Michael Appleton is a senior psychotherapist in two NHS services specialising in adult and childhood trauma. He has been a clinical lead at MIND, has worked in various specialist trauma environments and has consulted on mental health for major corporations.

He previously worked as a producer for the BBC and in independent production, and his journalism appeared in the Belfast Telegraph, The Observer, The Washington Times and United Press International (UPI). Documentaries such as Facing The Enemy, Shrinking Childhoods, Desert Generals and The Trouble With Peace aired on the BBC, PBS, Channel 4 and The History Channel. He has a special interest in early intervention and the current mental health crisis.

After having spent over 35 years in various training, facilitation and communication roles for luminary aviation organisations including Air Canada, Star Alliance, IATA and Dubai Airports, Lorne has amassed extensive expertise and experience in all facets of corporate communications and reputation management. Prior to setting up his own communications consulting firm in the UAE where he is currently based, Lorne led the Dubai Airports communication department for over a decade and managed the organisation’s message and protected its reputation through a wide variety of crises during his tenure at the world’s busiest international airport.

A journalism graduate with a comprehensive understanding of all facets of aviation, Lorne has built an extensive network of media and industry contacts across the globe and has a reputation as a strategic thinker, effective leader and highly skilled communicator.  

For the last three decades, David has worked as a frontline presenter and broadcaster for the BBC. He has been Europe Correspondent, Ireland Correspondent, Senior Sports News Correspondent and Transport Correspondent, covering stories as wide-ranging as the death of Princess Diana, the construction of the Channel Tunnel, the Peace Process in Northern Ireland, the launch of the Euro, Brexit, the deaths of Nelson Mandela and Queen Elizabeth. 

David has interviewed figures including President Clinton, Prime Ministers John Major and Tony Blair, as well as stars like David Beckham and Pele, Sir Clive Woodward, Andrew Flintoff and industry giants from Central Bank Governors to Sir Martin Sorrell and Michael Evans of Ali Baba.

As a presenter, David has focused overwhelmingly on both television and radio, fronting election coverage, flagship news and business shows as well as many other debates and programmes. He has also developed his own ‘Climate Critical’ show, focusing on key issues around energy, transport and construction.

David has also worked on countless conferences, building specialist knowledge on issues including engineering, sustainability and climate. David is a fluent French speaker, having lived in both France and Belgium, and he is also fluent in German.

An aviation leader with forty years of maintenance and engineering experience, Guy has benefited from assignments in engineering, quality assurance, planning, line and base maintenance, and component/engine shop management.  He recently retired as VP Maintenance at Flair Airlines.

Accomplishments at Canadian Airlines, AirTran Airways, Virgin America, Spirit Airlines and Flair Airlines include significant performance improvement, new fleet introduction, growth planning, airline integration, JV implementation, budget modelling and unit cost improvement, the introduction of quality and training programs, adoption of SMS, initial certification, and negotiation of cost-effective maintenance and lease contracts.

At CHC Helicopter and Heli-One, he introduced a new fleet into South America, selected a new business partner in Africa, and ran all North American maintenance facilities supporting a diverse civilian and military customer base.  He achieved multi-million dollar savings through the rationalization of facilities and movement to new facilities.

Diverse consulting engagements for airlines in Africa, Central America and China have included preparation for a new fleet, review of supply chain effectiveness and establishment of a training program to onboard graduate engineers.

Guy has a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of British Columbia, an MBA from Simon Fraser University and further executive training at GE Crotonville and Boeing’s Leadership Center. Born in England, Guy resides in Vancouver, Canada.

Jennifer Bartenstein is a Safety Executive with over 15 years of experience in international Aviation Safety.  Her career as a leader in the safety industry has extended across both airline operations as well as business and general aviation.  Jennifer has expertise in Aviation Safety Management Systems (SMS) including internal evaluation and quality assurance, human and organizational performance, safety reporting programs, emergency response and more.

Jennifer is the current Vice President, Quality, Health, Safety & Environmental at Swissport. She has held positions with Signature Flight Support, Allegiant Air, Spirit Airlines, Compass Airlines, and Mesa Air Group.  As Signature’s Vice President of Health, Safety, Security, and Environmental Programs she implemented numerous programs including risk-based Human and Organizational Performance Learning Teams and ‘Just Culture’ initiatives driving safety improvements as well as the COVID-19 strategy keeping 200+ international bases open ensuring the safety of 5,000+ employees.  At Allegiant Air she held the position of the Director of SMS and the FAR 119 Director of Safety role during which she implement Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) and oversaw numerous safety programs including 5 Aviation Safety Action Programs, Internal Evaluation, Environmental Compliance and Emergency Response.  During her career she has led the response to numerous incidents including being the Lead Airline Investigator for an NTSB reportable accident, the Family Assistance Center on-site representative for the 2017 Harvest Festival shooting in Las Vegas, and for numerous hurricanes and storms.

She’s recently participated as a board member of the National Air Carrier Association Safety and Security Council, National Air Transportation Association’s Safety Committee and Global Safety Alliance groups, as well as International Standards for Business Aircraft Handling. 

Jenifer holds a degree in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, an Air Traffic Control degree from Broward College and is a Commercially rated pilot.

