Conference Speakers & Profiles
Alice Ancona
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
World Trade Center Miami
Alice has served in this role since January 2020. She brings more than 20 years of experience and leadership focused on developing and delivering international trade programs and trade missions, economic development, advocacy and cultivating new revenue generating services and solutions. Prior to joining the WTCM, Alice headed the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s international efforts and was the primary advocate for international trade, logistics and investment policies with a focus on reducing barriers to trade, promoting efforts to expand market access and investment in Florida’s trade infrastructure. Prior to joining the Florida Chamber, Alice led the governmental affairs division of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce where she directed the policy agenda on a wide range of policy issues on behalf of the business community. She has been part of successful campaigns to win congressional passage of trade agreements with key Florida trading partners to include: Colombia FTA, DR-CAFTA, Panama FTA, Chile FTA, KORUS, and worked on efforts to secure the Free Trade Area of the Americas. Alice has served on various steering committees for Florida’s transportation planning efforts, is currently Vice Chair of the South Florida District Export Council, Board Member of the Miami Dade County International Trade Consortium, recipient of the 2014 International Women’s Day Award from World Trade Center Miami, was named 2015 Person of the Year by the Florida Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association, Inc., and recipient of the 2016 Women of Distinction Award by the Lauderhill Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Ivan Barrios
President & CEO
World Trade Center Miami
Ivan Barrios is the President/CEO of the World Trade Center Miami. Ivan has served in this role since January 2020. He most recently worked as Vice President for International Trade Development & TEAM Florida missions at Enterprise Florida, Inc., the state of Florida’s official economic development agency. He managed a statewide team of trade specialists that assisted Florida companies to export their products and services overseas. Ivan has organized 28 Governor led trade missions to 22 countries from 1999–2015 for three governors. Special projects included 3,000 one-on-one business matchmaking appointments for exporters, managing two hemispheric trade shows, producing and publishing five Florida International Trade and Services Directories, coordinating the activities of the Florida International Bankers Association and creating the Florida Trade Data Center, a first of its kind information hub for Florida exporters.Ivan serves on Enterprise Florida’s Florida Trade Partnership Alliance, the South Florida District Export Council, and is a member of the board of the Miami-Dade International Trade Consortium. He has a degree in Business Administration from the University of Miami.
Bruce Brecheisen
Executive Vice President
Seaboard Marine
Bruce Brecheisen serves as the Executive Vice President of Seaboard Marine, a Miami-based globally recognized shipping and transportation company. With over three decades within the industry, Brecheisen brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his role. He has demonstrated a relentless dedication to fostering growth and innovation within Seaboard Marine throughout his career and has played a pivotal role in the company’s expansion and success, positioning it as the leading ocean carrier at PortMiami. His extensive knowledge extends across various aspects of the maritime sector, including operations, business development, and strategic planning. He has consistently spearheaded initiatives that enhance efficiency, sustainability, and customer satisfaction while strongly focusing on corporate responsibility and environmental stewardship. He holds a degree in business administration from Kansas State University.
Richard Broekman
Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Sustainability
Atlas Air Worldwide
Richard Broekman is Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Sustainability for Atlas Air Worldwide. He is responsible for the development and execution of the Company’s commercial strategies, as well as management of the corporate sales strategy for the ACMI, CMI and charter service businesses on a global basis. In his role expanded role as Head of Sustainability, Richard will drive the Company’s commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and lead the development of the Company’s decarbonization strategies. Having invested nearly his entire career in this industry, he brings extensive expertise in air cargo across many facets of the business. He served as Senior Vice President, Global Sales and Commercial Development since 2018, and has been integral to the Company’s success in driving the strategic diversification of its customer base. He joined the Company in 2004 and held positions with increasing responsibilities in Finance and Business Development. Richard holds both Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Industrial Engineering and Management Science from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. He brings a deep passion for environmental stewardship and is completing an Executive Master degree in Sustainability Transition Management from the Bologna Business School.
