AS the 26th League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) Conference draws nearer, Professor Anthony Kila and Mr. George Uriesi, the Centre Director at the Centre for International Advanced and Professional Studies (CIAPS) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Ibom Air, respectively would deliver key papers at the event to set the ball rolling for the panelist sessions.
The conference with the theme: ‘Sunset Airports: Economic & Safety Implications,’ is scheduled to hold on July 28, 2022 at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers.
A statement by Mr. Chinedu Eze, Conference Committee Chairman said that two major papers, which focus on passengers and airlines experiences at the nation’s airports, would be presented at the event that is set to point the way forward for the Nigerian aviation industry, especially on the full utilising of aerodromes.
Kila would present the first paper with the topic: ‘Passenger Experience in Daylight Airports, while Uriesi would present the second paper with the topic: ‘Maximising Runways Utilisation.’
Kila is a Jean Monnet professor of Strategy and Development. He is a provost at the Washington Institute of Strategic and Developmental Studies and also a Director of the Cambridge African Roundtable and the CIAPS.
He is also an international director of studies at the the Enterprise Coordination & Approval Processing System (ECAPS) in Cambridge and a regular analyst and commentator on the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
Kila is also an essayist whose columns and essays are published in various news outlets nationally and internationally.
The professor studied in Cambridge, London, Perugia and Suffolk. He graduated with first class degree and later specialised as a scholar of political anthropology.
A Vice Chancellor and Heritage Prize winner, he has taught in a variety of colleges and universities in Cambridge, Ipswich, Lecce, London, Perugia and Siena.
He worked as a banker in the City of London and later as a project and management consultant.
He is an expert of internationalisation and joint ventures and he has worked on various international projects across the globe.
Mr. Uriesi who will present the second paper has a career spanning 31 years, 27 of which is in aviation, beginning at ADC Airlines in Nigeria and proceeding to South Africa where he spent a few years in FMCG as Logistics Manager at Procter & Gamble South Africa.
He returned to aviation, joining the newly corporatised South African Civil Aviation Authority, where he became General Manager for Aviation Safety and then on to the Airports Company of South Africa, where he was appointed as the General Manager of Cape Town International Airport, which he completely rebuilt for the World Cup in 2010.
Later, he was appointed Managing Director of the Federal airports Authority of Nigeria in 2011 for a brief period.
Uriesi has played active roles in the aviation industry as a member of the International Air Services Council of South Africa and a member of the Economic Regulating Council of Airports and Air Traffic Control of South Africa.
He was also the Vice President for the Africa Region of Airports Council International. He holds a BA (Hons) degree from Bendel State (now Ambrose Alli) University, Ekpoma, as well as several professional qualifications.
The professional qualifications include University of Southern California’s Diploma in Aviation Safety Management, the Airport Executive Leadership Program of Concordia University, Montreal, Canada, the Senior Civil Aviation Management Program of the Singapore Civil Aviation Academy, the Executive Leadership program of the University of Cape Town’s Business School and the Senior Airline Executives Program of Cranfield University, England.
At present, he is the COO of Ibom Air.
The conference would be chaired by Mr. Bankole Bernard, the Chairman of Finchglow Travels, a subsidiary of Finchglow Holdings.
Bernard is the Group Managing Director of Finchglow Holdings, the parent company for Finchglow Travels, Finchglow Holidays, Lagos Aviation Academy, FCM Travel Solutions, Nigeria; Prysm Investments Travelden Nigeria Limited, Finchglobal Nigeria Limited and FinchAir.
Bernard is also the Chairman of the Airline and Passenger Joint Committee (APJC) and the immediate-Past-President of the National Association of the Nigerian Travel Agents (NANTA), the umbrella body for the over 6,000 travel agencies operating in Nigeria.
Bankole is a member of the Hospitality and Tourism Committee of the Institute of Directors (IoD), a member of SKAL International and a member of the Nigeria-South African Chamber of Commerce (NSACC).
