Jane Stanbury

President, Arena Group Associates

Jane has over 30 years’ professional experience working in the communications, aviation, and luxury travel sectors. She has run and sold two successful companies, an educational dot.com and a luxury travel consultancy which became her springboard into the business aviation sector sixteen years ago. She launched her third business Arena Group in January 2016 having been inspired by her decade working across the aerospace spectrum with Emerald Media.

She provides marketing, communications, and copy-writing services, to a range of international organisations from innovative next-gen start-up companies through to global corporations, in addition to writing regular features for a number of trade publications. 

Jane brings a broad international business perspective to any situation having lived and worked in London, New York, Mallorca, and Japan. She is now settled in Montreal with her aviation consultant husband.  Driven by a desire to explore and discover she is always seeking out new potential in the companies she works with.

Stephan Piazza Adv. LL.M. (IMLI)

Associate Director, Transport Team – Shipping, Aviation & Space Industry, KPMG

Stephan is an Associate Director at KPMG Malta. He joined the firm in 2017 leading the Transport team including the Aviation, Space and Maritime services across the Tax, Audit and Advisory areas within the firm. His role as coordinator for the firm’s Transport projects sees him at the forefront of some major engagements within the firm’s aviation, maritime and space practice. Stephan provides assistance in connection with the importation and tax compliance of luxury assets, registration of aircrafts and AOC application with the Civil Aviation Directorate at Transport Malta, advice upon the local and EU legal framework concerning drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles, and is also able to provide support in aircraft financing transactions. In addition to the above, Stephan also has extensive experience in the corporate law and maritime law space, having assisted several clients with ship and yacht registration procedures and accompanying corporate structures. Stephan has frequently contributed to a number of articles in both local and international journals. He lectures ACCA students in the field of corporate law. Stephan is warranted to practice law in front of the Superior Courts of Malta. He is also an Executive Committee Member of the Malta Maritime Law Association, Counsel Member of the Superyacht Industry Network Malta and Executive Committee Member of the Shipping & Bunkering Committee within the Chambers of Commerce and Enterprise. He has also published a number of articles in both local and international journals. He collaborates with the University of Malta and the Malta College of Arts Science and Technology as an external examiner.

Alex Fecteau

Director of Marketing BBJ, Boeing

Captain Alex Fecteau is the Director of Marketing for Boeing Business Jets (BBJ), a division of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. For several years, he also led BBJ sales for the Middle East, Africa, and the Mediterranean region.

Previously Alex served in various roles as a pilot and engineer in Boeing Commercial Airplanes as an airplane operations and advanced technologies subject matter expert.

Prior to Boeing, Captain Fecteau served as a pilot for two major US airlines after completing a career as a senior officer in the United States Air Force as a commander, director of operations, and F-15 instructor pilot.  

Alex has extensive experience working with Heads of State, VVIP business jet owners and operators.  He also worked with large airlines and regulators worldwide on for airplane systems and flight operations certifications, and was an advisor to several EASA, ICAO, and FAA aviation rulemaking committees.

He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, and Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering at Boston University, Massachusetts.

Zaher Deir

CEO & Founder of Aerobid

After graduating from CSE, Air Training College in Oxford, United Kingdom, with a degree in Aircraft Engineering, Zaher Deir has held high-profile roles in Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, including:
• Chief of Maintenance for Arab Wings of Jordan, Based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• Director of Engineering and Operations for Executive Air Transport of Switzerland.
• Founder and General Manager of SAMCO Aviation of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

In 2004 Zaher established Jet Connections, based in Oxfordshire, in the United Kingdom, specialising in Private Aircraft Management, Sales & Acquisition.

In 2014 Zaher established Pristine Jet Charter, based in Dubai, UAE, specialising in VIP private Aircraft Charters.

In 2021 Zaher founded AeroBid, the platform that connects private aviation operators and brokers globally. Providing them with revolutionary solutions and new opportunities to capitalise on their charter requests and empty legs, making far better use of market demand in real time.

Zaher brings over three decades of experience in corporate air transport, including executive aircraft management, operations, VIP charter sales, and aircraft sale & acquisition.

