Leadership, Change and Implementation: World ATM Congress Announces Conference Programme and Speakers

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Dec. 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- World ATM Congress returns to Madrid on 8-10 March 2016 with an impressive Conference programme featuring 20 speakers who are the top experts and thought leaders in the air traffic management (ATM) industry.

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The Conference of World ATM Congress 2016 examines the joint industry leadership challenges that face air navigation service providers (ANSPs), airlines and airports; takes a fresh look at the changes being created with remote towers; reviews the impact of new entrants into the airspace; and predicts what we will actually achieve in the next five years as the springboard to the future.

The Conference programme will present four informative sessions on 8-9 March, each with an impressive roster of experts addressing a different challenge:

• Big Picture Leadership - Aviation is a complex system and value chain that depends on its various parts working together in a holistic manner. It calls for an elusive formula of a common vision mixed with clear and inspiring leadership from each of the players.    
  • Moderator: Ed Sims, CEO, Airways New Zealand   
  • Kay Kratzky, Chief Executive Officer, Austrian Airlines
  • Eric Schramm, Chief Operating Officer, Air France 
  • Airport CEO/COO – 'TBD'
  • Martin Rolfe, CEO, NATS 
  • Neil Wilson, CEO, NAV CANADA 
• Down to Earth – Airports and ATM - Airports are at the forefront of some significant reforms in the ATM industry. Do airports fully understand how they can add value to their customers through their control tower? Do ANSPs see remote tower technology not only as an opportunity for improved operational efficiency but also for competitive outsourcing and added value for users? How can A-CDM (Airport - Collaborative Decision Making) best be implemented on a more widespread basis?
  • Moderator: Olle Sundlin, CEO, LFV
  • Klaus-Dieter Scheurle, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH
  • Nils 'Solle' Svan, Vice President, Strategy, DANS
  • Airport CEO/COO – 'TBD'
  • Mike Gerry, General Manager, SAAB ATM
  • Moodie Cheikh, CEO, Searidge Technologies
• Creating Space for New Users - Drones, remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), balloons, and commercial space vehicles are some of the multiple new users that are creating additional challenges to airspace management. They cannot be ignored or banned so the ATM industry needs to understand the unique opportunities and challenges that these users of rapidly developing new technology will bring.
  • Moderator: Marc Viggiano, President Emeritus, Saab Sensis Corporation
  • Sean Cassidy, Director, Strategic Partnerships, Amazon Prime Air
  • NASA - 'TBD'
  • Patrick Ky, Director General, EASA
  • Iacopo Prissinotti, Head of ENAV International Strategies, ENAV
  • FAA – 'TBD'
• Implementation: Where We Think We Will Be - What is more difficult to predict accurately where we will be in five years? Yet that is the right timeframe for the ATM industry to be looking as this will be the critical period for implementation of significant technologies from SESAR and NextGen in particular but also from new entrants. The session will reveal results of a brief survey by CANSO (Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation) and stimulate a moderated discussion on how closely aligned are the expectations of the major deployment programmes, the ANSPs and the suppliers for the next five years.
  • Moderator: Pete Dumont, President & CEO, ATCA
  • Massimo Garbini, Managing Director, SESAR Deployment Manager
  • Edward L. Bolton, Assistant Administrator for NextGen, Federal Aviation Administration
  • Kevin Shum, Director General, CAAS (Singapore)
  • Todd Donovan, Vice President, Strategy – ATM, Thales
  • Neil Planzer, Vice President, Airspace Solutions - ATM, Boeing

Registration is open. The early bird rate expires on 30 January 2016.

In addition to the Conference programme, World ATM Congress will feature a vibrant exhibition, free education, and more networking opportunities to connect the entire ATM community than ever before. Visit www.worldatmcongress.org for more information.

About World ATM Congress

World ATM Congress (www.worldatmcongress.org) combines a large-scale exhibition with attendees from over 120 countries, a world-class conference and premier networking opportunities with the chance to learn the latest air traffic trends and developments. World ATM Congress is organised for the industry, by the industry. Operated by CANSO in association with ATCA, it is backed by leading air navigation service providers and industry suppliers.

CONTACT:  Ashley Swearingen, 703-299-2430, ashley.swearingen@atca.org