Very Light Jets - Latin America and the Caribbean
Start Date: 10 November 2008
End Date: 11 November 2008
Location: Four Seasons Hotel, Miami, USA
Dr. Matthijs de Haan, Managing Director, ETIRC Aviation
After graduation in Business Economics at Groningen University in the Netherlands, Matthijs worked for Unilver and Akzo Nobel in various Commercial and Business Development roles for 10 years. In 2002, after his MBA graduation from the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), he started working on several entrepreneurial projects and ventures within aviation. He was involved in a direct ticket sales project for a Dutch charter airline DutchBird and responsible for the start-up of Denim Airways in Germany. His aviation experience became stronger with the attempt to re-start the Fokker 70 & 100 Aircraft manufacturing within REKKOF AIRCRAFT. Since end of 2005 Matthijs is as Managing Director of ETIRC AVIATION involved in the development of Air Taxi businesses within Europe, and the sales of the ECLPSE 500 in the former Eastern European countries. Besides his professional career within aviation, he holds a Commercial Pilot License, is a designated pilot instructor and examiner. In his spare time he is a demo-pilot with his 1932 DeHavilland Tiger Moth.
Respicio A. Espirito Santo Jr., President, Brazilian Institute of Strategic Studies and Public Policies in Air Transport
Born in Rio de Janeiro. Married to Patricia, has 1 daughter, Clara Inês.
A Mechanical Engineer graduated by the Federal Fluminense University, has a Masters Science degree in Industrial Engineering with emphasis in Transportation Systems by the Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, and a Doctor Science degree in Transportation Engineering by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
Oscar S. Garcia, Chairman, InterFlight Consulting
Oscar Garcia is the founding Partner, Chairman and CEO of InterFlight Global Corporation which he started in 1992. In addition, he is a Senior Consultant, Board Advisor and Project Manager in the areas of Strategy, Finance, Sales and Operations, with experience in setting up and expanding production, design and sales networks for aircraft, aerospace components and avionics in Europe and the Americas.
Oscar holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Aviation Science and Technology from the Thomas Edison State College with an Aerospace Engineering specialization from San Diego State University, as well as a Masters Degree in Aviation and Aerospace Business Administration (MBA) from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He holds FAA/JAR Airline Transport Pilot and Flight Instructor licenses as well as Instrument and Multi-Engine certificates with a total flight time of over 8,500 hours in a variety of aircraft and flight simulators.
Oscar is immediate past President and Chairman of the Aerospace Committee of the prestigious Greater Miami Aviation Association (GMAA). The GMAA is today the dorsal spine of the aviation and aerospace industries socio-economic affairs in Southern Florida. Through IFC, Oscar is affiliated and active participant in NBAA, AOPA, FATA, CASA, ICAO, IATA and other aerospace trade organizations with global reach.
In his relentless pursuit of air safety and regulatory compliance, Oscar has been an FAA Air Safety Counselor at the Flight Standards District Office level in Los Angeles and Miami since 1997 and actively engages in research studies with the FAA, NTSB and NASA.
Oscar Garcia’s seventeen years of aviation experience reflect his global operational and managerial experience with InterFlight Global Corporation, Cathay Pacific Airways and American Eagle Airlines. He has served as Captain and First Officer as well as instructor pilot in aircraft ranging from the Fairchild Metroliner and Saab 340 to the Boeing 747-400 and 777-200/300.
Oscar’s non-flying airline duties at Cathay Pacific include experience as a Flight Data Analyst, Flight Planning Analyst and Pilot Recruitment Officer within the airline’s corporate structure from 1997 through 2002. In addition he was Chairman of the American Eagle - ALPA Professional Standards Committee at the DFW base from 1995-1997.
Oscar is affiliated and an active member of the International Civil aviation Organization (ICAO), the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Latin American Aerospace Association (ALA) and others. He has acted as an expert witness on behalf of large aerospace corporations and he is a regular aerospace media commentator in Latin America.
Oliver Janney, Co-Director, Aviation Law Department, Robbins Equitas
Oliver Janney is a managing attorney at Robbins Equitas where he is a member of the firm’s aviation law practice group. Janney received his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1970 and his B.A. from Yale University in 1967. He is the former General Counsel of RKO General, Inc., which previously owned Frontier Airlines. At the firm, Janney handles the sale, purchase, lease, and closings of turbojet and other aircraft. He also develops and creates a variety of fractional aircraft ownership programs, and other management programs, for owners and air operators. Janney is a member of the New York State Bar and the Florida Bar. He also served as a Lieutenant in the United States Army Reserves.
Donald G. Kenny, Senior Vice President, Falcon Insurance Services
Mr. Kenny is an acknowledged expert in the field of Aviation & Aerospace Insurance.
His aviation insurance career began as an underwriter with INA/CIGNA .He managed their flagship NY aviation office and he held the pen for their global Space Insurance underwriting book of business.