Zaher has successfully purchased 32 executive aircraft for many VIPs and managed a fleet of 9 Private Jets ranging from the Boing Business Jet to Challengers, Gulfstreams, Legacy’s, Citation and Dassault Falcons during his career.

In 2001 Zaher obtained his private pilot license from the UK CAA; he enjoys flying in his Beechcraft Bonanza A36 within the UK and all over Europe.

Alex Cutajar

Director at Concierge & Co (Temple)

Alex Cutajar is a professional strategic communicator, marketer and business strategist. Alex has acquired extensive experience in several industries, including government communication, national campaigns and commercial marketing. Currently, he is involved in several commercial initiatives involving stakeholders based in Malta, the Balkans and Middle-East region. He is also leading commercial campaigns related to different industries, including tourism, automotive, information technology amongst others.

Cutajar is currently advising companies on business and marketing strategy through Velvet Inc. He is also a director for Concierge & Co Services Ltd, publisher of TEMPLE Magazine and wholesalers for Brockmans Gin Malta. He is also involved in the management of enser Ltd, an M&E building consultancy firm established by his father, Anton Cutajar.

During the past years, Alex has led several strategic initiatives in the public sector. Since 2017, Alex had been working as a policy advisor, leading strategic initiatives with several public entities, conducting policy research and development including white papers, developing public project proposals and managing a number of public projects.
 
Alex was also responsible for stakeholder management in complex and controversial projects, which included trade unions, non-governmental organisations and industry influencers. During his experience, he has worked on projects with different international stakeholders, including Manchester United (UK), Ryanair, VIACOM networks (MTV & Nickelodeon) (UK), AMP Lost and Found (UK), Cirque du Soleil (US), Big City Beats (Germany), the Malta Tourism Authority, Air Malta, Siemens, and Socar.

Alex played a critical role in securing a multi-million deal with Manchester United for Malta to be named as Manchester United’s Official Destination Partner.
 
Alex was also part of Air Malta’s strategy team between 2017-2019, pursuing the airline’s strategy for growth which has successfully led the airline to register its first operational profits in 2018 since the year 2000. This was a result of a number of strategic decisions which were taken, which included Stakeholders such as Airbus, Ryanair, the Malta International Airport, and others.
 
Between 2015 and 2017, Alex devised strategic communication strategies related to the Malta Gas and Power project – one of the Government’s major projects at the time.
 
Alex Cutajar holds a Masters in Digital Marketing from the Digital Marketing Institute, Ireland. He also holds a B.Sc in Creative Computing from Goldsmiths, University of London.

Dr. Giannella Barbieri

Legal Manager, BDO

Dr. Giannella Barbieri holds the position of Legal Advisory Services Manager and currently heads the legal department at BDO Malta. BDO is a global organisation extending across 164 countries and territories. BDO Malta’s legal department is comprised of several lawyers specialising in various fields, such as corporate and commercial law, yachting and aviation, employment law and intellectual property law.

Giannella graduated from the University of Malta with a bachelor’s degree in law, a notary public diploma and a doctorate degree in law. In addition to having been granted the warrant to practice law in Malta in 2014, she also holds a diploma in taxation from the Malta Institute of Taxation and a certificate in the principles of international taxation from the Chartered Institute of Taxation in the United Kingdom.

Giannella has assisted both local and international clients on a broad range of matters and has been involved in various projects including legal due diligence processes, corporate restructurings and M&A transactions, financing transactions, and employment-related matters. Giannella is also regularly involved in providing clients with legal, regulatory and/or licensing advice relating to the shipping and aviation industries, such as, the setting up of corporate structures, assistance and legal support in transactions, assistance with the registration of aircrafts, ships and yachts with the respective Maltese authorities, and any other licensing requirements.

