LatAm Airline & Operators Forum

ISTAT Director

Mr Robert Martin has 36 years of experience in the aircraft finance and leasing business. He joined Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise (later renamed BOC Aviation) in 1998 and over 25 years, led the organization through a successful expansion programme which has seen it emerge as a consistently profitable and leading player in the global aircraft leasing business with cumulative profits of over USD6 billion. Under his leadership, the Company successfully achieving both a trade sale of the Company in 2006 to Bank of China from then shareholders, Singapore Airlines, Temasek, Government Investment Corporation of Singapore and WestLB and a public listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on 1 June 2016. He retired as Managing Director and CEO on 31 December 2023.

Mr Martin began his career in aircraft financing in London with Bank of America in 1987. He subsequently held senior positions in both London and Singapore with The Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan, Ltd. before moving to HSBC Investment Bank in Hong Kong where he held the position of Aircraft Finance Director. 

In addition to his role as Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer at BOC Aviation, Mr Martin held a seat on the Board for 25 years. Mr Martin was the longest serving CEO of the same company in the aircraft leasing industry. He is now a non executive Director of BOC Aviation and member of the Strategy and Budget Committee and is a Director of the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading, a global non profit organization.

Mr Martin holds a Master of Arts degree in Economics from University of Cambridge. He is a Fellow Benefactor of Selwyn College, University of Cambridge and presently working on funding for medical research by the University in the areas of Parkinson’s Disease, Autism and Smiths Magennis disorder. He is married with two daughters and enjoys rugby and tennis.

IATA Global Director, Safety

Mark Searle leads IATA work on all safety activities to support IATA members; those on the IOSA Registry; and the wider airline industry to deliver continuous improvement in aviation safety. Current work is focused on the IATA Safety Leadership Charter; the implementation of Risk-Based IOSA; compliance with ICAO Annex 13 accident investigations to ensure the delivery of quality accident reports; and the development of safety improvement programs through IATA Detailed Implementation Plans.

Prior to IATA, Mark led the UK CAA Safety Strategy team responsible for the UK State Safety Program; preparing the regulator for the safe integration of new, and evolutionary, technologies; and advocating governmental and regulatory positions around the world. He has twenty years’ experience as a commercial airline pilot accumulating over 12,000 flying hours. Mark was Chair of the British Airline Pilots Association; and has held Board positions in financial services and insurance companies providing him with extensive corporate experience.

Professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Reading

Dr Paul Williams was educated in physics to PhD level at Oxford and is now Professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Reading. He is a world-leading expert on aviation turbulence, being the scientist who discovered that turbulence is increasing because of climate change. He has published two books and over 70 papers in leading scientific journals.

He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and the Royal Meteorological Society. He is a consultant to Guinness World Records on extreme atmospheric events. He is a frequent expert commentator for major broadcasting networks including the BBC, CNN, The Discovery Channel, and The Weather Channel, and he has been quoted on the front page of the New York Times.

CEO, Gatehouse

Nick Greenstock is CEO of Gatehouse – a boutique London-based advisory firm specialising in advising clients on making decisions, executing strategy and mitigating risks in their geopolitical context. Gatehouse’s purpose is to provide insights that enable their clients to make better decisions, early enough to create or protect value of their business.

Nick is a graduate at the Royal Holloway, University of London and his area of expertise includes geopolitics, strategy, scenario planning, innovation, MENA, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, Energy, Security, Multilateral entities, government, negotiation, client acquisition, risk, and management.

At our forum in Bogota, Nick will discuss how geostrategy can provide businesses with a competitive edge.