AVIATION PASIPHAE - Key Persons
Aitor holds an MSc in Aeronautical Engineering and a Master in Business Administration (MBA). He has over 10 years of recent experience as an aviation consultant, including 9 years as a lecturer in aeronautics at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia.
He has relevant experience in the aeronautical industry spanning the entire value chain of the sector, from manufacturing to distribution of products and services related to aircraft maintenance. In addition to strategy and consultancy projects, Aitor has worked in the rotorcraft maintenance division of Airbus (formerly Eurocopter) as well as in Canadian company DART Aerospace, one of the main suppliers of spare parts outside OEMs, where he developed its commercial department for the whole of Europe in collaboration with the maintenance center Part 145 Heliswiss Ibérica.
Aitor also has extensive experience in the planning, construction, certification and management of aeronautical infrastructure, specifically in the construction and processing of airports, aerodromes and heliports of highly diverse characteristics.
He is experienced in the preparation of masterplans and strategic development plans in the aeronautical sector at regional, national and international level, in technological-industrial, strategic and business areas, and has worked on multiple aeronautical projects.
Aitor has had notable success over the last few years working in the field of unmanned vehicles (UAV/RPAS/drones), both in the analysis of markets and future applications, as well as in trends development at national and international level, including national, European and international normative analysis. This research has been supplemented by recent collaborations in the field of unmanned vehicles, such as fire extinguishing services, power line inspection, advanced topography and even teaching in the training of RPAS pilots.
His current role as an aeronautical consultant brings him into direct contact with the aeronautics industry and the air transport sector in projects around the world, enabling him to constantly update his knowledge through direct experiences with the sector both in operations, such as manufacturing (of aircraft, components, etc.), and regulation (aeronautical certification, administrative authorisations, drafting of regulations), as well as involvement in the sector's continuous development.
With all this accumulated experience and knowhow Aitor has a global vision of the industrial aeronautical sector from the different perspectives of the end user, the operator/entrepreneur, and the government authority responsible for supervising, regulating and encouraging its development.
Carlos holds a Bachelor of Economics degree from the University of Barcelona and a PhD (c) in mathematical economics and industrial organisation from the University of California (Berkeley) where he spent six years combining his post-graduate studies with lecturing as an assistant professor.
In the aeronautics field, he has been chairman for the last 18 years of ACBS, one of the major private aviation operators in Europe (more than 150,000 hours of flights to Spanish airports and the rest of Europe and Morocco). He has also held the office of chairman of the Cerdanya airport management company.
He is president for Spain of AOPA, the largest worldwide association of private pilots and aircraft owners, which is recognised as a partner by the national aeronautical authorities (DGAC, AESA) as well as by the European authorities (EASA).
Carlos was also the founding member and on the executive committee of the Barcelona Aerospace & Space Association Catalan Cluster (BAIE) and chair of the air transport and airport infrastructure committee in the same association. He is also vice-president of the association of companies of the Sabadell Airport of the network of AENA.
In other professional areas he has been a consultant on cooperation and business development programmes for the European Commission and for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
He has worked as an economist on urban consultancy projects, especially projects dealing with industrial promotion and technology parks. He was managing director and general manager of the very first technology park in Spain. He has also been director general of studies and strategy at the Consortium of the Free Trade Zone of Barcelona.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Trustees
- Partner
Josep has a degree in economics and business studies with an outstanding merit distinction awarded by the University of Barcelona. He also holds a PhD with an outstanding cum laude distinction in the same subjects and a second degree in law, both gained at the same university. He has been lecturing in economic theory since 1984 and worked as an economist in the research department of La Caixa bank from 1984 to 1985.
During the time he was in public office in Spain Josep was Minister of Industry and Energy (1996-2000), Government Spokesperson (1998-2000), Minister of Foreign Affairs (2000-2002) and Minister of Science and Technology (2002-2003). He has also been a member of parliament in Spain .
In the private sector he was chairman and CEO of Ercros Group from 1992 to 1996, chairman of VUELING from 2007 to 2013, director of AIRBUS GROUP from 2011 to 2014, vice-chairman and CEO of OHL Group from 2013 to 2016 and independent director on the board of AENA from 2017 to January 2019, among other posts he has held in his career. Currently, Josep is the chairman of ITP AERO, an independent director on the board of SEAT, S.A. and also sits on the boards of ABENGOA, S.A, AMADEUS, ATRYS and ALANTRA as an independent director.
In a civil society role, Josep is a member of the board of trustees of several foundations and associations. He is the president of the Spanish-Japanese Forum and Foundation, the Spanish-Korean Chamber of Commerce, the Asociación para la Búsqueda de la Excelencia (APD), CITpax (Toledo International Center for Peace) and the Iberian-American Business Foundation. He has been vice-president of the Círculo de Empresarios business forum and president of the Círculo de Economía economics forum in Spain
Olivier has more than 20 years of experience in international business development straddling both the public and private sector perspective. He has specific expertise in FDI promotion, export strategy and cross-border development. Thanks to his extensive experience working for multinational corporates, national/regional governments and SMEs and in multicultural environments, Olivier is able to successfully address highly specific situations and to offer out-of-the box standpoints and strategic solutions.
During his career, Olivier has held strategic positions within the French government as deputy director of the Invest in France Agency (now known as Business France) offices in Spain (Madrid & Barcelona), M&A industrial sectors director at the London office of the Invest in France Agency, as well as being a board member of the Agency for three years.
In Spain he has performed top-level functions for regional government during which time he set up a new organisation for investment promotion, territorial marketing strategy and airport infrastructure development.
In the aeronautics field, Olivier has led several key manufacturing and M&A investment projects with international players within Europe. He has also overseen the consolidation and development of a Spanish aerospace cluster representing 15% of the world's carbon fibre demand.
In 2012 he founded his own consultancy company, integrated Pasiphae Consultora Internacional, and then set up Aviation Pasiphae with key aviation partners to provide strategic services to the aviation/airport industry.
Olivier is a French national who has lived in the UK and currently resides in Spain; he speaks fluent English, French and Spanish and holds a master's degree in European Business and a PDD from IESE Business School.