James Jaffa

Partner, Jaffa & Co

James founded the firm and is recognised internationally for his knowledge and expertise. He has been shortlisted for the Citywealth Lawyer of the Year Award and recognised as a leading advisor within the London market for ultra-high net worth sector. He has also been ranked in Chambers Guide and the Legal 500, both of which recognise the UK’s leading legal advisors. Clients praise James’ fast response times and ability to simplify complex matters. One leading, international brokerage describes James as “without doubt, one of the finest specialists in the industry and a pleasure to deal with.” In his personal capacity, James is an avid sailor and competes nationally and internationally. He enjoys spending time in the South of France with his family, onboard their own boat.

John Mathews

Chairman, AIRX

Richard Hekker

Founder & CEO, OPES Jets

OPES JET was founded by Richard Hekker and Pascal Barreau. Both founders are commercial pilots and well-known veterans in the business aviation industry. 

As CEO of OPES JET, Richard leads the Company vision and product development. Prior to OPES JET, Richard was a commercial pilot who flew private jets in Europe. Most recently he was the group CEO and shareholder of Air Allgäu Group, Germany’s 3rd oldest airline. 

Before OPES JET, Richard has held many senior positions, including: 

• Chief Executive Officer, Excellent Air GmbH in Germany
• Business Development Director, MoonJet Flight Support, in Dubai
• Regional Director Europe, UAS International Trip Support, in Dubai
• Postholder & Director of Operations, Imperial Jet GmbH in Germany

Richard speaks 5 languages, has been married for nearly 20 years and is father to two teenage boys. 

Roberto Hlaca

Director, GetJet

Roberto also known to many in the industry as Bob, started off with his Business Aviation carrier at VistaJet, in the early years when they still did not have the silver and red branded aircraft. He held the position of Vice President of On Demand Sales. Within the first two weeks, he noticed that there were some mondain sales tasks being done and sat with the IT team and started developing a Quoting tool/database, then progressed to the creation of reports which allowed VistaJet to have some AI advantages….it was this early stage of development that he loved and flourished in. After almost 7 years of this incredibly fast paced life and seeing a fleet grow to 31 aircraft, he decided it was at the right moment to move when he was approached by Qatar Executive who also had intentions of expansion and growth in the Middle East. They however had smaller ambitions, so he took on that challenge and here too he was amazed that there was no IT tool for sales and had to then implement FOS.  He held the role of Vice President Sales, Marketing and Strategy for a period of 2,5 years before moving to France to be with his wife and see his first born enter the world.  A 2^nd child followed shortly completing the family. After his tenure at Qatar he worked at Elit’Avia, where again there was a lack of IT infrastructure in place for sales.

Seeing the common lack of IT and speaking to other industry professionals, the concept of empty legs and evolving the Business Jet products like merging or Jet sharing arose. This new challenge was indeed daunting but seeing the challenges ahead it was all worth the risk, although knowing the industry was full of luddites he took the step none the less.

GetJet is used by operators and brokers alike to search for Empty legs in a more efficient and effective manner. Jet Sharing is now a new focal point and is seen as lucrative way of filling the gaps that the Commercial Airlines left after the pandemic.

Leah Lenardic Alexander

Aircraft Sales & Acquisitions, Duncan Aviation

George Alafinov

Jekta Switzerland SA

George Alafinov is the CEO of Jekta, the OEM that is reviving the magnificence of flying boats in the PHA-ZE 100 aircraft. The first in a series of airframes, the Passenger Hydro Aircraft – Zero Emission 100 flying boat is designed to improve the transport opportunities for communities living close to water.  The inspiration is to make the PHA-ZE 100 an essential community transport asset, and with low operating costs, be an ideal aircraft for regions where traditional air travel is prohibitively expensive.

Led by George Alafinov, the international Jekta team has more than two decades of experience designing and building amphibian aircraft, including the eight-seat, composite amphibian LA-8, as well as the Borey ultralight amphibian. As a current board member of Delta Aerospace SDN BDH in Malaysia, George is consulting on how to optimize sales, marketing, and manufacturing of the Heron 8 (the brand name for the LA-8) in the region.  

George started his career as an assistant at a Swiss aircraft design company, where he rose to become the head of product sales. He then moved sectors and became an international commodity trader before returning to aviation as a managing partner of a low-cost airline between 2019-2021. During that time, he supported the upgrade of the airline’s fleet, positioning it as the only A220 operator in Central Asia. George has also served time as a radio operator in the Swiss Air Force.

