LatAm Airline & Operators Forum

ALTA Executive Director & CEO  

Jose Ricardo Botelho is a Lawyer from the Catholic University of Salvador, Brazil with experience in civil aviation and public service. Prior to joining ALTA, José Ricardo served for 4 years as President of the Brazilian National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) and, for about 2 and a half years, he served as Brazil's Alternate Diplomatic Delegate to ICAO, actively participating in the amendments to the text of the Tokyo Convention in the work relevant to Brazil's entry in ICAO’s Public Key Directory (PKD) and in the systematization of API (Advanced Passenger Information), besides having worked on the rules against acts of unlawful interference (AVSEC) for civil aviation.  José Ricardo holds a postgraduate degree in Criminal Sciences from Jorge Amado University and a postgraduate degree in Public Security Management from the National Police Academy, both from Brazil.  

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.

Founder and CEO Arajet.

 Victor is a Dominican businessman and entrepreneur. Inspired by the legacy of his grandfather Victor Mendez Capellan - a Dominican businessman who made important contributions to the development of the Dominican Republic -, Pacheco showed a keen entrepreneurial spirit and passion for business from a very young age. After earning a degree in Business Administration from Universidad Iberoamericana, Pacheco strengthened his experience in the financial and banking sector to became a business executive with extensive knowledge in international business, strategic planning, aviation industry, airline commercial strategy, fintech and technological development. In 2015 Pacheco created Dominican Wings to contribute to the development of a national carrier in the Dominican Republic. He then continued his commitment to aviation with the conception of Fly Cana to establish a connecting hub in the Caribbean. In November 2021, Pacheco founded Laytrip Inc., a platform that facilitates airline, hotel, home, and car rental bookings by allowing customizable installment payments with no credit card or interest charges. Pacheco is currently the founder and CEO of Arajet, the Caribbean market’s first ultra-low-cost airline and national carrier for the Dominican Republic. Arajet is leading the rebirth of the Dominican aviation with a powerful connecting hub in Santo Domingo and a robust route network that connects the Dominican diaspora with different destinations in the Americas through low fare flights. Arajet is strategically supported by experienced global aviation investors Bain Capital, Griffin Global Asset Management and leading global aerospace company Boeing to consolidate as a world-class airline for the Dominican Republic and the Caribbean. 

Global Director, Safety IATA 

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.

Deputy General Director

Cr. Andres Felipe Vargas Rodríguez is an active duty officer of the Colombian Air Force, currently commissioned in the Special Administrative Unit of Civil Aeronautics (Aerocivil) as Deputy Director General since May 2024. He joined the Colombian Air Force on January 15, 1996 as part of Officers Course No. 72, and graduated in 1999 as an Aeronautical Administrator and Military Pilot. Throughout his career, he has held various positions, including: Commander of Combat Group No. 71 in Cali and Commander of the Caribbean Air Group on San Andrés Island. He has operated aircraft such as the T-41, T-34, Enstrom F-28 and UH-60L, specializing in special operations, search and rescue missions, as well as special transport at the service of the Presidency of the Republic. Regarding his professional training, he has completed an advanced General Staff course with the Brazilian Air Force, a Management Development Program with INALDE and a specialization in National Security and Defense at the Higher War School.

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.

Cyber Risks Specialist Partner and Director, Paragon

William is a Cyber Insurance Specialist, Partner and Director at Paragon (an Ardonagh Specialty company). He is regarded as one of the market leading aviation cyber brokers, representing some of the worlds' leading airlines.
 

William has 20+ years market experience as a broker and client advocate, primarily in the technology and cyber space, representing clients from all over the world.
 

William sits on the board at Paragon Insurance Brokers where he has been for the past 11 years. Whilst aviation cyber remains his principal expertise, William is responsible for enhancing the product offering available to clients and broking partners, developing sales strategies, and increasing productivity within the broking business.