Below are the biographies of speakers at the "ICAO’s Legacy of 75 Years and the Future of Aviation Conference".
Introduction | Programme
Keynote Speakers
Mr. Juan Carlos Salazar
Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
Ambassador Sangdo Kim
Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to ICAO
Prof. Ram Jakhu
Acting Director, McGill Institute of Air and Space Law
Session 1: Achievements and successes over the Past 75 Years
Prof. Paul S. Dempsey
Director Emeritus and Professor Emeritus, McGill Institute of Air and Space Law
Prof. Ludwig Weber
Adjunct Professor, McGill Institute of Air and Space Law
Mr. Jorge Vargas
Director, Technical Cooperation Bureau, ICAO
Mr. Michael Rossell
Senior Vice President, Airports Council International
Ms. Jimena Blumenkron
Safety Officer, ICAO
Session 2: The Future of Aviation
Mr. George Petsikas
Sessional Lecturer, McGill Institute of Air and Space Law
Panelists
Dr. Sung-hwan Shin
President Para-Space
Director, Aerospace Policy Institute, Korea Research Institute for National Strategy
Dr. Woon-gyung Song
Korea Aerospace University
Mr. Dan Carnelly
Vice President and Permanent Representative to ICAO, International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Associations (ICCAIA)
Ms. Jane Hupe
Deputy Director, Environment, ICAO
Closing Remarks
Mr. George Petsikas
Sessional Lecturer, McGill Institute of Air and Space Law
Keynote speakers
Mr. Juan Carlos Salazar
Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
Mr. Juan Carlos Salazar is the Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). He was first appointed for a three-year term starting August 2021.
His career in international civil aviation spans over 27 years in various advisory and leadership roles. Prior to his appointment as Secretary General, Mr. Salazar served as Director General of Aeronautica Civil of Colombia – Aerocivil. For the twelve years previous to joining Aerocivil, Mr. Salazar was a Senior Advisor to the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority.
His professional experience also includes terms as the President of Latin American Civil Aviation Commission (LACAC), Secretary of the Colombian Civil Aviation Board and Director of its Air Transport Office, Director General of Air Transport at the Colombian Ministry of Transport, Corporate Secretary and Director of the Legal Department of Tampa Cargo (currently known as Avianca Cargo).
Mr. Salazar is a lawyer and has earned advanced degrees from Harvard University (Master in Public Administration - MPA) and McGill University (Master in Air and Space Law - LLM). He is fluent in Spanish, English and French, and speaks basic Arabic.
Ambassador Sangdo Kim
Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea to ICAO
Dr. Sangdo Kim is Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea on the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and is Consul General of the Korean Consulate General in Montreal, Canada, since May 2021.
Prior to being the Representative of the Korean Delegation to ICAO, Dr. Kim held a number of executive and managerial positions at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Korea for three decades. Among many prominent posts he held for the government include serving as Deputy Minister for Civil Aviation, Director General for Comprehensive Transport Policy, Director General for Aviation Safety Policy, Alternate Representative of the Korean Delegation on the Council of ICAO, Director General for International Cooperation and Information Management, and as Directors of various Divisions such as Comprehensive Transport Policy, Air Transport Policy, International Air Transport, Motor Vehicle, and Logistics Facility & Information.
Dr. Kim has extensive experience and established expertise in areas of air transport policy and safety. He has been credited with his exceptional communication skills in both bilateral and multilateral settings and most widely recognized for his diplomatic determination and leadership in global negotiation. His most notable assignments include serving as Head of Delegation for air services negotiations more than 20 times, and as Chief Negotiator in Motor Vehicle Safety Group in Korea-US FTA and Korea-EU FTA negotiations. He has further broadened his professional experience through cooperation with numerous leading international organizations such as ICAO, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), OECD/ITF (International Transport Forum), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. His policy and regulatory expertise also extends to a wide range of policy coordination and various modes of transportation.