George is more than familiar with what it takes to think internationally, anticipate what future needs will be and create solutions to meet them. He is also a PPL holder and is pleased to be part of the future of an aviation sector that will reconnect families and improve travel options while being environmentally friendly. A Swiss citizen, George lives with his wife and family in Geneva.

Tonio Fenech LL.M. (Lond)., LL.D.

Partner, FFF Legal

Dr. Fenech has been a practicing lawyer for over 30 years, after qualifying in Malta and obtaining a Master Of Laws Degree from University of London. His areas of practice and study have evolved in line with the development and diversification of international services sector of the Maltese economy since the early 1990’s, originally focusing on asset finance, to gradually include the corporate commercial, corporate finance, fiduciary relationships, financial & investment services fields.

Dr. Fenech helped pioneer a more modern and effective organization of legal & professional services on the island, having led the creation and development of the international & corporate practice of Fenech & Fenech Advocates, now one of the larger organized practices in Malta. He served as managing partner of the firm from its organization as a partnership in 1991 until 2007, and also served as managing director of the Fenlex Group of Companies
throughout this time.

Dr. Fenech resigned from his family firm in 2008 to establish a new law firm under the name Fenech Farrugia Fiott Legal in January 2009, conceived and developed as a foundational element of a collaborative multi-disciplinary professional services organization based in Malta, known as the ARQ Group (www.arqgroup.com), which brings  together top professional players in Malta from various disciplines for collaborative purposes. The ARQ Group has
included top-tier centres of expertise that are active in the field of corporate and trust services, together with advisory practices in the fields of tax, investment migration, compliance, risk management and anti-money laundering regulation. Dr. Fenech served as founding Chairman of the ARQ Group since inception in 2012 until 2018 and remains a director of several Group companies.

Dr. Fenech has been an occasional speaker at public events in the field of organizational design & collaborative structures, besides topics which form part of his expertise. He lectures regularly at the University of Malta on asset finance law, insurance law as well as the law of trusts and fiduciary relationships. He is also the Honorary Consul of Lebanon in Malta.

Will Fanshawe

Managing Director, Flexjet Helicopters

Will Fanshawe, a former British Army helicopter pilot, founded Halo Aviation in 2009 to specialise in the management and charter of Agusta helicopters. Having grown the company to be one of the largest corporate helicopter operations in the UK, Halo was acquired by Flexjet in the spring of 2020 along with New York S76 operator, AAG. Shortly after, Flexjet announced the launch of its Vertical Lift Division and an order for 200 EVE eVTOL aircraft from Embraer.

In January this year, Halo rebranded as Flexjet Helicopters to develop its fractional helicopter programme in Europe and to work in support of Flexjet’s extensive fixed wing operation. Halo will concentrate on the Group’s aspirations for the future of flight, including the development of eVTOL operations in the US and Europe.

Will has been flying professionally for 30 years and still regularly escapes the office to fly the company’s S76 and AW109 helicopters.

Frederic Aguettant

Founder, Helipass

Frederic Aguettant is the pioneer of the digital transformation of Advanced Air Mobility. A multi-entrepreneur, he is the founding president of Helipass.com, the global platform for helicopter and air mobility.

Helipass, based on incremental technology, aims to develop and simplify new passenger uses in complete safety at competitive prices. Its international character allows it to bring together all the aeronautical companies and to offer its services at major events. Helipass was the only candidate selected among the 30 winners by the ADP consortium, Choose Paris Region and RAPT to participate in the e-commerce structuring of the Urban Air Mobility sector in view
of the 2024 Olympics.

Frederic comes from a family passionate about aeronautics and has 30 years of experience in business aviation as a consultant, creator and manager of several helicopter companies in France and abroad.

He holds a MBA from EDHEC.

A committed citizen, he is a citizen reserve Colonel of the Air Force and has been a member of the management of professional unions.