Juan Cruz Correa
Chief Commercial Officer (CCO)
Avianca Cargo
Juan Cruz Correa has more than 15 years of experience in the airline industry. In the past he held the position of Chief Operating Officer and before joining Avianca Cargo, Juan served in different managerial positions in the industry in operations, planning and customer service. Throughout his extensive career he has developed enterprise – level business strategies and built high performing service delivery organizations. His work is focused on business transformation, efficiency and sales improvement as well as customer satisfaction. He holds a Master´s Degree in Business Administration from IE Business School in Madrid and a bachelor´s degree in Industrial Engineering from University of Buenos Aires
Director and Chief Executive Officer
Miami-Dade Aviation Department
Ralph Cutié oversees operations at Miami International Airport (MIA) and four general aviation (GA) airports in the Miami area, which together generate $31.9 billion in business revenue and support more than 275,000 direct and indirect jobs. MIA leads the way, handling more than 46 million passengers and more than two million tons of cargo annually, placing it among America’s busiest international passenger and cargo airports. Previously, Mr. Cutié served as Assistant Director for Facilities Management and Engineering, overseeing the largest and most diverse division within the Aviation Department. Mr. Cutié is a 32-year County veteran with more than 35 years of experience in the fields of project control, critical path method (CPM) scheduling, project management, construction contracting and construction claims administration. He began his County career in 1990 with the Miami-Dade Transit (MDT) Department as a Cost and Scheduling Specialist, later advancing to Manager of MDT’s Engineering Cost and Scheduling Section, and ultimately, to Chief of MDT’s Project Control Division. In 2006, Mr. Cutié transitioned to the Office of Capital Improvements (OCI), where he served as the Manager of Project Scheduling and Compliance for the County’s $2.9 billion Building Better Communities – General Obligation Bond (BBC-GOB) Program, and where he also managed the County’s successful Economic Stimulus Plan (ESP), Miscellaneous Construction Contract (MCC) and Construction Manager (CM) Training programs. Also, during his tenure at OCI and ISD, Mr. Cutié collaborated with the County Attorney’s Office and the County’s various capital departments to develop the Standard Construction Contract, which was adopted by the Board of County Commissioners in November 2012 as the standard for all non-MCC construction projects countywide. Mr. Cutié obtained his degree in construction management from Florida International University in 1989. He possesses numerous certificates in scheduling, project management design-build and claims administration from the National Transit Institute and served as an instructor in the County’s Construction Manager Training Program – specifically in the areas of project scheduling, project documentation and construction claims and disputes.
Lenny Feldman
Managing Partner and Operating Committee Member
Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A
Lenny Feldman is recognized internationally as a leading strategic advisor, previously co-chairing the twenty-member Customs and Border Protection’s Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee. He provides strategic recommendations and guidance directly to CBP, Homeland Security and Treasury executives on issues such as forced labor, intellectual property rights, e-commerce policy, trade partnership programs and legal/regulatory modernization. He currently serves as General Counsel and Customs Counsel to the National Customs Brokers & Freight Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA). Previously, he served as lead counsel to the Florida Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association and as a former chairman of the World Trade Center of Miami.
Lenny has counseled thousands of companies in creating “comply chains” while increasing efficiencies and lowering costs. Feldman innovatively and resourcefully resolves complex issues pertaining to import compliance, valuation, trade preference, country of origin, seizures, penalties, antidumping and countervailing duty, CTPAT/border security, bonded facilities, FTZs and other government agency admissibility and licensing. As a senior attorney with Customs Headquarters in Washington, D.C., from 1991 to 2000, he issued several hundred national guidelines, directives, and administrative rulings and was a NAFTA negotiator. After leaving Customs, he served as the chief compliance officer and vice president, international, for a trade and logistics software development company responsible for content and automation pertaining to the trade laws of more than 100 countries.