Immediately prior, Dr. Kim led the Korea Office of Civil Aviation, three Regional Offices of Aviation and Air Traffic Management Office as Deputy Minister for Civil Aviation. He oversaw the governing of two of the most internationally engaged airport operators, Incheon International Airport Corporation and Korea Airports Corporation. His leadership has proved especially crucial in the unprecedentedly challenging times caused by COVID-19 as he helped guide the industry toward the recovery by providing airlines and ground handling service providers with emergency aid packages more than 10 times, and introducing a legal framework for establishing an institution funded by the two airport corporations and airlines to allow struggling businesses to access vital financial support. In his international engagement, Dr. Kim chaired the Korean delegation to a round of bilateral consultation, paving the way for the creation of double-tracking route between the Republic of Korea and the People’s Republic of China. His consistent drive and leadership achieved yet another milestone in subsequent years, by reaching a historic multilateral agreement to bring normalcy to the Fukue-Akara Corridor situation, the long-standing safety concern of international community. Most recently, based on his vast experience with ICAO, he established a team named ICAO and Global Partnerships under the Korea Office of Civil Aviation, dedicated to promoting Korea’s profile in international civil aviation through closer cooperation with ICAO and its member states.
Dr. Kim received his Ph. D in Aviation Management from Korea Aerospace University (2014), two Master’s degrees in Public Policy from UC Berkeley, USA (1998) and in Public Administration from Seoul National University (1990), and B.A. in Social Welfare from Seoul National University (1988). He was also a Visiting Fellow of Wolfson College, University of Cambridge, UK, in 2004.
Prof. Ram Jakhu
Acting Director, McGill Institute of Air and Space Law
Professor Jakhu teaches and conducts research in international space law, law of space applications, law of space commercialisation, government regulation of space activities, law of telecommunications and Canadian communications law, and public international law.
He recently edited an international study on Global Space Governance in which about 80 experts from around the world were involved. He is currently directing an innovative international research project related to the drafting of the McGill Manual on International Law Applicable to Military Uses of Outer Space (MILAMOS).
Professor Ram Jakhu (1) served as a Member of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, 1992-1995, where he adjudicated several cases related to human rights; (2) was a Member of the Advisory Group of Legal Experts on Optional Rules for Arbitration of Disputes Relating to Outer Space (of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, The Hague, the Netherlands) that developed Optional Rules for Arbitration of Disputes Relating to Outer Space Activities, 6 December 2011; (3) made presentations to the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, in 2011 and 2012; (4) was the Chair of the United Nations Working Group which updated, expanded and finalized the curriculum for a course on Satellite Communications to be taught at the UN Centres for Space Science and Technology in 2008-2009; and (5) was a member of the Global Agenda Council on Space of the World Economic Forum, where he has been appointed for four terms from 2010 to 2018.
He is a member of the Editorial Board of the Annals of Air and Space Law; a member of the Board of Directors of the International Institute of the Space Law; a member of the Advisory Board of Institute for Competitiveness; and a member of the Executive Committee of the Legal and Regulatory Committee of International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety.
In 2007, Professor Ram Jakhu received a “Distinguished Service Award” from the International Institute of Space Law for significant contribution to the development of space law. In 2011, the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) awarded him its Social Sciences Book Award for his book National Regulation of Space Activities (Springer, 2010). In 2016, during its 8th annual conference, the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS) presented Professor Jakhu with its Leonardo da Vinci Life-long Achievements Award.
Session 1: Achievements and successes over the Past 75 Years
Moderator
Prof. Paul S. Dempsey
Director Emeritus and Professor Emeritus, McGill Institute of Air and Space Law
Professpr Paul Stephen Dempsey is Tomlinson Professor Emeritus of Law and Director Emeritus of the Institute of Air & Space Law at McGill University, in Montreal, Canada. For more than two decades, he held the chair as Professor of Transportation Law, and was Director of the Transportation Law Program at the University of Denver. He was also Director of the National Center for Intermodal Transportation, a consortium of the University of Denver and Mississippi State University. In that capacity, he was co-author of Metropolitan Planning Organizations: An Assessment of the Transportation Planning Process (3 volumes, with Professors Goetz & Larson; National Center for Intermodal Transportation 2000). Earlier, he served as an attorney with two federal transportation agencies in Washington, DC. Dr. Dempsey holds the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Juris Doctor, University of Georgia; Master of Laws, George Washington University; Doctor of Civil Laws, McGill University. He is admitted to practice law in Colorado and Georgia.
