Future Aero Festival

Where the Changemakers of Aviation Meet.

1-2 December, 2025 | Amsterdam, NL

FESTIVAL PROGRAM

The Future Aero Festival is where innovation meets collaboration. It’s a unique space designed to spark inspiration, share groundbreaking ideas, and forge new connections across the boundaries of aviation.

Hosted annually, the Future Aero Festival is a catalyst for shaping the future of aviation - from cutting-edge technologies to visionary thinking.

On Stage in 2025: Confirmed Speakers

Nathalie is Chief Sustainability Officer and a member of the Executive Committee at Safran. She began her career at Air Inter and held multiple senior roles within Air France-KLM, including SVP Revenue Management & Pricing, CEO of Transavia France, and led the decarbonization strategy of the AFKL group. With 30+ years in aviation, she blends deep operational and strategic expertise with a clear focus on decarbonizing air transport.

Nathalie Stubler

Constantijn van Oranje is Special Envoy at TechLeap, leading efforts to turn the Netherlands into a European powerhouse for technology and innovation. He and his team support the country’s most promising startups and scaleups, helping them grow through better access to capital, markets, and talent.
He is a Board Member of the NATO Innovation Fund, Member of the National Growth Fund Investment Committee, and Ambassador of the European Innovation Council. Constantijn also co-founded StartupFest Europe, the largest startup event ever held in the Netherlands.

Constantijn van Oranje

Maarten is Chief Operations Officer & Managing Director at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Over 25 years with KLM and the Air France-KLM Group, he has led global outstations, baggage and turnaround services, industrial relations, and hub operations - including navigating one of KLM’s most challenging periods during the COVID-19 pandemic. Appointed COO in 2022, Maarten is responsible for the overall coordination and performance of KLM’s operational organization.

Maarten Stienen

Tim is the visionary leader of INERATEC, making significant contributions to sustainability through his pioneering building the innovative e-Fuel company. His life goal of driving climate neutrality has been actualized through the establishment and growth of INERATEC, positioning the company at the forefront of the shift towards cleaner fueling solutions. An accomplished chemical engineer educated at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), he has significant experience in hydrogen production, catalysis, and petrochemistry.

Tim Boeltken

Nichola is the CEO of XeleratedFifty and a former senior venture leader at Boeing, where she led global innovation programs and invested in startups across 14 countries. With a background spanning startup founding, venture investing, and corporate strategy in aerospace and defence, she brings deep experience in scaling early-stage technologies and building international partnerships. Today, she supports founders developing breakthrough technologies in hard-to-transform sectors.

Nichola Bates

Michael is the Chief Science Officer at RTX, leading the company’s scientific vision. With over 30 years at United Technologies and its divisions, he has held senior roles including Principal Fellow for Advanced Technology at Pratt & Whitney. His expertise spans propulsion, fuel cells, lasers, and combustion.

Michael Winter

Jolanda leads KLM’s Zero Emission Aviation program, shaping the airline’s strategy around battery-electric and hydrogen-powered flight. With 25 years as a KLM pilot and experience in crisis management and training, she now brings her operational expertise to the forefront of aviation innovation.

Jolanda Stevens

Axel is the Executive Director of the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking, a Public-Private Partnership and the European Union’s leading Research and Innovation programme for steering aviation towards a sustainable and climate-neutral future. The aim is to develop and demonstrate disruptive new technologies and aircraft concepts aimed at reducing CO2 and non-CO2 aircraft emissions. With over two decades at Airbus in executive roles, Axel brings extensive experience and is committed to shaping a climate-neutral future for aviation

Axel Krein

Tobias is the Executive Director of Tech for Net Zero, a European initiative focused on accelerating the market ramp-up and financing of leading clean technologies, including Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). As a network of Climate Tech Startups and investors across the DACH region, Tech for Net Zero actively supports the creation of lead markets, such as Advanced Buyers Clubs for SAF. He is also a Partner at 1.5°Ventures, a venture builder that supports asset-heavy climate-tech startups in scaling solutions, including clean fuels and hydrogen. Previously, Tobias worked at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., with a focus on financing infrastructure projects and public-private partnerships.

Tobias Lechtenfeld

Daniel Moczydlower

Daniel is the President & CEO of Embraer-X and Head of Global Innovation Ecosystems at Embraer. With a background in chemical engineering and a passion for transformative tech, he’s led innovation across the company - from shaping its technology roadmap to launching future-facing ventures. Before joining Embraer, he was CEO of Chemtech (Siemens Group).

Suzanna Chiu

Suzanna leads Amadeus Ventures, the corporate VC arm of Amadeus IT Group, where she drives strategic investments in early-stage travel and aviation technologies. With a background in investment banking and technology consulting, she brings deep expertise in deal structuring, portfolio strategy, and ecosystem building.

Max is a Principal at Breakthrough Energy Ventures - the climate fund founded by Bill Gates to accelerate the world’s path to net-zero - where he leads investment work on sustainable liquid fuels. Prior to BEV, he worked in strategy consulting at Bain & Company. He holds a degree in Civil Engineering in Energy Sciences from KU Leuven and Imperial College London, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Max Sabbe

Diana Siegel

Diana is VP of Commercial Programs at Electra.aero and part of the company’s founding team. She co-led Electra’s initial customer outreach, resulting in 1,000+ aircraft pre-orders. Before joining Electra, she led advanced air mobility programs at Aurora Flight Sciences and held roles at BCG, MBDA (Airbus Group), and Lufthansa Technik

Stephen is Managing Director at SKY VC, where he leads operations and partnerships, building strategic collaborations that connect portfolio companies with industry leaders. He brings over a decade of airline and innovation experience, having previously served on JetBlue’s Corporate Strategy team, where he managed a $150M capex budget and drove key initiatives including the airline’s COVID-19 response and company-wide strategy refresh.

