Speaker Biograghy: Paul is Senior Vice President, Facilities, Engineering and Maintenance for the Allegheny County Airport Authority. He is responsible for leadership, oversight and strategic direction for the Airfield and Terminal Maintenance, Engineering and Construction, and the Sustainability and Natural Resources Departments at Pittsburgh International Airport, as well as oversight and strategic direction for the Allegheny County Airport, a smaller general aviation airport in West Mifflin, PA. Paul has been with the Allegheny County Airport Authority for 16 years, serving in many roles from Engineering Project Manager to Director of Maintenance and Capital Improvements. He has a BSc in Mechanical Engineering, as well as an MBA from Geneva College. Paul serves on numerous industry committees, and has been honoured by the state of Pennsylvania as the Young Engineer of the Year by the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers.


Day 2 - 15 March
Session: Customer Service & Passenger Experience

14:25 - 14:55 - Creating a culture of engagement and innovation
Synopsis: You want to do WHAT? HERE? NO WAY! Unfortunately, too many airports are afraid to take risks and change their stale, business-as-usual approach. Too often, airport leaders choose to err on the side of caution and simply maintain the status quo. It’s safe, it’s easy, and it’s killing your employees’ morale. In just a few short years, Pittsburgh International Airport has become an organisation built on employee engagement, collaboration and innovation. Discover how this massive culture change has put employees in the cockpit and Pittsburgh International back on the radar as a leading O&D airport.

Audience will learn:

• Employee engagement and communication are critical to creating an innovative culture
• How to generate ideas from all levels heard by leaders who can facilitate them
• How to create a culture that encourages brainstorming where ALL ideas – even outlandish ones – are welcome
• How to build high-performing teams across all levels and break down vertical organisational silos to encourage collaboration
• You cannot punish calculated risks and must celebrate your innovation victories to create a lasting culture of innovation