Henry Gourdji has a lifetime of experience working in the aviation sector, including more than twenty-two years in the international arena with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), holding prominent senior management positions.
Since 2021, he has served as Deputy Director Safety Strategy and Policy at the Flight Safety Foundation, where he oversees strategic initiatives and policy development aimed at enhancing global aviation safety. Prior to his current role, Mr. Gourdji held the position of Acting Director of the Bureau of Administration and Services at ICAO, leading the administration of the organization and its secretariat during critical periods, including the 40th General Assembly and the operational adjustments necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. He previously served as Head of Strategic Planning, Coordination and Partnerships in the Office of the ICAO Secretary General and as Deputy Director, Monitoring and Oversight in the Air Navigation Bureau, where he played a pivotal role in the ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) for over seventeen years. Throughout his career, Mr. Gourdji has undertaken over 115 UN missions, significantly contributing to international aviation safety efforts. Mr. Gourdji previously worked in the Canadian civil service, including ten years with Transport Canada, managing Canada’s Civil Aviation National Audit Programme.
Mr Gourdji holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Strategic Studies with the Canadian Armed Forces. He holds a Canadian aircraft maintenance and engineering license for airframes and power plants and is an active pilot with a multi-engine rating. He retired after 31 years of Canadian military reserve service with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.
Mr. Gourdji received the Military Canadian Decoration for his service to Canada in 2009 and was the recipient of the Flight Safety Foundation President’s Citation award in 2011 for his contribution to world aviation safety. In 2019, he was awarded the prestigious Meritorious Service Cross (M.S.C) by the Governor General of Canada for monitoring compliance and augmenting safety procedures around the world and enhancing Canada’s reputation as an international leader in the field of civil aviation. In 2021, he was awarded the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award for his significant contributions in improving aviation safety worldwide.
David is currently the president of GSD-Aero, LLC, offering experienced support to organizations and civil aviation authorities in aviation safety, quality systems, operations and maintenance; regulatory compliance; national certification systems; and international bilateral agreements. He recently retired from the Federal Aviation Administration where he was the Acting Manager of the Aircraft Certification Service’s International Office. Prior to that he served as the Senior Representative for ICAO and the Americas, and was Chair of the ICAO Airworthiness Panel from 2019 to 2023.
Mr. Higginbotham joined the FAA in 1996 in the Office of Rulemaking after several years in military flight operations and maintenance; repair station, air taxi, and airline maintenance, and aviation consulting. He then joined the Production and Airworthiness Certification Division as a manufacturing Aviation Safety Inspector (ASI). In 2008 he became the Senior ASI for the Airworthiness Certification Branch, then served as Special Technical Assistant to the Director of the Aircraft Certification Service, and in 2013 became the Chief of Staff to the Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety.
He has served as a foreign affairs specialist for the Russia-Africa-Middle East region, posted in Brussels, Belgium. After becoming manager of the International Policy Branch, Mr. Higginbotham worked on the standardization and improvement of the FAA’s bilateral agreement implementation procedures, policy development on certification and validation of aeronautical products, and subject matter expert on ICAO airworthiness standards. In 2024 he led the Aircraft Certification Service’s engagement for the ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program (USOAP) audit. He graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (B.Sc. in Professional Aeronautics), holds a commercial-instrument helicopter pilot rating, and Airframe and Powerplant license. In 2023 he became a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society for his contributions to aviation safety, and he also serves on the National Aeronautics Association’s Contest and Records Board.
Kim Miller is currently the President of the International Aviation Safety Foundation, a non-profit organization donating expertise and resources to deepen the understanding of, and to educate the aviation industry, government authorities, educational institutions, and the traveling public about the effective implementation of a system of aviation safety that is consistent with international standards.
From 1973 until 1989, Mr. Miller was employed as a certificated professional in the aviation maintenance industry, working on various small and transport category aircraft. During this time, he held an Inspection Authorization issued under 14 CFR Part 65 and was a Designated Mechanic Examiner under 14 CFR Part 183 for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). During his tenure, he provided extensive maintenance and performed conformity activities under an Approved Maintenance Organization, on turbine aircraft undergoing both import to and export from the US aircraft registry.
Mr. Miller was employed for 28 years as an Airworthiness Aviation Safety Inspector for the FAA’s Flight Standards Service, with the last 22 years dealing specifically with international aviation safety. Between 1998 and 2012, Mr. Miller was the FAA’s National Resource Specialist for International serving as an internationally recognized expert with a high level of special technical and operational expertise relative to the requirements of the Chicago Convention and related International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Annexes, as they relate to foreign air carriers entering the United States and the oversight provided by their respective Civil Aviation Authority.
His work included the administration of the Flight Standard’s International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program evaluating compliance with applicable ICAO standards by other aviation authorities worldwide. From 2012 until 2017, as the manager of the Flight Standards International Technical Support Branch, Mr. Miller was responsible for the implementation of both the IASA program and the provision of related technical assistance to aviation authorities. He served for several years as an adjunct instructor for international course offerings at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City.
Mr. Miller is a recipient of both the FAA Wright Brothers Award for pilots and the Charles Taylor Award for aviation maintenance technicians. The awards recognize those individuals who have exhibited exemplary expertise, distinguished professionalism, and a steadfast commitment to aviation for at least 50 years or more. Mr. Miller was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 2017 for his contributions to aviation.
Nevin Murad is an Aviation Analysis Officer at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), working within the Air Navigation Bureau at the intersection of safety analytics, safety intelligence, application development, and aviation innovation. She leads ICAO's Integrated Safety Trend Analysis and Reporting System (iSTARS), designing and building the analytical applications that power the platform, and drives the Organization's innovation programme, including the development of the Standardization Roadmap, the Global Aviation Innovation Index, and Strategic Foresight.
Nevin holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering with a double major in Statistics & Mathematics and Economics. She has professional experience with Air Canada and several international organizations, where she developed a strong foundation in both technical analysis and the aviation ecosystem.
Myles Brown leads Boeing’s Global Aviation Safety team across North Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania. In this role, he works to build/nurture relationships with regional aviation safety leaders at airlines, government agencies and regulatory authorities as well as other industry stakeholders in an effort to strengthen aviation safety. Myles’ team seeks to increase Boeing’s awareness of safety and regulatory trends in the Asia-Pacific region, proposing interventions when necessary. On numerous occasions, Myles’ team has successfully helped provide external stakeholders with information and training they need to strengthen safety. Myles and his team regularly plan, host and participate in events aimed at enhancing aviation safety across Asia Pacific.
Myles joined The Boeing Company in 2004 after starting his engineering career at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard as a nuclear test engineer in 2000. He worked as a thermal/fluids analysis/design engineer and FAA/EASA delegated Engineering Unit Member (E-UM) for ten years on many Boeing airplane models in development and production including 737, 747, 767, 777, 787, KC-46A, 777X and New Mid-Market Airplane (NMA). Myles transitioned to management in 2014. When COVID-19 struck, he helped lead Boeing’s response which became known as the Confident Travel Initiative (CTI).
Myles graduated from the University of Idaho with a Mechanical Engineering degree in 2003 and earned a Masters of Business Administration (MBA), with an emphasis in international business, from the University of Washington in 2018. Outside of work, Myles enjoys time with his two school-aged children and serves as a member, mentor and enthusiastic ally of the Singapore Chapter of Women in Aviation International (WAI).
