduated cum laude for her Bachelor degree in Economics and for her masteral degree, she started to serve the government from then on.
She was a lecturer at her alma mater from 1994 to 2006. Following this, she served as an Economic Consultant at the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) from 2001 to 2002, and the Presidential Management Staff from 2005 to 2006. She also served as Deputy Cabinet Secretary at the Office of the President in 2006.
In 2007, she was appointed as Undersecretary for Special Concerns, and in 2016 as Undersecretary for Agribusiness, Marketing, and Regional Engagement at the Department of Agriculture. During her stint in the DA, she was in charge of rural credit and headed various teams and committees in the areas of trade promotion, development assistance, international cooperation, and foreign investment. She was designated as Alternate Chairperson of the National Organic Agriculture Board (NOAB) and led initiatives for special sectors such as the women, youth, and the differently-able. She also headed market linkage activities and identification of investment opportunities in the agri-fishery sector. She headed the organizing teams for the conduct of DA’s TienDA Farmers and Fishermen’s Outlet, KISS ME Project, as well as the DA’s participation in Madrid Fusion Manila and Philippine Harvest, which she initiated in 2015 and 2016, respectively.
On May 2018, she was appointed as Secretary of the Department of Tourism where her work program includes the intensification of the promotion of sustainable and responsible tourism, increase investments in the tourism sector, enhance programs on tourism infrastructure, and pursue the implementation of the Farm Tourism Act which is seen to ultimately increase revenue streams in the countryside.
Participating Talks and Sessions
Pierre-Hugues Schmit
Chief Commercial Officer, VINCI Airports
A graduate of Ecole Polytechnique (Paris) in 2001 and the French National University of Civil Aviation (ENAC in Toulouse) in 2003, Pierre-Hugues has also spent one year in UC Berkeley as graduate student in transportation engineering.
Pierre-Hugues worked at the French CAA for 7 years, 3 of which as the head of the French Airlines Department (2006-2009).
From 2010 to 2012, Pierre-Hugues was working as an advisor to the French Transportation Minister. He then joined Aéroports de Paris as deputy director of the Le Bourget division. In 2014, along with three partners he founded La Compagnie, a scheduled airline based in Paris delivering pure business class service to New York.
Pierre-Hugues joined VINCI Airports in June 2017 where he supervises the airport business expertise on air service development, extra aeronautical activities and airport operations.
Participating Talks and Sessions
Candice A. Iyog
Vice President for Marketing and Distribution, Cebu Pacific Air
Candice A. Iyog has been leading the marketing team of Cebu Pacific Air (PSE: CEB) since 2003, when she served as the Director for Marketing. In 2007, she was appointed as the Vice President for Marketing and Product, successfully launching the low cost airline’s “Go Fares” or year-round low fares, and the airline’s re-fleeting campaign.
For outstanding marketing innovations she launched for Cebu Pacific, she was recognized by Mansmith and Fielders as a Young Market Masters Awardee for Service Marketing in 2007.
A year later, she was appointed as Vice President for Marketing and Distribution, expanding her role to include passenger sales, e-commerce, call center and ticketing. Just recently, inflight catering and sales department has also been placed under her care.
Prior to joining the airline, she served as the General Manager of Jobstreet.com Philippines, Inc. from 1999 until 2003. Her leadership brought the company to a No. 1 position in the Online Recruitment Solutions industry.
In 1997, she was the Marketing Manager for Nabisco Philippines, Inc. She spearheaded the company’s research for Philippine Biscuit Market Segmentation and successfully launched regionally sourced Nabisco Global brands, significantly growing segment value shares and profits.
Her experience also encompasses Brand Management, as she was appointed Brand Manager for various food products of Universal Robina Corporation (URC) from 1994 to 1997. URC is the Philippines’ leading branded convenience food and beverage company and one of the companies under the JG Summit conglomerate.
She studied Business Management at the Ateneo de Manila University (1994).
Participating Talks and Sessions
Dilhan Haradasa
Group Head of Airport Partnerships and Incentives, AirAsia Group
Dilhan Haradasa is the current Group Head of Airport Partnerships and Incentives for the AirAsia/AirAsiaX Groups, where, he is responsible for Airport, aeronautical and stakeholder incentives. Prior to this, Dilhan held the role of Group Head of Network and Regulatory for AirAsia.
Dilhan brings 18 years of diverse airline management experience ranging from three low-cost airlines (AirAsia, Virgin Australia and flydubai) and four legacy airlines (SriLankan, Emirates, Gulf Air & LOT Polish). Dilhan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Aviation with an elective major in Marketing & Management from the University of Western Sydney, Australia.
He has a strong knowledge across broad aviation disciplines and possess extensive Commercial management experience in Network/Schedules Planning, Airport Incentives, Sales & Marketing, new airline start-ups, and slot/bilateral negotiations.