Professor Dempsey was a Fulbright Scholar, was awarded the Transportation Lawyers Association Distinguished Service Award, and was designated the University of Denver's Outstanding Scholar. He was the first individual designated the University of Denver's Hughes Research Professor, and DePaul University's Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law. The Colorado transportation community named him “Educator of the Year”, and inducted him into the Colorado Aerospace Hall of Fame. For 23 years, he was faculty editor of the Transportation Law Journal. He also served on the Editorial Boards of the Denver Business Journal, and The Aviation Quarterly (Lloyds, London), the German Journal of Air & Space Law, and the Annals of Air & Space Law. He is vice-Chair of the Aviation Section of the Transportation Lawyers Association, and Chair of the Legal Committee of the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety. Professor Dempsey has published more than two dozen books, 100 law review and academic journal articles, and scores of newspaper and news magazine editorials.
From 1986 to 1998, he was host of KWGN-TV's weekly talk show, "Your Right to Say It." Professor Dempsey has appeared on the ABC Evening News with Peter Jennings, the MacNeil-Lehrer News Hour, ABC World Business Report, NBC Today, ABC Good Morning America, CNN Crossfire, National Public Radio, CBS Radio, NBC Mutual Radio, and other news broadcasting networks in the United States and abroad. His editorials have been published in major newspapers and news magazines, including for example, Newsweek, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.
From 1994-2009, Paul Dempsey was Vice Chairman & Director of Frontier Airlines Holdings, Inc., and Chairman of Lynx Aviation, Inc.. He was a founder and first Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Certified Claims Professional Accreditation Council, Inc., and President and Director of the Genesee Foundation, Inc. He has also served as a consultant to U.S. and foreign airlines, railroads, motor carriers, bus and taxi companies, transportation labor organizations, industry associations, government agencies, and telecommunications companies.
Dr. Dempsey has delivered expert witness testimony and studies before the Public Utility Commissions of the states of California, Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington, the Province of British Columbia, the courts of Missouri and Nevada, the federal courts of Canada, France, Switzerland and the United States as well as the Australian Competition Commission. He has testified before the transportation committees of the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, the Canadian Senate, and the state legislatures of Colorado, Michigan and Texas. He has lectured in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Macau, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
You may download much of his scholarship at http://ssrn.com/author=372699
Panelists
Prof. Ludwig Weber
Adjunct Professor, McGill Institute of Air and Space Law
Dr. Ludwig Weber is currently Senior Legal Adviser (HR) to ICAO, and Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Law, McGill University.
From 1982 to 1995, he was Legal Counsel of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Geneva/Montreal, and responsible for European aviation law, competition and anti-trust law, and financial clearing and settlement systems (BSP, CASS and ICH). From 1995 to 2004, Dr. Weber was the Director of the Legal Bureau of ICAO, responsible inter alia, for the modernisation of the Warsaw Convention on air carrier liability resulting in the adoption of the Montreal Convention of 1999, and the development and adoption of the Cape Town Convention and Protocol of 2001.
From 2004 to 2017, Dr. Weber was Senior Civil Aviation Policy and Management Adviser to ICAO on a number of ICAO projects and programmes, including the establishment of the new International Registry for aircraft equipment, the Cooperative Aviation Security Program – Asia-Pacific, and other projects. From 2017 to 2019, he was the Senior Legal Adviser to the United Arab Emirates Delegation to ICAO.
Dr. Weber received his legal education at the Universities of Munich and Heidelberg (BCL 1975), McGill University (LL.M. 1976) and Heidelberg (Dr. iur. 1980), and obtained his German Bar qualifications (Assessor) in Stuttgart.
He is currently the Chairman of the Board of International Foundation for Aviation and Development (IFFAAD); he has lectured and published widely and is a member of numerous professional associations.
Mr. Jorge Vargas
Director, Technical Cooperation Bureau, ICAO
Mr. Jorge Vargas has been appointed as Director, Technical Cooperation Bureau of ICAO in May 2018. Mr. Vargas has over twenty-eight years of experience in the international scope and context of civil aviation and has held several leadership positions including Executive President of the Central American Corporation for Air Navigation Services (COCESNA), Director of the Agency on International Safety for Central America (ACSA), Director General of Civil Aviation of Costa Rica, Member of the Technical Council of Civil Aviation (CETAC), Flight Standards Coordinator, Chief of Air Navigation and Air Traffic Controller.
