Kamil Al-Awadhi is IATA’s Regional Vice-President for Africa and Middle East (AME), one of the most dynamic and fastest-growing regions in aviation. Kamil represents IATA in 68 countries, serving 57 airlines across AME. He leads the execution of IATA’s global strategic priorities at the regional level and advocates on behalf of industry to maintain global safety levels, enhance connectivity particularly across Africa, to reduce costs for airlines and to ensure the sustainability of air transport in the region.

He works hand-in-hand with regional partners such as AACO, ACAO AFCAC, AFRAA, and ICAO towards the advancement of air transport as a social and economic enabler in the region.

Prior to joining IATA, Kamil was the CEO of Kuwait Airways and held various key positions at the airline in the areas of safety, security, quality management and enterprise resource planning over his 31-year career in the aviation industry.

A Kuwaiti national, Kamil holds an MBA in Aerospace Management from the Toulouse Business School and an Engineering degree in Aircraft Maintenance Management from Air Service Training (AST) in the UK.

Basmah Abdulaziz Al-Mayman has served as Regional Director for the Middle East at the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) since November 2018. With over 17 years of experience in the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), Ms Al-Mayman was the manager of the International Organizations & Committees Department and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) focal point. As one of the founders of tourism in Saudi Arabia, Al-Mayman focused on developing and strengthening Saudi relations with international organizations such as United Nations (UN) agencies and World Bank, UNESCO, UNDP, as well as other international organizations and stakeholders in the fields of tourism, heritage, museums, antiquities, and built heritage. She also served as a member of the Board of Directors of The UNWTO Sustainable Tourism – Eliminating Poverty Initiative for the Middle East Region and was a founding member of the Program and Budget Committee of the Executive Council of the same region.

Forbes Middle East published a 2020 “power list” ranking 100 leading businesswomen, with Ms Al-Mayman ranking 13th and the only woman representing tourism in the Arab world. She is also the first GCC national to hold a leading position at the UNWTO and the first woman to lead the Middle East region in the history of this international organization.

Ms Al-Mayman holds a Bachelor degree in English Literature and Linguistics from King Saud University, an MBA from Al Faisal University, in cooperation with the University of Oxford, where she studied Entrepreneurship and Comparative Managerial Issues. She also studied several advanced specialized courses in International Relations, International law, Economic and Diplomatic affairs at Prince Saud Al-Faisal Institute of Diplomatic Studies at the Foreign Ministry in Saudi Arabia. She is fluent in both Arabic and English.

Aka Manouan is the Chief Executive Officer of Aéroport International d’Abidjan (AERIA) in Ivory Coast. Appointed in 2020, he is overseeing the expansion of Abidjan International Airport as it enhances its status as a regional hub and triple its capacity.

Before joining AERIA, Mr Manouan was Secretary General of the National Office for Technical Studies and Development, one of Ivory Coast’s most prestigious schools of engineering. He has also held executive roles at Ivory Coast’s Air Transport and Liaison Group (Gatl), the Air Forces of Côte d’Ivoire, and its national carrier Air Ivoire.

A former air officer, Mr Manouan attained his graduate degrees in France. He received his engineering diploma from the Air School Salon de Provence and a doctorate in aerospace and aeronautics engineering with the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace in Toulouse.

Abderahmane Berthe is the Secretary General of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA). Before joining AFRAA, he served as Chief Executive Officer for Air Mali and Air Burkina. With twenty-eight years of experience in the airline industry across Africa and Europe, he has a wealth of multi-disciplinary experience in aircraft performance, dispatch engineering, maintenance & quality operations, and ground operations.

Abderahmane received his Master’s degrees from the French Civil Aviation school in Toulouse (1987), French Aeronautical and Space School in Toulouse (1988), and the Business Institute of Toulouse (1989). He is a licensed private pilot for single engine aircrafts.