Blakely Webster has over 15 years of business operations experience. She has spent the past 10 years in operations management overseeing analytics, HR coordination, bookkeeping and accounting. She has always taken great pride in looking after the wellbeing of her team and has taken numerous courses in family assistance training over the past 13 years.

Throughout her roles in business, she has excelled in the creative aspects of presentation and training design, template creation, social media management, web design, and music creation and video editing. She participates in a weekly podcast promoting women’s golf, with accompanying social media to support it. Blakely obtained a degree in Business Administration (General Management) from Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta in 2015 and a Business Administration diploma with a focus in Entrepreneurship from SAIT Polytechnic in 2013. She is a community volunteer, having been a mentor for Big Brothers and Big Sisters for three years, and assisted in the response to major flooding in Calgary in 2013. She was also instrumental in assisting Spirit Airlines during their evacuation response to the 2017/2018 hurricane season

Pamela Pullen recently retired from UPS Airlines after a 37+ year career with the company. In her most recent role, she served as the Global Aviation Emergency Response Manager based in Louisville, KY. Her responsibilities included coordination of the UPS Family Assistance Support Team (FAST), in addition to training, recruiting, and educating team members across the country. She also developed the airline’s plan for emergency response and was responsible for implementation should an event occur. 

Pamela was also UPS’ COVID-19 “Healthy at Work” officer for more than 23,000 employees located in Louisville, KY.  She worked with operations, Public Health, and OSHA to mitigate workplace issues and respond to complaints. Prior to her emergency response role, Pamela held the position of Air Region Occupational Health & Safety Manager.  Within this structure, Pamela provided guidance and senior support to the safety staff in flight operations, aircraft maintenance, hub & air ramp operations, as well as finance, engineering, call centers and information technology, to name a few.

In addition to Health and Safety, Pamela has worked as a Senior Manager of Human Resources for over half her career.  She managed HR Generalist teams and departments to include Benefits, Workforce Planning, Recruiting/Hiring, and Training & Development.  In her early career, Pamela worked in many facets of Flight Operations to include network tracking such as rerouting and diverting flights, working on air ramps, marshaling, and much more.

Pamela was most recently Chair of the Aviation Emergency Response Organization (AERO) and was a member of the A4A Emergency Response Committee.  In January 2023, Pamela received the first Civilian Service Award given by the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport for her coordination efforts in support of the 2022 Triennial Drill.  While in Health & Safety, Pamela held board and Executive Board Member positions for the Kentucky Safety & Health Network (KSHN). 

Pamela is a graduate of the University of Louisville with a Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Training and Development.  

Kevin Hasler has over two decades of international communication consultancy experience working in his native UK, the Middle East, and Central Europe. He began his career as a newspaper journalist in England and Wales before moving into senior communication consulting roles.

He is widely experienced in delivering senior counsel, media and crisis training, and strategic content development to multinational clients and senior executives in the public and private sectors.

A British national, Kevin has led and managed PR businesses in the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovenia, and Hungary, where he managed the largest PR agency in the country from its Budapest headquarters.

He has delivered media training and crisis management training exercises for major international companies and Government organizations across multiple geographies. He has advised senior executives during major real-time crises, including fatalities and major reputational challenges.

His broad-ranging client experience spans major international tourism projects, the manufacturing industry, pharmaceuticals, defence, technology, healthcare, inward investment bodies, and working on major international events, among many others.

PR Agency experience includes working with Bell Pottinger Good Relations, Hill & Knowlton, Mmd/Grayling, Ketchum, Cohn & Wolfe, and APCO Worldwide.

Now based back in the UK, Kevin is a graduate of Politics and Economics from the University of Bradford and holds professional journalism qualifications.

Paul Sledzik’s expertise combines both mass fatality response and disaster family assistance. He retired in 2021 from the US federal government after 35 years of service. In his last 17 years, he held positions of increasing responsibility at the US National Transportation Safety Board, culminating in three years as the principal deputy managing director. Prior, he directed the NTSB Office of Safety Recommendations and Communications which coordinated the media communications, government affairs, advocacy, and family assistance activities of hundreds of transportation accidents across aviation, marine, rail, highway and pipeline sectors.

From 2010 to 2016, Paul led the NTSB Transportation Disaster Assistance Division which coordinates family assistance for the agency in conjunction with local, state, federal and non-governmental agencies, and transportation operators. From 2012 to 2016, he represented the US in a multiyear effort by the International Civil Aviation Organization to develop policies ensuring the well-being of aviation accident victims and families are fully addressed by ICAO signatory states.

Before working at the NTSB, Paul served for six years as a regional team leader for the US Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team, where he managed a team of 100 forensic scientists and mortuary specialists in mass fatality response. Paul also worked as a forensic scientist for the US military.

Trained as a forensic anthropologist, Paul has advised federal, international and non-governmental agencies on issues of mass fatality response and disaster family assistance. His scientific work, professional publications and advocacy efforts were foundational to current methods in mass fatality response.

Paul holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and a master’s degree in biological anthropology. In 2021, he was awarded the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award for federal senior executives in the US civil service. He currently resides in Rhode Island.