Brandon Fried
Executive Director
Airforwarders Association
In November 2005 Brandon Fried was appointed to serve as the new executive director of the Airforwarders Association. As executive director, he represents the Association on all security matters and serves on the TSA Aviation Security Advisory Committee (ASAC) in counsel to the Transportation Security Administration, the U.S. Department of Commerce Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness and the CBP Commercial Operations Advisory Committee. He also chairs and represents forwarder interests on the Advisory Board of CNS, an IATA. Fried is a recognized expert on the air cargo industry and regularly comments for major trade publications such as The Journal of Commerce and Air Cargo World as well as the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, The Miami Herald and USA Today. He has also appeared on National Public Radio, CNN News and C-SPAN’s Washington Journal television shows. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from Syracuse University.
Greg Gildemann
Regional Director, Market Analysis
Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Gregg Gildemann is a Regional Marketing Director in Boeing Commercial Airplane’s Market Analysis group. In this role, he focuses on both passenger and air cargo traffic forecasting and the market dynamics that affect both segments. His regional focus on the passenger side is centered on the China and South Asia markets and for air cargo is on the Americas markets. Additionally, he is responsible for understanding commercial passenger and air cargo market trends and their impact on Boeing and the industry. Gildemann contributes to Boeing’s annual Commercial Market Outlook and biennial World Air Cargo Forecast, both 20-year forecasts of market trends and airline passenger fleet demand and air cargo freighter demand. Prior to his position in Market Analysis, he held positions in North America Regional Marketing, Northeast Asia Regional Marketing and the Airline Economic Analysis groups at Boeing.
Neema Singh Guliani
Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for Services
International Trade Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
Neema Singh Guliani is the Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for Services. In this role, she directs the U.S. Department of Commerce’s efforts to create the policy conditions for U.S. digital, financial, supply chain and other services industries to compete around the world. Guliani is a lawyer and policy expert who has worked on issues at the intersection of national security, economics, and civil rights. Before joining ITA, she served at Twitter as Head of National Security, Democracy, and Civil Rights Public Policy for the Americas, where she led development of policy and strategy in the U.S. for surveillance, the open internet, and civil rights. Prior to her time at Twitter, Guliani served as Senior Legislative Counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, where she led several initiatives related to surveillance and technology issues. She also served as a political appointee in the Chief of Staff’s Office at the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Secretary, an adjudicator at the USDA Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, and a Counsel for the Oversight and Government Reform Committee for the U.S. House of Representatives. Guliani is a 2018 Truman National Security Fellow and a member of the Florida Bar. She has a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in international relations with a focus on global security from Brown University.
Olivier Houri
Executive Vice President & CRO
SmartKargo
Olivier Houri leads SmartKargo’s high-growth strategy as EVP and Chief Revenue Officer, overseeing strategic corporate initiatives including business development, marketing, and global account service. Prior to joining the executive team at SmartKargo, he spent over 20 years serving the air transport industry, first by leading the Global Air Transport Consulting Practice at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young and more recently as the President and General Manager of Unisys Global Travel & Transportation business. With his background in the aviation industry and management consulting, Houri gained first-hand experience from the many prominent executives with whom he worked. At SmartKargo, he works with other SmartKargo management team members to coordinate initiatives in finance, product roadmap and with global delivery teams to ensure SmartKargo continues market leadership in product innovation to stay ahead of industry trends.
Tristan Koch
Chief Communications Officer
Awery Aviation Software
Tristan Koch joined Awery in 2021 bringing over 25 years’ experience in aviation and air cargo with British Airways, American Airlines, and IAG. He led American Airlines Cargo in EMEA through both Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and the merger with USD Airways. More recently he was leading IAG Cargo’s digital innovation project. He has also led large air freight sales teams across the world, managed a number of major restructuring projects, and digital transformations. Harbouring early dreams of playing professional football, he is an avid Crystal Palace Football Club fan and remains a keen sportsman.