Participating Talks and Sessions
Eric Herbane
Chairman WorldWide Airport Coordinators Group (WWACG) & Managing Director, COHOR: Airport Coordination France
Eric Herbane is an aviation professional with 34 years of experience. He was elected as Managing Director of COHOR, Airport Coordination France in October 1996. COHOR allocates the scarce capacity of the busiest European airport in terms of movements, Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle, but also of Paris-Orly, Nice and Lyon airports.
World expert in airport coordination and in Regulatory and Industry affairs, he chaired the European Airport Coordinators Association (EUACA) between 2011 and 2014, and is currently the Chairman of the Worldwide Association of Coordinators (WWACG).
He actively influenced 2 revisions of the EU slot regulation. As Vice-Chairman of the Joint Slot Advisory Group, Eric also contributed to 2 major re-writes of the Worldwide Slot Guidelines (WSG) which set the Industry’s airport coordination international best practices and he is now one of the 3 Co-Leads of the WSG Strategic Review Management Group which includes representatives of airlines, airports and coordinators.
Participating Talks and Sessions
Alan McIntyre
Executive Manager Commercial Planning, Jetstar Airways
Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, Alan is responsible for network development; scheduling, pricing and revenue management; fleet strategy, alliances and airport procurement across the Jetstar Group, which comprises Jetstar Airways (Australia and New Zealand), Jetstar Asia (Singapore), Jetstar Japan and Jetstar Pacific (Vietnam).
Alan is also a key member of the Jetstar Executive Team, shaping the Group’s future direction in its goal to be the leading low cost carrier in all the markets it operates.
Prior to joining Jetstar in 2016, Alan held a variety of commercial posts for several leading low-cost and full service airlines around the world.
Most recently, Alan was Director of Product for easyJet in the United Kingdom, heading its Corporate Sales, and Ancillary Revenue functions, which include Inflight and easyJet Holidays. Before that, Alan led the Network and Scheduling teams for easyJet.
Prior to joining easyJet, Alan was Commercial Director for GB Airways – a British Airways’ franchise carrier; and before that, his past roles included Manager of Worldwide Sales and Pricing for Singapore Airlines in Singapore. His experience includes various management roles at British Airways, including one that helped launch the one world Alliance, introducing new lie flat beds to the British Airways First Class product and managing cargo sales in Los Angeles.
Alan holds an MBA from Imperial College London and a degree in History from Oxford University.
Alan is a keen tennis player and since moving to Australia, has rediscovered the joys of golf and sailing. He is also a keen reader of history books.
Participating Talks and Sessions
Stephen Milstrey
General Manager for Network Planning and Scheduling, HK Express
Stephen grew up in Denver, Colorado, USA, and spent countless hours as a child tracking planes flying overhead with a telescope or watching them take off from Stapleton International Airport. While a degree in molecular biology opened the door to a fantastic job in genetic engineering, the construction of the replacement Denver International Airport ultimately charmed him out of the laboratory and into the field of air service development and network planning.
A schedule planning position developing Frontier Airlines’ Denver hub and replacing an all-Boeing fleet with an all-Airbus fleet led to joining the launch team at Richard Branson’s Virgin America in San Francisco. Stephen’s first international opportunity came when his help was needed in the Middle East, where he moved to LCC Jazeera Airways in Kuwait for a three-year stint.
Meanwhile, the HNA group had decided to convert one of their Hong Kong-based airlines into an LCC, so Stephen joined the team in Hong Kong in 2013 and has been developing a network in one of the world’s most slot-constrained airports ever since.
Participating Talks and Sessions
Philip Ireland
Manager Worldwide Airport Slots, IATA
Philip started his aviation career with British Airways, before moving to join Airport Coordination Limited, the UK Slot Coordinator, in 2008. This led to a posting to the UAE where he became the Slot Coordinator at Dubai International Airport for six years.
Philip joined the IATA Worldwide Slots Team in 2016. His primary responsibilities are for slot matters in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions. He is active in the development of the Worldwide Slot Guidelines (WSG), but more generally, he brings the expertise of an independent coordinator to the IATA Slots Team.
Within industry fora, Philip sits on IATA’s Slot Policy Working Group, IATA’s Joint Slot Advisory Group, and is a member of the Historic Determination Task Force in the Strategic Review of the WSG, a collaborative effort to review the WSG between IATA, ACI and the WWACG.
Participating Talks and Sessions
Steven Small
Brand Director, Routes
An economic development and tourism specialist, Steven’s career has focussed on working with destinations supporting inward investment, tourism and economic development initiative.
Roles in inward investment, specifically site selection, and project management led Stevento the Northwest Regional Development Agency, where he developeda grant to help support regional airport’s route development strategies.
