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

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. He is committed to ensuring a resilient and future-ready operation, with a strong affinity for customer satisfaction, digital innovation, and sustainable progress.

Maarten Stienen

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, and previously served as Chief of Staff to European Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes on the Digital Agenda for Europe.

Constantijn van Oranje

Tim is the CEO and Co-Founder of INERATEC, making significant contributions to sustainability through his work in building the innovative e-Fuel company. His 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. A chemical engineer from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), he combines deep expertise in hydrogen production, catalysis, and petrochemistry.

Tim Boeltken

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).

Daniel Moczydlower

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

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.

Diana Siegel

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

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

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.

Suzanna Chiu

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.

Zain Athar

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 Guzmán

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.

Shashank Nigam

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

Ivor is Co-Founder and CEO of VÆRIDION, a Munich-based startup, pioneering 100% electric aircraft for zero-emission regional flight. VÆRIDION’s Microliner features a glider-inspired wing with integrated modular batteries and a proprietary propulsion system to make sustainable short-haul travel a reality by 2030.

Ivor van Dartel

Nico Buchholz is the Deputy CEO of BermudAir and brings more than 30 years of international experience in aeronautical engineering, airline operations, and fleet management. Over his career, he has bought and sold more than 1,000 aircraft and worked with leading airlines including Lufthansa, Delta Air Lines, Air New Zealand, and South African Airways.
He has collaborated closely with major OEMs and suppliers such as Airbus, Rolls-Royce, and Bombardier, contributing to the development and entry into service of aircraft programs including the A220 (CSeries), Embraer E2, A320neo, A350, 787, 747-8, and 777X.

Nico Buchholz

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

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.

Jim Morrison

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

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

Anagh is a Managing Director at ZIP, where he focuses on early-stage and growth investments at the intersection of innovation and infrastructure.
Before joining ZIP, he worked at Antin Infrastructure Partners, a leading private equity firm with €31B in assets under management, covering sectors including transportation, logistics, energy, power, and waste. He began his career at Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners and has completed transactions across rail transport, utility-scale solar and battery storage, and on-street parking. Anagh is also an active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

John Lou

Thijs works closely with founders to help them grow faster and build strong, scalable businesses. With a background in venture capital and finance, he has experience across both startup and corporate environments, and is known for connecting people, ideas, and opportunities in a very practical way.
He actively supports and invests in companies including Aiir Innovations, Mobian, We4Sea, ViriCiti, Razor Secure, C Teleport, GRASP, SupplyStack, Maxem, Volytica Diagnostics, Heex Technologies, RideTandem, and TEEPTRAK, where he helps teams turn ambition into execution.

Thijs Gitmans

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

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 e.V.

Peter Smeets

SEE PREVIOUS SPEAKERS 2024