PERFORMANCE REVIEW UNIT - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Head of En Route Tools Research

Dr. Peter WHYSALL joined the PRC in 2021 as the focal point for environment and now serves as chair having previously served as vice-chair. Working within NATS for 23 years he rose most recently to the position of Director, Strategic Assurance and provided leadership for NATS strategy and investment planning for over 15 years. His input in a wide range of roles was always highly valued because of his ability to quickly synthesise complex information from multiple sources and to bring this together with clarity to build agreement and support decision making. Similarly, his ability to speak with authority on a wide range of subjects has enabled him to provide thought leadership for numerous groups both inside and outside NATS. During this time, he engaged widely with customers and within Europe including membership of the SESAR JU Admin Board and the Eurocontrol NDTECH and chairing the Agency Research Team (ART). At the same time, he led a range of different departments within NATS including Technical Strategy, System Architecture, Research and Development, Operational Analysis, Human Factors, Airspace Development, and Investment Management, helping to ensure that all of these became part of the bigger picture for NATS plans. An engineer by background, Pete studied at the University of York for 7 years, obtaining a Master of Engineering in Computer Systems & Software Engineering and a Doctorate based on research into the use of Formal Methods in software development. After leaving York he joined Roke Manor Research where he was involved primarily in the development of simulation software for surveillance, communications, and ATC concepts. Pete joined NATS in 1996 as Head of En Route Tools Research and was involved in a wide range of projects, including managing the Future Area Control Tools Support (FACTS) research project at its inception - an advanced set of controller tools which are now operational at the Swanwick Centre.

Job Titles:

• Senior Vice President of Development at Dubai Airports

Ismail Polat joined the PRC in 2021 as the focal point for airports. Mr Polat; Senior Vice President of Development at Dubai Airports, the operator of Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC); has over 24 years of planning, design, construction, ORAT and operation experience in the aviation sector. Currently at Dubai Airports, he is managing the Research, Design, Programme and PMO teams, overseeing the development and enhancement of customer experience and operational efficiency at DXB while supporting the design and development of DWC from an airport operator point of view. Previously he worked in the development of IGA Istanbul Airport, largest PPP green field airport project of the last decade, where his team provided full technical and engineering studies to entire airport organization with the aim of ensuring the operational integrity of the airport master plan and flexibility for future development in terms of airspace and airside infrastructure, CNS/ATM development and integration, aviation safety & security, operational effectiveness, level of service, constructability, infrastructure capacity, logistics and connectivity. Recently, several of the initiatives led by Mr. Polat, were awarded the very first SESAR JU-ACI Europe Digital Transformation Award received by IGA. Qualifications Airport planning, design, construction, operation, training and ORAT experience including airside, CNS/ATM, terminal, landside, cargo, MRO and airportopolis.

Xavier FRON joined the PRC in 2023 as the focal point for economics. Born in 1956, Xavier FRON graduated from École Polytechnique, Paris and École Nationale de l'Aviation Civile (ENAC), Toulouse, France. He has extensive professional experience in research, technical and performance aspects of Air Traffic Management (ATM): Training on Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) safety analysis at the MITRE Corporation, a US consultancy in Aerospace 15 years in ATM R&D, first on Surveillance and Collision Avoidance Systems as expert in French DGAC/CENA and representative in ICAO SICAS Panel, and later as Head of the Studies, Tests and Applied Research Division in the EUROCONTROL Experimental Centre (Brétigny); 4 years as Head of Radar and Display procurement in the French Technical Centre (STNA), including the new Monopulse and solid-state Primary radar networks, More than 20 years in ATM performance, first as advisor to EUROCONTROL DG on the ECAC Institutional Strategy (Performance Review, etc), then as Head of EUROCONTROL Performance Review Unit (PRU), Performance Coordinator and Advisor. He retired in 2021, but remains active in Aviation as member of the not-for-profit Air & Space Academy (AAE) and as PRC member.