Following a 15 year aviation underwriting career, Mr. Kenny joined the aviation insurance brokering ranks with the firm of Alexander & Alexander.
His A&A career culminated in his appointment as the Chief Executive Officer of A&A’s National Aviation practice.
His account responsibilities have included: American Airlines, Aviall, El Al, Falcon Jet, FedEx, TIMCO, General Dynamics, Gulfstream Aerospace, Falcon Jet, Israeli Aircraft Industries, Mc Donald- Douglas, Northrop Grumman, Arkia Airlines, Israeli Aircraft Industries, North American Airlines, EastWind Airlines and SunJet Airlines.
Presently Don is a Senior Vice President of Falcon Insurance Services, the largest Aviation-only insurance brokerage firm in the US. In this role, Don is responsible to expand their presence in the NE US market and to enhance their involvement with major nation and international aviation industry accounts.
Throughout this period, Don has maintained a close working relationship with leading Wall Street financial firms and major international aviation trade organizations with the aim of creating “alternative risk” products to deal with the low frequency/high catastrophe- loss profile of Aviation and Aerospace companies.
He is a frequent speaker at government and aviation industry seminars. He has also authored a number of papers impacting the aviation insurance sector and has been called upon by the US Congress to provide expert testimony dealing with the insurance after-affects of the Challenger disaster.
Mr. Kenny holds a Bachelor of Sciences degree from La Salle University, Philadelphia, PA. (Graduate 1972.) He is also an avid chess player and sports car enthusiast. Mr. Kenny resides in Toms River, New Jersey with his wife Rita.
Mike McConnell, Vice President Sales & Marketing, Eclipse Aviation
Mike McConnell has more than 15 years of management experience in the high-tech industry. Most recently as Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning for Mooney Aircraft, he was responsible for worldwide marketing and sales activities. Prior to joining Mooney, he was founder and president of an authorized distributor for Mooney aircraft. McConnell held key management positions at Dell Computer Corporation, where he contributed to Dell’s record growth from $250 million to approximately $30 billion in annual revenues.
Louis A. Sorrentino, Vice President – Managing Director, Safety, Security & Operations, SH&E
Mr. Sorrentino is a Senior Vice President and Managing Director of SH&E’s Safety, Security & Operations practice. Lou is also the Managing Director of the Flight Safety Foundation’s Air Transport Safety Services Program. Lou also provides direct guidance to the National Air Transportation Asso – Safety 1st (NATA) for their Safety Management System initiative for ground handlers and Air Operators. Lou also manages SH&E’s IATA IOSA and IS-BAO Audit Programs with a seasoned staff of exceptional subject matter experts and qualified auditors.
Mr. Sorrentino’s experience includes the overall Project Management of operational safety & security assessments, audits and quality studies of Airports, Airlines, Ground handlers/FBOs, MROs, Cargo carriers, Corporate/General Aviation operations and civil aviation authority safety oversight, specializing in safety and security assessments and consultation.
Lou is a commercial pilot and currently serves on several Flight Safety Foundation committees such as the – International Advisory Committee – a group established to promote flight and ground safety initiatives within the global aviation community.
Kris Tuttle, Director of Research, Research 2.0
After nearly three decades in technology and investment research, Kris Tuttle launched the "Air 2.0" research practice in 2007 as part of the Research 2.0 family of independent research themes for institutional investors. As such he follows many other technology-focused executives like Rick Adam (Adam Aircraft), Ed Iacobucci (DayJet), Vern Rayburn (Eclipse) and Esther Dyson (Flight School) into the skies of future on-demand air travel.
Kris has long been a researcher into disruptive situations involving technology, companies and markets. He puts research to work as an investor, publisher, and company advisor. He is the Founder and Director of Research at Research 2.0 and CEO of Blue Caterpillar LLC. Other significant affiliations are shown below.
Kris is probably best known for his work in software equity research from 1995 to 2000, where his name is closely associated with many successful infrastructure companies of the period, including Atria Software, Rational Software, BEA Systems, Business Objects, Netscape and dozens of others for which he was widely recognized by institutional investors as the most informed, independent and money-making analyst in the market.
He has 28 years of experience in technology, business and investing across a variety of domains: as a Director of Research at SoundView Technology Group and Adams Harkness & Hill, a Vice President of Institutional Sales at S.G. Warburg in NYC, an executive for 8 years at IBM, a AI researcher for 3 years at Carnegie Mellon and several jobs with start-up companies during the early years of micro-computing. Kris wrote his first line of code in 1979, received his BS in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University in 1984, made his first investment in 1984, and acquired an MBA from the NYU Stern School in 1992.
Significant affiliations: VP of Business Development and CFO for Good Data Corporation in Prague, external advisor to Rathpeacon Management LLC Creative Destruction Fund, advisory board of alfabet meta-modelling AG in Berlin, Germany, limited partner of Azure Capital Partners in San Francisco, California and a direct private investor in Cape Clear Software in Dublin, Ireland.