Juan Carlos Liscano
Vice President of Miami Hub Operations
American Airlines
Juan Carlos Liscano is the Vice President of Miami Hub Operations for American Airlines. He oversees all airport operations in Miami, American’s largest international hub and gateway to the Americas with 13,500 team members flying to more than 140 destinations around the world. He joined the airline in 1994 and has held numerous leadership roles throughout his career. He has previously served as Managing Director of Latin America, Managing Director of the Los Angeles hub, Managing Director of Flight Service Strategy and as Managing Director of Customer Care in Miami. Liscano currently serves on the board of directors for the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, he is the Chair-Elect for the Miami-Dade Beacon Council and also serves as Treasurer for the United Way of Miami. Additionally, he is an Executive Sponsor of the Latin Diversity Network employee business resource group at American. In 2022, he was the recipient of the Great Miami Aviation Association’s Juan Trippe Award, recognizing the significant contributions made by an individual to the development of international aviation. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Florida International University and a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University.
Gregory G. Maloney, Ph.D.
Director, Masters in Logistics and Supply Chain Management Program
Florida International University
Dr. Maloney teaches various courses in the logistics and marketing programs at the undergraduate and graduate level. His focus is on data analytics and creating efficiencies in supply chains through data. Prior to joining FIU, Gregory was the VP of Business Analytics at Bacardi USA. His experience at fortune 500 companies like Bacardi and Motorola brings an industry focus to his classroom.He received a degree in Doctor of Philosophy from Florida International University. He completed his MBA at University of Miami and completed his BA in Psychology from University of Miami.
Chris Mazzeo
VP, Global Operations
Amerijet
Chris Mazzeo has more than 30 years of experience in the industry and has previously held positions in international and domestic logistics for air and ground transportation, cargo sales, and operations leadership. He previously served as an IATA consultant and has knowledge of global supply chain management. Chris is known as a transformational leader with over 30 years of industry experience. His background includes international and domestic logistics for air and ground transportation, cargo sales, and operations leadership. He has a proven history of growing revenue and improving efficiency.
Amanda Montanez
Director
Savills
Amanda Montanez is the Savills – South Florida industrial real estate specialist. She joined Savills in 2021 after graduating from The University of Texas at Austin. She is a member of the industrial services and professional services practice groups at Savills and is actively involved in the local trade and logistics community in South Florida. She provides financial analysis for her clients’ complex lease, build to suit, purchase, and disposition transactions. Additionally, she and her team advise on site selection by analyzing real estate, energy, labor, incentives, and transportation costs between sites. Montanez is active in the Beacon Council’s Trade & Logistics Committee and the Florida Supply Chain Summit steering committee for 2024.
Mark O’Connell
Executive Chairman and Founder
OCO Global
Mark O’Connell is Executive Chairman and founder of OCO Global. A trusted advisor to governments across the world, he brings expertise and innovative thinking to the areas of Economic Development and Global Trade and Investment. He has broad experience in developing cutting edge strategy, and designing and implanting large scale programmes on behalf of clients. OCO has established a global reputation in the trade and investment advisory space over the last 20 years and continues to innovate and embrace new digital ways of working, expand their offer to support clients at all stages of their internationalisation journey, and become recognised as the agile, effective and go-to facilitator of international trade.
Cristina Oñate
VP of Marketing and Product Development
LATAM Cargo
As VP of Marketing and Product Development for LATAM Cargo, Cristina Oñate Cargo is responsible for all the functions related to the company’s product development, customer experience, global accounts, sustainability and brand strategy of the cargo business of LATAM Group. She has eleven years of experience in the cargo business of the airline industry. During this time, she has led different business areas related to commercial strategy, marketing and global accounts. She holds a Bachelor of Science (B. Sc.) in Business Administration from ICADE University of Navarra and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from IESE Business School. Before joining LATAM and prior to her MBA, she worked in the banking and real estate sectors in positions related to strategy and business development.
