Programme

This function is by invitation only.

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Industry partnerships and supporting better co-operation within the sector and with EU institutions
Session chair: Robert Campbell-Smith, Director of Operations, Hibernian Airlines

There is no doubt there is a collaborative spirit within the aviation sector that enables us all to overcome adversity and drives us on towards continued growth and success. Whether through business partnerships, strategic co-operation or as one voice through an association such as ERA, our industry’s strength, vision and ability to reinvent itself and adapt to new challenges never seems to diminish. The impact of COVID-19 can still be felt throughout our industry as the aftershocks continue, but it will be through collaboration, co-operation and partnerships, both within the industry and together with the EU institutions that regulate our businesses, that we will be able to overcome current and future challenges.

This session will start with a short presentation from our panellist Monika Wiederhold to set the scene on key strategic market trends for the transport sector, and will be followed by an in-depth panel discussion with contributions from: 

• Warner Rootliep, Managing Director, KLM Cityhopper
• John Santurbano, Director of MUAC and Chairman of the FABEC CEO Board of ANSPs
• Monika Wiederhold, Executive Vice President Global Ecosystem Initiatives, Senior Group Representative, Amadeus IT Group

Ben Saunders, world record-breaking polar explorer
ERA is excited to announce that this year’s inspirational speaker (rescheduled from our event in 2020) will be polar explorer Ben Saunders, whose incredible feats of endurance challenge conventional wisdom and prove what can be accomplished through ambition, passion, and a refusal to quit. Best known for leading one of the most ambitious polar expeditions in a century, he was the first to successfully complete an epic, 105-day, 1,800-mile return journey on foot to the South Pole – equivalent to running 69 marathons back to back. In 2017 he became the second person in history to reach both Poles solo and unassisted, after 52 days alone in Antarctic conditions described as the worst in 25 years.
 
Ben combines the allure and nostalgia of twentieth-century explorers with the ingenuity of today’s modern adventurers. He will take us on a journey to the ends of the earth and back and will showcase spectacular visuals as he touches on challenging the status quo, pushing past self-imposed limits, the disconnect between ideas and action, communicating with your team, and managing change. 

“I am an explorer of limits – geographically, physically and mentally. It’s about pure human endeavour, and the way in which I can inspire others to explore their own personal potential.”