Contact :
f.aguettant@helipass.com

Melanie Prince

Head of Innovation, F.LIST GMBH

Craig Foster

Senior Consultant & Co-Founder, Valour Consultancy

Craig Foster is the co-founder of Valour Consultancy, a leading provider of market intelligence and consultancy services. He has extensive experience covering a wide variety of technology markets including the Internet of Things, M2M, smart home, smart grid, maritime connectivity, in-flight entertainment and connectivity and cabin technology more broadly. Foster has been an industry analyst for 15 years and is based in Grantham in the United Kingdom.

Prior to establishing Valour Consultancy, he was a principal analyst at ABI Research and a market analyst at IMS Research. At ABI, he launched a new research area devoted to the home automation market, before focusing his efforts on expanding the research portfolio of the company’s M2M service. At IMS, Foster’s research focused on the power transmission and low voltage products markets, after which he moved on to take responsibility for the company’s then-nascent aerospace research group.

Foster is a regular speaker and participant in panel discussions and has been widely quoted in trade journals, magazines, and other forms of online and print media. He holds a BA in economics from the University of Leicester.

Fiona Healy

Director, FCF Assets

Fiona obtained her LLB in London. She spent some years in the Commercial Property division of McCann FitzGerald in Dublin before moving to a small private client firm in central Dublin. Whilst there she developed an interest in private international law, particularly in the field of aviation. She is currently Managing Director of FCF Assets Limited, a firm providing both legal and practical assistance to clients in obtaining a Maltese Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC), as well as a broad array of other advisory services pertaining to sourcing, financing, importing, registering, and operating your business aircraft. The firm advises family offices on sourcing the right aircraft for their mission profile, registering the plane for optimal tax and operational flexibility, finding the right operator to suit specific personal and business needs, and obtaining the right financing at the lowest possible cost. Fiona speaks and participates regularly at aviation conferences worldwide. Fiona has contributed to a number of aviation journals, including preparing the Aircraft Registration Guide for Malta on behalf of the international publication Corporate Jet Investor. 

Dr Geraldine Spiteri Lucas

Chief Executive Office and Registrar, Malta Business Registry

The Chief Executive Officer and Registrar of the Malta Business Registry Dr. Spiteri Lucas is a lawyer by profession who acquired a Doctor of Laws from the University of Malta and a warrant to practice in Maltese Courts. She also read a Masters Degree in European Studies and Comparative Law in 2012.

Dr. Spiteri Lucas started her career with a leading local law firm, advising local and international clients on civil, commercial, corporate, shipping and aviation law. This resulted in representing various clients in litigation procedures before Tribunals and local courts. She is also a member of the board of examiners for the department of Commercial Law of the University of Malta.

Previously to her MBR appointment, she used to head the legal and enforcement Unit of the said entity and oversaw its overall function. Dr. Spiteri Lucas was instrumental in subject persons and CSPs in intricate legal issues. She also played a crucial role in implementing the action plan put forward by the FATF such as the implementation of the BO Register. This crucial work resulted in Malta being put off the grey list. She was also involved in the transposition of EU Directives relating to company law into Maltese law and the upkeep of the Companies Act and relevant regulations.

Katie Bancroft

Senior Associate, Jaffa & Co

Katie Bancroft is an English business aviation lawyer working from London and Farnborough Airport.  She handles all aspects of the multi-jurisdictional sale, purchase, finance, new build and registration of fixed-wing and rotor aircraft. She also assists clients in implementing ownership structures and dealing with VAT issues arising in respect of these assets, alongside our preferred tax partners.

Katie‘s clients value her practical and commercial approach to deals. They also note her adaptability and skill at guiding clients through transactions, whether they are industry experts or first time buyers”.

Sidhant Sharma

Director,: Commercial & Legal, 2-Reg Aircraft Registry

Sidhant Sharma is the Director: Commercial & Legal at 2-REG. Previous experience includes Leasing & Finance at PK AirFinance, working closely with the legal team and enhancing the country risk index for aircraft investments. As well as Asset Management and Technical Services at SGI Aviation, providing advisory services during critical repossessions, risk mitigation and induction of SGI Aviation’s key asset management portfolios.