As a consultant at Ernst and Young, Steven worked on a number of projects for both private and public sectororganisations, including supporting the development of the business plan for Bath City Council. Back in Manchesterhe joined the city’s inward investment agency, MIDAS, helping attractbusinesses to the city.
From here, he moved to Marketing Manchester workingon a variety of projects including funding packages for Manchester Central –the city’s main convention venue and thenew National Football Museum,as well as delivering the route development fund for Manchester Airport. Steven then took on the role of Head of Business Tourismfor Visit Manchester, working to attract major new events and conferences to the city.
Steven moved back to his home town of Liverpool as Head of Tourism, working with public and private stakeholders to develop a long term strategy to maximise the explosion of the visitor economy, since the European Capital of Culture in 2008, and ensurethe city region continues to improve its offer and grow sustainably.
A move to UBM in February 2017 brought Steven back to route development. As Brand Director, Steven leads a team in the development and delivery of Routes -a portfolio of global events providing a platform for the route development community to negotiate new air services.
A father of two, Steven is a supporter of Everton football club and lives in a village in North Cheshire.
Participating Talks and Sessions
Jay L Lingeswara
Deputy Director Commercial, Strategy & Planning, VietJetAir
Jay L Lingeswara is the Deputy Director Commercial, Strategy & Planning for VietJet Air. Jay has over 11 years' experience in commercial strategy planning and responsible for driving revenue performance with direct responsibility for network and planning and route performance management at VietJet Air. Representing VietJet Air in all conferences and fairs, with a particular focus on travel and transportation. Key staff advisor for all negotiations with governments entities, airport authorities and tourism boards, alliances and partnerships, and other business transactions. This includes internal and external alignment with all relevant business stakeholders focusing network, fleet and schedule planning. He gained his industry experience at Air Asia Group where he was responsible for commercial strategy, distribution, network and product development.
Participating Talks and Sessions
Ryan Uy
Vice President Sales, Philippine Airlines Commercial Group
Concurrently:
Board of Director – Sabre Travel Network
Director – Everest Holdings
- Eva Airways as Passenger Traffic Officer
- Cathay Pacific Airways as Passenger Sales Executive and then Passenger Sales Supervisor
- Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa as Director of Sales
- Cathay Pacific Airways returnee as Passenger Sales Supervisor, then Direct Sales Manager, then as Sales Manager, and eventually Head of Marketing & Sales.
- SMX Convention as VP - Sales/Marketing & Revenue Management
Before joining our National Flag Carrier last January 2015 as Vice President for Sales:
Married for 12 years to Ella Lee (of the well entrenched clan from Dumaguete of the Lee Plaza chain), they are blessed with 3 children :
Participating Talks and Sessions
Conrad Clifford
Regional Vice President Asia Pacific, IATA
Conrad Clifford is the Regional Vice President for Asia Pacific at the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Conrad is responsible for IATA’s activities across the Asia Pacific region, focusing on serving the regions airline members’ and stakeholders’ needs. He joined IATA on 1 February 2014.
Prior to joining IATA, Conrad had a career in aviation spanning more than 33 years. He has CEO’d a startup, a domestic, a regional and an international carrier. He has an intimate knowledge of top brand carriers having worked for Cathay Pacific, Virgin Atlantic and Emirates.
Conrad has lived and worked in Asia, Africa, and Europe and has a broad and in-depth knowledge of strategy and business planning, pricing and revenue management and airport operations. Conrad, a British national, graduated from Cambridge University. He holds an MBA from Durham University Business School.
Participating Talks and Sessions
Matt Yarrow
Head of Network Management, Virgin Australia
Participating Talks and Sessions
Neil Hathi
Regional Director of Network & Fleet Strategy, Boeing
Neil has over 10 years of airline industry experience and works in Boeing’s Commercial Airplanes Sales and Marketing organization. Neil has been with Boeing for over 3 years and has supported airline of all sizes and business models throughout the world. He has been involved in various consulting projects to assist airlines with the right strategies to increase their respective fleets, expand networks. Neil supports sales campaigns and also teaches Boeing’s Airline Planning workshops focusing on Network and Fleet Planning.
Prior to joining Boeing, Neil worked at InterVISTAS Consulting, and worked with airlines and airports to develop, enhance and retain air service and supported airline consulting efforts.
Neil holds degrees from The Ohio State University and Cranfield University. Neil enjoys flying as a private pilot in his free time.
Participating Talks and Sessions
Mark Steven Pastor
Assistant Secretary, Philippines Department of Transportation
Participating Talks and Sessions
Ravishankar Saravu
Chief Commercial Advisor, GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation
Participating Talks and Sessions
John Checketts
General Manager, Network Planning & Strategy, Fiji Airways
John Checketts joined Fiji Airways in November 2018 as General Manager Network Planning & Strategy. Prior to joining Fiji Airways, John was Vice President Network Planning at JetBlue Airways, based in New York. John oversaw the strategic growth of JetBlue during a time when global fuel prices saw major escalation and declines, as JetBlue more than doubled the size of its fleet (up to 250 aircraft) and number of destinations. John played a pivotal role in JetBlue’s successful expansion into the Caribbean, North and Southeast USA, future network strategy development and introduction of Mint – JetBlue’s award winning premium transcontinental service. During his 14-years with JetBlue, John held management roles in Revenue Management and Financial Planning & Analysis before joining Network Planning in 2009.
