Story ID: 
Irish Bizav Group Releases International Conference Agenda
By: Charles Alcock
Caption: Sustainability, future technology, public perception, and opportunities in Ireland are all on the agenda
Word Count: 687
The Irish General and Business Aviation Association (IGBAA) has released more details about the program for its third-annual International Business Aviation Conference on November 14. The event at the K Club Hotel and Golf Resort in Kildare will feature senior industry leaders to discuss issues including sustainability, advanced air mobility, aircraft finance, and business opportunities in Ireland.
The conference will open with an address by James Lawless, a minister of state at Ireland’s Department of Transportation and the Department of the Environment, Climate, and Communications. Gulfstream Aerospace chief developmental test pilot Eric Holmberg will give a keynote presentation on how the company tests new aircraft as part of the type certification process.
“With Eric, we are going straight to the heart of how innovative and awesome business aviation is,” said IBGAA chairman Josh Stewart. “During the conference, we will explore the many challenges we face operationally and commercially and look at what is upcoming in the rearview mirror too, in our Future Flight Advanced Air Mobility session.” Gulfstream is the headline sponsor for the conference.
Another conference session will provide guidance on how to set up an air operator certificate in Ireland—a move that is of potential interest to aircraft operators seeking a base in the European Union, such as those in Ireland’s neighbor, the UK. This panel will include Jim Gavin, COO of the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA); Robert Calleja, director and head of aviation with the Bargate Murray law firm; Heather Gordon, legal director with Martyn Fiddler Aviation; Dave Scully, COO of Alliance Aviation Group; and Brian Tuohy, director of flight operations at ACASS Ireland.
“We have tremendous support from our regulatory authorities with the IAA senior leadership in attendance,” said Scully, who is also IGBAA’s vice chairman. The aviation authority is also exhibiting at the conference and with staff available to engage with companies.
The Irish aviation sector’s outreach at the conference will also include presentations by Mary Considine, CEO of Shannon Airports Group and Niall MacCarthy, managing director of Cork Airport. The country’s airports are a key aspect of its drive to attract foreign direct investment and boost tourism, which are both important economic drivers.
Sustainability High on the Agenda
For the third year running, business aviation’s efforts to ensure a sustainable future are high on the conference agenda. Leading this discussion will be Kennedy Ricci, president of aviation sustainability specialist 4Air, which is the conference’s platinum sponsor.
Negative public perception is a related problem faced by the private aviation sector. This will be addressed in session moderated by Colin Dunne, Jetcraft’s U.S. sales director, and featuring Keith McKay, head of operations and business development at Woodgate Aviation; Leah Hamilton, head of EMEA sales and business development at Universal Weather & Aviation; and Robert Phlak, CEO of VOO Flights. Attendees will also hear from Seán Earley, the managing director of creative campaigning at Teneo who will provide guidance on positive storytelling.
Kurt Edwards, director general of the International Business Aviation Council, will once again moderate a session on global perspectives for the industry. This discussion will also feature Doug Carr, senior vice president of safety, security, sustainability, and international operations with the NBAA; Robert Baltus, COO of EBAA; Antonia Gilbert, president of the Austrian Business Aviation Association and chief commercial officer of MJet; and Lindsey Oliver, managing director of the British Business and General Aviation Association.
The Future Flight session on advanced air mobility is new to the IBGAA conference agenda. The session will be moderated by Russell Vickers, CEO of Ireland’s Future Mobility Campus, with industry experts including Verity Richardson, Archer Aviation’s director of business development; Stephen Mckenna, director of sales and marketing at Textron eAviation subsidiary Pipistrel; Timo Zehetmayr, operations manager with Flyvbird; and William Fanshawe, managing director of Flexjet Helicopters.
The conference will conclude with a gala dinner sponsored by Jetcraft that IBGAA executive director Joe Buckley said would feature “terrific Irish entertainment.”