Keynote Speakers

Jules O. Yimga, PhD

Dr. Jules Yimga is a US Fulbright Scholar, an Associate Professor of Air Transport Economics, and the Chair of the School of Business at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University in Prescott, Arizona.

As an esteemed researcher, he has published extensively in top-tier refereed journals such as Review of Industrial Organization, Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, Transport Policy, and Economics of Transportation, covering a wide range of topics related to aviation economics and policy.

He is an advocate for the industry and a member of the Board of Directors of the Arizona Business Aviation Association, frequently engaging in public discourse and knowledge-sharing initiatives.

Julie Garland

Julie is the Founder and CEO of Avtrain - one of Europe’s leading drone training and certification bodies setting the standards for others to follow. She is a former Airline Training Captain, Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, Barrister at Law and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators; prior to undertaking her position as CEO of Avtrain she was the Director Compliance for Norwegian Air International . She is the Vice-Chair of the Unmanned Aircraft Association of Ireland and sits on the Board of Directors of JEDA - Joint European Drone Associations as the Irish representative and is the JEDA representative on JARUS – the Joint Authorities for Rulemaking on Unmanned Systems where she is Vice-Chair of the JARUS Industry Stakeholder's Body Steering Committee.

Avtrain holds an approval as Recognised Entity issued by the Irish Aviation Authority for the grant of EASA Open A2 and all Specific Category Authorisations, Declarations & Light UAS operator Certificate (LUC) and third party independent verification of compliance with Operational Safety Objectives. Avtrain is a consortium member of Future Mobility Campus Ireland Air with Shannon Airport Group where they are pushing the boundaries in autonomy, Advanced Air Mobility and eVTOL Pilot Training.

Prof. Dr. Frank Fichert

Dr. Frank Fichert is Professor of Economics and Transport Economics at Worms University of Applied Sciences (UAS), Germany, and Vice-Dean of the Department for Tourism and Transport. 

He has published a large number of peer reviewed papers on the transport sector and is co-author of the leading German textbook on air transport management as well as co-editor of the edited volume ‘Aviation and Climate Change’ (Routledge 2020). He is member of the Competence Centre Aviation Management at Worms UAS and program director of the Bachelor degree program ‘Aviation Management and Piloting’. He has participated in several applied research projects, including the EU H2020 projects COCTA and CADENZA, the German Aviation Benchmarking study, and the report on the market power of Amsterdam Airport, as well as projects commissioned by Federal and State Ministries in Germany. His research focuses on competition and regulation in the air transport industry and the environmental issues of aviation.

Renske Martjinse Hartikka

Renske is a senior project manager with a degree in Political Science and International Relations and a wide experience in both the private and public sector. For over fifteen years she has worked on sustainable urban mobility under the umbrella of many different EU-funded projects. Renske has been employed since 2018 by Forum Virium Helsinki: the non-profit innovation organisation owned by the city, which builds Helsinki into the most functional smart city in the world. Her work focuses on large cross-European projects on automated vehicles, on the ground and in the air. She has been working in the Urban Air Mobility ecosystem for several years now. The impact, possibilities and challenges of drones in the city is the core of both her current projects: the 3-year EU-funded research and innovation project called AiRMOUR and the 3-year Interreg-funded project CITYAM, which she leads. In addition to the facilitation of drone pilots and deployments, gathering stakeholders at various municipal departments as well as at city subsidiaries such as rescue services, healthcare services, the port or construction/maintenance company is an important part of her work. Also social acceptance studies, landing site planning and UAM strategy development form a large part of these projects. She's working towards any increase in UAM to be acceptable, responsible and sustainable.

Jaak Tarien

Brigadier General (ret) Jaak Tarien has recently begun a new career with Estonia’s established technology company AS Cybernetica, where Jaak leads the development of European Secure Digital Military Mobility System (SDMMS). The SDMMS project, is a consortium of 11 partners from 10 nations and will develop a secure, ICT-based solution that will facilitate direct and secure exchange of information between nations requesting and approving any military movement. Prior to his recent retirement, Jaak had a distinguished 28-year military career and amongst other positions he has served as the Commander of the Estonian Air Force 2012-2018 and as the Director of NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) 2018-2022. Jaak is a graduate of the United Stated Air Force Academy where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1998. Later Jaak has added two Master of Science degrees from USAF Air University Air Command and Staff College in 2005 and National Defense University Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy in 2018.

Jonas Stjernberg

Jonas Stjernberg is Senior Vice President and Partner at Robots Expert (REX), a leading drone and mobility expert company with offices in Finland and in Germany. REX provides regulatory, operational, technical and business consultation to the Innovative Aviation industry including pilot training. REX also advises cities and regions on how to prepare for and manage Innovative Air Mobility in a sustainable manner to benefit both society and business.

Jonas has a long background in technology, in strategy development and in operations management in senior positions in both large enterprises and in startups. At REX, he is heavily involved with developing U-space, SORA, standardization and aviation regulation. Jonas has been a key contributor to SESAR projects GOF USPACE, GOF2.0 as well as to the H2020 AiRMOUR project on studying Urban Air Mobility - enabled Emergency Medical Services. Apart from his work at Robots Expert, Jonas is a board member of RPAS Finland ry, the Finnish UAS industry association (a member of JEDA).

Jonas holds an MSc in Physics, an MBA in entrepreneurial finance and innovation, and pilots both manned and model gliders. 

Liina Maria Lepik

Liina Maria Lepik is member of the Management Board at Enterprise Estonia and she is responsible for International Services, i.e. tourism, attracting investments and talent, export, e-residency and country branding. She has previous background in banking and film industry. Regardless of the industry, international and regional connectivity has always paid an important role.

Martin Friis Puggaard

Martin started his career within aviation working as airport handling operator in Roskilde Airport in 1989. Since then he has been working with the engineering side of aviation. First as licensed flight mechanic, and later he graduated with a bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering at Copenhagen University College of Engineering. In 1999, Martin started at the Danish Accident Investigation Board (AIB DK) as a technical/engineering safety investigator. In 2006, he became the Chief Investigator of the Aviation Unit at AIB DK, and 5 years later he was appointed as Deputy Director at the AIB DK.

When EU Regulation 996/2010 established the European Network of Civil Aviation Safety Investigation Authorities (ENCASIA) in 2011, Martin were the state representative for Denmark. In 2011 was Martin appointed as Director of AIB DK, which had become a bimodal board with both aviation and railway. When ENCASIA was electing its new Management Board in the beginning of 2023, they elected Martin as Deputy Chair of ENCASIA.

Besides having conducted safety investigations for almost 25 years and participate actively in the continually improvement of aviation safety, Martin also take active part in flying. He started flying gliders, and then moved to powered General Aviation aircraft and helicopters, and today he still holds and maintain a Private Pilot License for small aircraft and helicopters.

Sander Salmu

Deputy Secretary General for Transport, Ministry of Climate, Estonia.

Andreas Boschen

Executive Director of the SESAR 3 JU.

The list of keynote speakers is being updated.