Edip Pektas
Founder
Airblox
Edip Pektas is the Founder of Airblox, the leading air cargo capacity digital marketplace, and a partner at Inoa Capital, an investment firm focusing on the aviation and airport services sector. Under his vision, Airblox has revolutionized airfreight management, offering businesses capacity trading, financing, and more efficient logistics solutions. His entrepreneurial spirit and unwavering commitment to excellence go beyond Airblox. With his proven leadership, Inoa Capital comprises of about ten companies that actively contribute to advancing and innovating aviation-related ventures, complementing his dedication to transforming the aviation industry.
Rene Puche
President
Port of Barranquilla Authority
Rene Puche is President of the Port of Baranquilla Port Society. Mr. Puche has a degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington, USA, and has more than 20 years of experience in the port logistics sector. During this time, he was linked to the Norwegian multinational fertilizer company Yara International, where he played important roles. He started in 1993 as Commercial Manager and then Logistics Manager in Barranquilla. In 2001, he was transferred to Brussels as Supply Director, in charge of purchasing 10 million tons per year. He held this position for six years. In 2007, he was transferred to Ghana as General Manager of the West Africa operation. Between 2009 and 2011, he was based in France and Switzerland as Director of Logistics and Supply for Africa and Latin America. Before his return to Barranquilla, he served as Vice President of Logistics and Supply of Abocol S.A., a multinational fertilizer company based in Colombia and with a presence in 7 countries in Latin America. Since February 2013, he has served as President of the Port of Barranquilla. He was awarded Entrepreneur of the Year in 2020 and has been part of important Boards of Directors in the city and the country of organizations such as Triple A, ANDI, Comité Intergremial, ProBarranquilla, CCI, Asoportuaria, among others.
Vincent Ryan
Sr. Director Global Key Accounts
Polar Air Cargo
Vincent Ryan has 40 years of a rich mix of executive level leadership, coupled with solid business acumen in the air freight business and product development functions, along with driving profits and key account management. He gained international leadership exposure in the USA and Europe, while developing business across 50+ countries.
Salih Kamil Salihoglu
Vice President Cargo for the Americas
Turkish Cargo
Salih Kamil Salihoglu is the Turkish Cargo Vice President of Cargo Sales for the Americas region based in New York.
He has over 10 years of experience in the airline industry, with a proven track record of success in sales, strategic planning, pricing, revenue management, budgeting, and decision support.
Prior to his current role, Salih was the Sales Director for Northern Europe based in London. Before that, he was the head of Cargo Revenue and Pricing of Turkish Airlines in Istanbul, Turkiye.
Salih holds a PhD in Organizational Studies as well as Master’s Degrees in Finance from Istanbul Bilgi University, also got his Industrial Engineering Bachelor’s Degree from Bogazici University.
He is married and has two lovely daughters.
Santiago Saltos
Regional Safety Director for Latin America and the Caribbean
Airbus
Santiago Saltos has been part of Airbus since June 2019 where he coordinates different safety initiatives that impact Airbus customers and collaborates with other industry stakeholders to improve the safety record of the region. Before that, he served as Head of Tech Ops and Safety for the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA, by its Spanish acronym) from 2006 to 2019. At ALTA, he developed solid skills addressing the different issues affecting the airline industry in the region, from maintenance & engineering, industry affairs, and aviation safety. He is an active member of the ICAO Regional Aviation Safety Group – Pan America (RASG-PA) where he’s currently the Co-Chairman for the Regional Aviation Safety Team (PA-RAST) in representation of the Industry. He’s also a Board Member and one of the founders of ICARO Aviator’s Club in South Florida. Saltos holds a private pilot certificate, a Bachelors in Business Administration focused on airline management from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) and a Masters in Travel and Tourism from Florida International University (FIU). In 2017 he became a Certified Professional Coach from the Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching (IPEC).
Peter Scholten
Chief Commercial Officer
Air One Aviation
Peter Scholten’s career covers 30+ years in corporate roles in the global air cargo industry with some of the industry’s most iconic and innovative airline brands. A Dutch national with a bachelor’s degree in transport management, his senior executive career in the cargo industry began in 1992 as Managing Director of Road Air Flora, a leading freight forwarder in the perishables market in the Netherlands.