Stephen Snyder

Thomas leads the LiT Venture Lab and brings over ten years of experience in the global startup ecosystem, including running an Innovation Studio and working in Australia’s venture landscape. At LiT, he focuses on helping aviation startups strengthen their investor readiness and navigate the path from early innovation to commercialisation. Collaborating closely with industry partners, he supports founders in building scalable companies within the evolving aviation market.

Thomas Anbeek

Jose is the Head of Sustainability at Airbus Defence and Space, where he oversees and passionately drives the company´s end-to-end sustainability strategy. With over 15 years of industry expertise, he defines roadmaps and bold initiatives that transform the complete value chain, from innovative products and business models to building resilient operations. His focus is on delivering systemic and measurable impact.

José Antonio Coll Guzman

Ivor van Dartel

Ivor is Co-Founder and CEO of VÆRIDION, a Sustainable Aero Lab Graduated Startup, pioneering battery-electric aircraft for zero-emission regional flight. VÆRIDION’s Microliner concept integrates advanced wing-battery modules and a fully redundant electric propulsion system, aiming to make sustainable short-haul travel a reality by 2030. Before founding VÆRIDION, Ivor worked at Airbus in engineering, operations, and research & technology, where he managed the hybrid-electric drive system for the E-Fan X demonstrator.

Jim Morrison

Jim is the Chief Risk Officer at Avolon, responsible for shaping the company’s global risk strategy and driving its response to emerging industry challenges. He previously led Avolon’s entry into the freighter market and helped launch its eVTOL commercialization strategy. Before Avolon, he held senior roles at CIT Aerospace and Bombardier and is also a key contributor to Avolon’s thought leadership and sustainability initiatives.

Zain Athar

Zain is an investor at United Airlines Ventures, sourcing and evaluating startups across the Aerospace, Travel Technology, and Aviation Infrastructure verticals. He brings EU startup experience and Wall Street experience to his role championing innovation in aviation and travel. Before United Airlines Ventures, he worked in Transportation Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley in New York.

Shashank Nigam

Shashank is the CEO of SimpliFlying and one of the most recognized voices in aviation marketing and innovation. A bestselling author of SOAR and Sustainability in the Air, Shashank is known for his engaging talks and customer experience. His work has been featured by The New York Times, CNN, and The Wall Street Journal, and he has been named among Skift’s Top 100 Global Thought Leaders in Travel.

Dean is the co-founder of Volaris, Mexico’s largest airline, and a longtime investor in aerospace and aviation innovation. Through DiamondStream Partners, he invested in pioneering companies like Ampaire, Elroy Air, and renowned JetZero, where he brings deep expertise from decades of leadership across the industry.

Dean Donovan

Max is the co-founder of ch-aviation, a leading aviation intelligence platform used by airlines, OEMs, and lessors worldwide. He’s known for his sharp commentary on airline operations, helping the industry make data-driven decisions. At the Festival, Max will dive into the most defining data points in aviation of the past 12 months.

Max Oldorf

Bjorn is an aeronautical engineer and ex–fighter pilot from the Swedish Air Force. With over 40 years in aviation, he brings deep technical insights to his work at Leeham Company. He has flown 15 aircraft types and is widely known for his weekly 'corners', published in the Leeham News & Analysis blog.

Bjorn Fehrm

Peter is a partner at Bruski Smeets & Lange, and founder of 360 Asset Finance, an advisory boutique in the field of green energy and green molecules. He played a key role in the management buyout and financial restructuring of Condor Airlines during the pandemic, and continues to advise airlines on addressing sustainability and innovation strategies. Peter is a founding member of the renowned NGO Impact on Sustainable Aviation.

Peter Smeets

Daniel is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Elysian Aircraft, where he leads the development of a 90-seat battery-electric aircraft designed to reshape regional air travel and accelerate aviation’s shift to zero-emission flight. Before launching Elysian, he managed strategic app partnerships at Google EMEA and served as Partner and Commercial Director at MyCujoo, later acquired by Eleven Sports Group. Daniel brings deep experience in venture building, strategy, and technology as he helps steer Elysian toward market entry.

Daniel Rosen Jacobson

John Lou is an aerospace engineer with 7+ years of experience in the development of UAVs and electric aircraft. He has worked as a development engineer at IET Limited, a CAD engineer at Airbus Defence and Space, and now focuses on testing and verification at MTU. He is also known for his technical YouTube analyses, including a widely discussed critique of Lilium’s eVTOL concept. John is currently building a company that provides test platforms to accelerate drone innovation across the EU. His strengths include aircraft conceptual design, systems engineering, and hands-on prototyping, and he is seeking business partnerships that generate value for the industry and ultimately support international security.

John Lou

SEE PREVIOUS SPEAKERS FROM FESTIVAL 2024

World’s Top Aviation Investors Meet Here

YOUR 2025 EXPERIENCE

POWER PITCH STAGE

Over 50 visionary startups and trailblazing companies from around the globe will take the Power Pitch Stage to showcase bold ideas and breakthrough solutions shaping the future of sustainable aviation.

INVESTOR Q&A

Top-tier investors take the stage for dynamic investor Q&A - sharing their vision, spotting game-changing ideas, and connecting directly with the next wave of aviation innovators.

PRODUCT SHOWCASING

From next-gen aircraft components to advanced systems, the exhibition area is where breakthrough innovations come to life. Explore tangible prototypes, and real-world solutions from startups and industry players.

EXCLUSIVE NETWORKING

Join a curated space where bold thinkers, top investors, and startups connect. This is where the future of aviation gets personal and powerful partnerships begin.