Throughout his career in civil aviation, Mr. Vargas has exercised leadership responsibilities in managing complex portfolios including, among others, civil aviation master planning, economic regulation of air transport, multilateral strategies and negotiations, and capacity building of civil aviation authorities. Mr. Vargas has been a champion in promoting efficient, safe, sustainable and environmentally responsible civil aviation sector. He also has extensive experience in project management and audit of States’ civil aviation capabilities on safety and security based on international civil aviation standards and recommended practices. Mr. Vargas holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the Universidad Latina of Costa Rica and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from INCAE Business School in Managua, Nicaragua.
Mr. Michael Rossell
Senior Vice President, International Relations and Corporate Secretary, Airports Council International
Michael Rossell joined ACI World in 2012 where he is responsible for relations with ICAO and other international organizations. Michael has oversight of ACI World policy on safety, security, environmental protection, and corporate strategy; and, as Corporate Secretary, the governance and management of the ACI World Governing Board.
From 2006 to 2012, he was the United Kingdom Permanent Representative on the ICAO Council, and in 2011/12 was its First Vice President. He has extensive experience of international civil aviation regulation and policy making, in particular where these regulations and policies have a direct impact on the safe, secure and sustainable development of international air transport.
Previously, Michael was the UK Transport Attaché to the European Union (2003/06). He chaired the transport working groups during the UK Presidency of the EU and brokered agreements on the legislative framework for Community action to improve air safety and on new rights for passengers with reduced mobility travelling by air. Michael also represented the UK in taking forward policy on other aviation issues including market liberalisation, single European sky, slots, insurance, security, safety and environmental protection; and on non-aviation matters such as rail liberalisation and Eurovignette.
Ms. Jimena Blumenkron
Safety Officer, ICAO
Jimena Blumenkron has been serving at ICAO for over ten years. In her current position, Ms. Blumenkron is the focal point for the development, coordination, and implementation of policy on the evolution of the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) Continuous Monitoring Approach (CMA), the focal point for legal aspects of the programme, including relevant protocol questions and legal agreements, and its liaison with ICAO partners.
Ms. Blumenkron is a published author, speaker, guest lecturer at McGill’s Institute of Air and Space Law, and former President of the McGill Institute of Air and Space Law Association. In Mexico, Ms. Blumenkron served as a legal clerk in the Supreme Court of Justice (2000-04) and as a General Counsel in the Mexican Airline Pilots Association (ASPA) (2004-07) before obtaining her LL.M. in Air & Space Law at McGill University (2007-09).
Session 2: The Future of Aviation
Moderator
George Petsikas
Sessional Lecturer, McGill Institute of Air and Space Law
George Petsikas was born and currently lives in Montreal. He earned his Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the Université de Sherbrooke in 1987, and thereafter his Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree from the Institute of Air and Space Law at McGill University. He has been a member of the Quebec Bar since 1988.
From 1990 to 2021, George worked at Transat A.T., Canada’s largest integrated holiday travel company and leisure airline. He was responsible for global government affairs and industry relations, as well as for issues and matters relating to aviation law, policy and regulation, bilateral air transport agreements and related negotiations, market access and liberalization, facilitation, immigration and border control management, user fees and charges, airports and aviation security policy, environmental sustainability and climate change challenges.
In 2009, he became founding president of the National Airlines Council of Canada, the trade association representing Canada’s largest commercial airlines, and he subsequently co-founded Canada’s National Roundtable on Travel and Tourism the following year. In June 2019, he was appointed as a member, and subsequently elected as the first chairman of IATA’s Industry Affairs Advisory Council. In the autumn of 2021, George was appointed as a sessional lecturer in air and space law at McGill’s Faculty of law.
He is married and has two teenaged sons. He enjoys travelling, cycling, cooking, gardening, Glenmorangie Scotch and premium Cuban cigars.