John holds a degree in Economics from the University of Utah and has extensive experience in airline economics, revenue & cost forecasting, and business case development.
Participating Talks and Sessions
Alexander G. Lao
President and CEO, Cebgo
Alexander “Xander” G. Lao joined Cebu Pacific Air (PSE: CEB) in 2007, when he served as the Director for Revenue Management and Pricing. In February 2012, he was appointed as the Vice President for Commercial Planning, successfully overseeing the expansion of the airline’s network to its current 66 domestic and international destinations.
Xander was named President and CEO of Cebgo, CEB’s wholly owned subsidiary, in September 2016. As CEB progressively acquires 16 ATR 72-600 High Capacity aircraft, he will lead the development of the airline’s inter-island services to meet the growing demand for local air travel in the Philippines.Prior to joining CEB, Xander served as the Assistant Vice President of The Philippine American Life and General Insurance Company from 2001 until 2007. He also handled business development and marketing for Ayala Life from 1998 to 1999.
Xander studied Legal Management at the Ateneo de Manila University (1997), and attained a Master’s Degree in Business Management, Major in Finance, from the Asian Institute of Management (2001). He was subsequently recognized, with distinction, as a Fellow for Life Management Institute of the Life Office Management Association (LOMA) in 2006.
Xander lives in Quezon City, Philippines. He enjoys playing video games and watching college basketball games.
Participating Talks and Sessions
Atty. Carmelo L. Arcilla
Executive Director, Civil Aeronautics Board
Participating Talks and Sessions
Hang Zhao
Business Development Manager and Consultant, ASM Global Route Development
Hang Zhao Joined ASM from Shanghai Juneyao Airlines where he had been a senior network manager. With a wealth of airline experience, Hang brings with him analytical capabilities in flight routes and project management, as well as a sound knowledge of international flight application and different countries’ regulation processes. Hang has successfully helped Juneyao airlines to establish their scheduled services to Japan, South Korea, Russia, Thailand and Philippines from China. Meanwhile, as part of his role, Hang was responsible for applications and airline relationships with the CAAC. Hang is currently based in Shanghai, China.
Participating Talks and Sessions
Nigel Mayes
Senior Vice President, Consulting & Product Development, ASM
Nigel has over 15 years’ experience in route development and is responsible for product development at ASM. He gained his industry experience at Birmingham Airport where he was responsible for long haul route development, and he also spent six years developing commercial revenues and industry links at Routes, including an online forum for the route development community.
Participating Talks and Sessions
Ed Robertson
Editor, Routes News
Ed has been the editor for more than two years and oversaw a number of changes to the magazine to better reflect the world of route development today and those who work in it. Before taking on Routes News, he was a B2B travel journalist for 12 years, writing about the UK tourism industry with a focus on tour operators, destinations and tourist boards.
Participating Talks and Sessions
David Casey
Online Editor - Aviation, Routes
David is responsible for providing insight to the Routesonline community through the latest breaking news, as well as regular features and analysis on developments and trends within the sector. He previously spent 11 years as a business journalist, which included five as the editor of an award-winning digital news team.
Participating Talks and Sessions
Arturo P. Boncato Jr.
Undersecretary for Tourism Regulation, Coordination and Resource Generation, Department of Tourism (DOT)
Mr. Boncato is the Undersecretary of Department of Tourism (DOT) for Tourism Regulation, Coordination and Resource Generation.
He is DOT’s convergence champion for Tourism Road Infrastructure Program together with the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Transportation’s Convergence Program on Airport Development.
Mr. Boncato is also the Department of Tourism’s alternate representative to the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force, an inter-agency task force created by the President to rehabilitate the island of Boracay and to bring it back to its pristine condition.
Moreover, Mr. Boncato also serve as the Department of Tourism’s Alternate Vice Chairperson in the Philippines’ aviation regulatory agencies as well as the Philippines’ international gateways, as follows:
- Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP);
- Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB);
- Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA); and
- Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC)
He is also the Department’s official representative to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and the National Quintcentennial Committee.
He has a journalism degree from the University of the Philippines and several executive courses on negotiation skills, responsible tourism, and social media and digital marketing.
Participating Talks and Sessions
Abe Tolentino
President, STOA (Siargao Tourism Operators Association)
Participating Talks and Sessions
Chen Chuanren
S.E Asia & China Correspondent, Air Transport World