Cate Brancart Director, European Safety & Sustainability Development for the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), she is part of the Brussels team that represents the general aviation manufacturing industry before the European institutions (the European Commission, Parliament and EU Member States), as well as the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in Cologne. Cate’s focus is on safety, policy and communications efforts to improve the conditions for GA in Europe, including better safety data, flight training and a focus on sustainability.

Cate is the co-founder of AviAll-Aviation for All, an association of Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) practitioners from across the aviation industry promoting diversity and inclusion. She is a passionate aviator who holds EASA/FAA/UK PPLs and co-owns a Piper Arrow based in Belgium. At 35 years old, Cate continues to grow her pilot skills, including a seaplane rating achieved in 2023 in Minesota, USA.

In addition to supporting the IS-BAO™ Programme, Stéphane represents IBAC and advocates for the safe and sustainable development of business aviation at various authorities (EASA, FAA, NCAs, etc.), working groups (ICAO Safety Management Panel, SM-ICG), and global safety initiatives (GAPPRI, EU Ramp Inspection Programme, SKYbrary, OpsGroup GPS Spoofing workgroup, etc.). Before joining IBAC in 2017, Stéphane held various positions in both manned and unmanned aviation, including at NCA and Qualified Entity levels, such as flight/cabin crew, flight dispatcher, compliance monitoring & safety manager, quality manager, lead auditor, consultant, or trainer. He recently completed the MSc in Human Factors and System Safety at Lund University and is part of the leadership team of the Resilience Engineering Association.

John’s love of aviation started at the age of 8 when his family got involved in hot air ballooning. He began his aviation career in the Royal Air Force, serving as an Engineering Officer on the Tornado aircraft and then within the Military Aviation Authority.  He joined EASA in 2011 in the Safety Analysis Team and in 2018 became EASA’s Head of Safety Promotion where he leads their Together4Safety promotion initiative to help the European Aviation community by providing practical information and support on a range of safety issues and other topics.     

Dr Matthew Greaves joined Helioffshore in January 2018 to oversee all aspects of the HeliOffshoreSafety Intelligence Programme(HSIP). Before joining HeliOffshore he was the Head of the Safety and Accident Investigation Centre at the UK's Cranfield University where he helped teach accident investigation and FDM. He has also provided support and research following high profile rotary and fixed-wing accidents. Prior to joining Cranfield he was a senior scientist at the science and technology organization OinetiO.

Matt holds a Bachelor's degree in Engineering, an MSc by Research in Trajectory Analysis for Accident Investigation from Cranfield University, and a PhD in Engineering. Dr. Greaves is also a Fellow of both the International Society of Air Safety Investigators and the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Diego Magrini is the Co-Founder of NERD.aero, an IT service company dedicated to supporting the aviation industry. With a background in Business Aviation, airline operations, and two aviation tech startups, Diego has a strong foundation in the intersection of aviation and technology.

NERD.aero focuses on three key pillars: IT consultancy, Information Security compliance, and custom software development, all tailored specifically for aviation businesses.

Diego specialises in helping organisations navigate IT challenges, offering consultancy to optimise and secure their IT infrastructure. He also supports businesses in achieving compliance with critical industry regulations, such as EASA Part-IS, ensuring that their operations are not only secure but also meet the highest standards of information security in aviation.

With a no-nonsense approach, Diego works closely with clients to develop custom software solutions that address their unique operational needs. His deep understanding of both aviation and IT enables him to deliver practical, jargon-free solutions that help businesses enhance efficiency and maintain compliance in a complex, regulated environment.

Maria Nieves Rueda Garcia joined the European Union Aviation Safety Agency as Strategy & Safety Management Director in October 2023.
She is responsible for leading EASA’s strategy, coordinating the rulemaking process, safety risk management and data intelligence, international cooperation, sustainability and many cross-Agency themes in EASA (artificial intelligence, research and innovation and the Data for Safety Program.)
With an academic background as an aeronautical engineer specialising in airports and air navigation, Rueda was formerly Managing Director at CAA International (CAAi), the UK CAA’s international cooperation and training. She has acquired over 30 years of hands-on experience in roles of increasing responsibility. Earlier, she held senior positions at Deloitte and had been Business Development Director at George Best Belfast City Airport.
Rueda graduated from the Institute of Directors in London in 2005 with a diploma in Company Direction. She also earned a Non-Executive Director Diploma from the University of Chester in 2021.
Outside the professional sphere, Rueda is passionate about sports. Committed to giving back to the community, her primary goal is to end world hunger. To this end, she follows various organisations and actively participates in charity efforts.

Colin is the Safety and Compliance Director for Flexjet Europe.  After 19 years in the Royal Navy he took his budding passion for safety leadership and culture into civilian life, working for Baines Simmons, before becoming Group Safety Director for Thomas Cook Group Airlines, then Safety Director for Flybe and most recently Head of Safety at Lilium (an eVTOL manufacturer) before joining the Business Aviation world at Flexjet.  He is passionate about leadership and mindset, caring for and supporting teams so they can perform and thrive safely across the aviation spectrum – in words we can all get stuck into!

Juergen Wiese was appointed EBAA Chairman in September 2016. With over 35 years of experience in aviation, Juergen Wiese is currently the Aviation Director for BMW’s corporate aviation operations including EASA approved Part 145 and Part CAMO organizations.  Juergen began his aviation career as an officer in the German Air Force, serving in the Air Crew Selection Program for Air Force and Navy in his

last assignment. After working as a flight instructor and developing and managing a start-up air charter business he joined BMW AG in 1995. He also served as the Managing Director of BMW’s Global Corporate Travel Service for more than six years.

Programme Director for the International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH™). Commenced business aviation career in 1984 with McAlpine Aviation based at Luton Airport.

Prior to joining the IS-BAH™ Programme for IBAC worked for a major International trip support, flight service company as Manager Ground Operations Standards & Development (Europe/North Africa) responsible for the coordination and supervision (ground logistics) of ad-hoc business aviation flights (including Head of State operations) operating to and from the UK’s and beyond.

Former industry association representative at a number of high-level meetings including those connected with the planning for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Past Council member and previous deputy Chairman for the British Business & General Aviation Association (BBGA), past Chair of the EBAA Airport Handling and Ground Operations Committee (AHGOC) and council member (and Treasurer) of the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC).

As Programme Director for the IS-BAH, currently working as part of the ICAO Ground Handling Task Force in developing guidance materials (ICAO Doc10121) and part of the EASA Rulemaking Task Force (RMT0728) on the development of the EU Ground Handling Regulation.