Panelists
Dr. Sung-hwan Shin
President Para-Space
Director, Aerospace Policy Institute, Korea Research Institute for National Strategy
Dr. Sung Hwan Shin is the President of Para-Space, a general legal consulting firm specialised in providing aerospace services.
A former professor and colonel at the Korea Air Force Academy, Dr. Shin has extensive litigation experience in several high-profile aviation cases, including Air China Flight CA 129, Korean Air Flight KE 6316, and Asiana Airlines Flight OZ214.
In addition to being the Director of the Aerospace Policy Center of the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, Dr. Shin is a member of the Aviation Safety Committee of the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and an Adviser to the ROK’s Defense Acquisition Programme Administration (DAPA). He was awarded the National Medal by the Government of the Republic of Korea.
Dr. Shin graduated from the Korea Airforce Academy and a law degree from the Seoul National University Law College. He later obtained an LL.M. in Air and Space Law from the Institute of Air and Space Law of McGill University, and his PhD from the Korea Aviation University.
Dr. Woon-gyung Song
Korea Aerospace University
Dr. Woon-Kyung Song is a Director of International Affairs and Associate Professor of Finance at Korea Aerospace University.
As a board member of the Aviation Management Society of Korea, Dr. Song has many publications in the subject area. She is currently serving as an Ethics Auditor of Korea Institute of Aviation Safety Technology and served in the aviation policy committee of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Korea.
Dr. Song received her Bachelor of Business Administration from Seoul National University, Master of Science in Finance and PhD in Finance and Investments from the George Washington University.
Mr. Dan Carnelly
Vice President and Permanent Representative to ICAO, International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Associations (ICCAIA)
Dan Carnelly is the ICCAIA Vice President of Technology and is one of the two Montreal-based Permanent Representatives to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), undertaking the role of the Observer to the ICAO Council. In this role, he represents the interests of the worldwide aerospace manufacturing and service industry at the Council and with the various States and regulators globally. Dan has extensive experience in aerospace environmental topics having previously led the ICCAIA Aircraft Noise and Emissions Committee (ANEC) and acted as the ICCAIA Observer to the CAEP during the CAEP/11 cycle.
Prior to this role Dan served as the Director of Environmental Marketing at Airbus Headquarters in Toulouse, France, interacting with CAEP during both the aircraft CO2 Certification Standard setting and the more recent non-volatile Particulate Matter (nvPM) Standard. His other responsibilities included working with airlines and airports to demonstrate noise and emissions reduction technologies and establishing commercial sustainability policy for Airbus across the whole product range.
Dan is an Aerospace Engineer by training and has worked in various engineering and technical-sales roles at Airbus, including in the Asia Sales business unit conducting aircraft performance and economics studies, focusing on airlines in the Philippines, Taiwan and South Korea.
Ms. Jane Hupe
Deputy Director, Environment, ICAO
Ms. Jane Hupe is the Deputy Director responsible for the Environment programme at International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and serves as the Secretary of the ICAO Council’s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP). Ms. Hupe has a vital role in providing leadership for ICAO’s efforts to define and promote policies and Standards for environmentally sustainable aviation, managing a portfolio that includes aircraft noise, local air quality, global climate, clean energy and sustainable aviation fuels, adaptation, circular economy and a global market-based measure for international aviation. She currently leads the Organizations efforts on green innovation and the assessment of options for long term goals for CO2 emissions reduction. Under her leadership, ICAO is prioritizing the work on the feasibility of a long‑term global aspirational goal (LTAG) for international aviation. This work is a critical part of supporting the ICAO Council’s efforts to lead the sector towards a sustainable future.
Ms. Hupe was at the forefront of the conceptualization and development of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), which was agreed in 2016 as the first global market-based mechanism for any industry sector. She ensures that “CORSIA is on track” by leading its implementation strategy, including putting in place the necessary regulatory frameworks and tools whilst ensuring that “no country is left behind” by implementing ACT-CORSIA (Assistance, Capacity Building and Training for CORSIA).
Prior to 1998, Ms. Hupe worked as a consultant with ICAO’s Technical Cooperation Bureau and for 15 years with the Brazilian Civil Aviation Authorities.