He joined Martinair as VP Europe & Africa, based at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and opened Martinair’s regional headquarters in Nairobi, establishing it as the market-leading airline in flower exports from Nairobi and Harare. In this period, he also initiated and managed Kencargo Airlines – a joint venture between Kenya Airways, KLM and Martinair – in Nairobi. During his 15 years with Martinair, Peter also served as VP Asia Pacific, based in Hong Kong and launching new operations for the carrier to Chinese cities as well as creating a new Middle East hub in Sharjah, UAE. He also spent four years as VP Americas, based in Miami, with responsibility for a freighter network connecting 20 destinations in North- and Latin America. In 2010, Peter was appointed VP Commercial of Saudia Cargo, based in Jeddah. In 2016 he was hired as Chief Commercial Officer by AEROTRANSCARGO Moldova (ATC) to help change the airline’s business model and double its business by 2020.
Today, as Chief Commercial Officer at Air One Aviation, he oversees the commercial management of a combined fleet of 11 B747-400 freighters. This will expand further in 2024 with the addition of two B777 freighters to the managed fleet. Air One provides a mix of short- and long-term charter programs, scheduled freighter services and ACMI services.
Milind Shah
Director of Technology & Business Solutions
Polar Air Cargo
Milind Shah leads Polar’s digital evolution. He applies people, process, problem-solving and technical expertise to improve Polar’s employee, team, and organization-wide performance. He is leading the initiative to migrate company’s Cargo Management System to the Cloud for both Polar & Atlas Air. Prior to joining Polar, he worked for five years with a global IT consulting firm focused on clients such as US Green Building Council, which promotes sustainable building design, construction and operation through its LEED certification system, and Delos, which pioneered the international WELL Building Standard. Before that, Shah served for eight years with a technology company that provided financial software solutions to many U.S. government agencies, including TSA, US Coastguard, Federal Air Marshalls and Department of Labor. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Walchand Institute of Technology in Solapur, India, and a Masters in Computer Science from University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Kenneth Smith Ramos
Partner
AGON
Kenneth Smith Ramos is a Partner at AGON, a Mexican consulting firm that specializes in competition, regulatory affairs, and international trade. He focuses on helping international clients to identify trade and investment opportunities derived from the new generation of FTAs that Mexico has negotiated, such as CPTPP, the MX-EU FTA, and the NAFTA/USMCA. He also advises clients who face trade barriers and assists them in developing strategies to obtain or expand access into key international markets, including Mexico. Prior to joining AGON, Ken served as Mexico´s Chief Negotiator for the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Smith Ramos began his professional career working for Mexico’s NAFTA negotiating team and has since been an integral part of Mexico’s negotiating team representing several government agencies, including the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Federal Competition Commission (COFECO). He holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs and Economics from Georgetown University, and a Master’s degree in International Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Mark Szakonyi
Director and Executive Director
Journal of Commerce
Mark Szakonyi leads the Journal of Commerce’s editorial team of nearly two dozen editors, correspondents, and analysts, providing business-critical and data-heavy intelligence and analysis. He oversees the Journal of Commerce website, including the Gateway, and the bimonthly magazine. Szakonyi also writes a column, drawing on more than 15 years reporting and analyzing the container shipping industry. His work has been quoted in general business news media including the BBC, Bloomberg, The Economist, CNBC, NPR, and USA Today.
Eric Wilson,
Chief Commercial Officer
Amerijet International Airlines
Eric Wilson is the Chief Commercial Officer responsible for sales, marketing, revenue management, network development, product development as well as commercial and strategic alliances. He joined Amerijet in 2021 and brings nearly 30 years of deep commercial aviation experience to Amerijet, with careers spanning both United Airlines and Delta Air Lines including almost a decade spent in the Asia-Pacific region with expatriate assignments in Bangkok, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Tokyo. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.