Mr Sharma holds an Advanced Masters’ degree from Universiteit Leiden in Air & Space Law graduating cum laude with the thesis focussing on the regulatory and practical practices in aircraft de-registrations and export impacting asset value and owner’s interest.

With a background in aviation finance and the commitment to further enunciate the regulatory abilities of 2-REG, Mr Sharma possesses the ideal balance of regulatory and technical knowledge to cultivate a safe and effective product for 2-REG’s clients and its key industry stakeholders

Juris Zacs

Insurance Broker & Branch Manager, Marine Insurance Services

Being a branch manager and director of aviation and marine insurance in Spain, he is representing specialized insurance brokerage Marine Insurance Services SIA Sucursal en España (Branch in Spain) which is a part of the Marine Services Group™ (MSG), a unique group of companies covering more than 25 products for the maritime, aviation and transport industry in 4 general business lines: Insurance, Legal, Shipsale and Survey.

Juris has almost 20 years of insurance brokering experience and more than a decade working closely with Marine Insurance Services to develop general and business aviation solutions for the aviation industry.

By closely working with business aviation market, Juris has been a key person for many business jet owners and operators helping successfully to place adapted insurance programs with well know and reputed insurance companies across the globe.

Anne Roberts

CEO, Aiber

CEO and Co-Founder of Aiber, Anne is an experienced med-tech professional with a track record of managing successful customer focused innovation. Throughout her career she has worked with several international teams in both aviation and maritime markets, using her specialist knowledge in the application of new technologies for a range of remote medical scenarios. Anne has international academic publications in emergency response and voluntary first aid and is also a member of the Scottish Chamber of Commerce Business Advisory Group.

Tony Davis

Non-Executive Director, Aiber

Tony started his aviation career more than 35 years ago with leading airlines in the UK and worldwide.  He held various roles in marketing, pricing, purchasing, regulatory affairs and alliances. Tony was the founding managing director of bmibaby, the low cost airline and the President and Chief Executive Officer of Tiger Airways in Singapore. Following the successful IPO of Tiger Airways in 2010, Tony joined Irelandia Aviation, one of the world’s leading developers of low cost airlines.

Tony has been a non-executive director of a number of airlines and in addition to serving as a director of Aiber and Malta based Flite Holdings, he is also Chairman of inflight retail company, Versilia Solutions. Tony is a graduate of Lancaster University and is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Kirsty Thorton

Director, Flacton Ltd

Andrew Pearce

Regional Sales Manager - Europe

Based in the United Kingdom, Andrew Pearce is the Regional Director of Sales for Flying Colours Corp. covering the EMEA regions. He is responsible for developing business, supporting customer relationships and exploring new opportunities focusing on MRO, refurbishment, completions, aircraft upgrades and special missions work.

His career has seen him develop from a Flight Operations assistant at Britannia Airways, before moving to aircraft management at McAlpine Aviation where he cut his teeth in the charter and aircraft sales business. Time at Fortis Aviation saw Andrew conduct multi-million dollar deals with international carriers including the illustrious Emirates. Subsequent roles and board leadership were held at TwinJet Marshall Aerospace, TAG, Innotech Aviation and Rizon Jet, all of which has contributed to Andrew’s deep and rich knowledge and understanding of the international business aviation sector.

As the son of a Diplomat Andrew was introduced to traveling, and flight, from an early age which is when he “simply fell in love with aviation,” which is why he has worked in the industry
since leaving school.

Andrew Douglas

Managing Director, AvioNexus

James Carroll

Director Business Development, JSSI

As Director of Business Development for Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI®), James Carroll implements and oversees sales initiatives, develops relationships and promotes JSSI programs and services throughout Western Europe. Previously at JSSI, Mr. Carroll had responsibility for Account Management and advised on financial and contractual problems.

Mr. Carroll started his aviation career at BAA Heathrow where he was promoted to Duty Manager of Terminal 4 and then held the position of Crisis Manager for the online travel company lastminute.com. James holds a BA Honours Degree in French and Spanish, is an accredited Senior Aircraft Appraiser with the American Society of Appraisers, and enjoys playing tennis in his spare time.