IT Leaders from Google, JetBlue, FAA, and Air Canada to speak at Aviation Week's MRO IT, Sept. 19-21 in Miami, FL

NEW YORK, Sept. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Aviation Week will present the MRO IT Conference & Showcase on September 19-21 at the Hyatt Regency in Miami, FL. Keynote speaker Jim DesPres, Head of Southeast Territory, Google Enterprise, will discuss the future of  innovative technology, analyzing new pioneering tools in the aviation industry for investment into IT budget dollars today, in two years, and five years down the road. With experience stemming from adoption of Google applications to working at Oracle selling ERP applications, Mr. DesPres is well-versed in the benefits and challenges posed by new technologies, and will examine its cost vs. investment in the market.

The 3-day conference themed, "Transforming the Enterprise with Cutting-Edge IT," will focus on maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) technologies and address the disparity between maintenance operations and existing technologies.  Attendees can benefit from information-sharing, networking, and technology demonstrations specifically designed to help optimize maintenance information systems.  Panel discussions and presentations will concentrate on effective maintenance technology solutions and systems to streamline critical operational needs.  Experts will explore advanced strategies and tactics to leverage and integrate for combating IT challenges and processes, and meeting customer needs.  With over 300 attendees, solution providers are excited to showcase their latest technologies that tackle the industry's primary challenges.

"MRO IT provides a synergy between technology and people, bringing in top industry leaders to delineate beyond the world of theories and into real-world case studies and applications of new technologies on current MRO operations," said Greg Hamilton, president, Aviation Week.  "We are honored to have great minds merging IT and business together!"

In addition to Jim DesPres, attendees can also expect to hear from opening keynote Eash Sundaram, CIO, JetBlue Airways.  With a background in creating and executing IT solutions that align with the business, Mr. Sundaram also has extensive experience in the transportation industry and operations of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.  During the second day of conference, Alan Butterfield, VP Maintenance & Engineering, Air Canada, will serve as opening keynote, armed with his expertise on management functions, maintenance programs, and core engineering.  Brian Hint, Future Flight Technology Branch, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), will analyze the regulatory aspects, compliance issues, and potential implications of modern technologies. As Aviation Safety Inspector with the FAA, he has supported the Future Flight Technologies Branch (AFS-430), focused on the integration of evolutionary and revolutionary technology.  Other prestigious speakers include:

• Steve Bogie, Program Director, Business & IT Strategy, Air Canada
• Ali Bouhouch, Senior Manager, Enterprise Architecture Practice, Wipro
• Ian Boulton, Sr. Director Product Management, PTC
• James Brunke, AirVault's Industry Advisory Board
• Michelle Burnett, Enterprise Account Executive, AirWatch
• Matt Carrion, Sr. Manager - IT Application Development, United Airlines  
• Eduardo Cocozza, Software & Services Marketing Director, GE Aviation
• Chris Evans, Solution Architect - Aviation MRO, Oracle
• Fernando Ferreira Matos, Head of Information Technologies, TAP Maintenance & Engineering
• Charles Grau, VP IT, AeroTurbine, Inc.
• Chris Haggard, CISSP, Manager, eCommerce/Application Security, FedEx Express
• Jeffery Hillis, Sr. Director – Technology, Southwest Airlines
• Scott Johnson, Sr. Director, Maintenance and Engineering Technical Administration, Mesa Airlines
• Dave Kinney, Associate Technical Fellow, Airline Performance Management-Product Manager, The Boeing Company
• Brian McCarthy, Systems Manager, UPS Airlines
• Mark Miner, Managing Director - Maintenance Strategic Planning, United Airlines
• Maureen Morgan, Manager, IT eEnablement, American Airlines
• Richard Ross, VP IT, Atlas Air
• Liz Swearingin, Principal, ICF SH&E
• Andrew Valley, VP Sales, Component Control
• Peter White, Manager Air Operations Technology, FedEx Express
• Martin Whitfield, A&D Aftermarket & Supply Chain Solution Leader, IBM
• Serdar Yorgancigil, Director, IT, AAR Corp.

For more information or to register, visit http://www.aviationweek.com/events/mroit.  On Twitter, follow @avweekevents or search for #AvMROIT.  Special rates apply for airlines, government, military, Facebook fans, and media.

MRO IT is produced by Aviation Week and supported by IATA.  Premier sponsors include IBM, PTC, and Wipro.  Boeing is the bronze sponsor.  Showcase exhibitors include Aviation Week, Air Vault, Boeing, Component Control, CSC, EAM RFID Solutions, InfoTrust, Infor, ONEIL, Oracle, Pentagon 2000 Software Inc., Pratt & Whitney, PTC, Scientific Monitoring Inc., Ramco, TerraXML, Volartec, William Frick & Company, and Wipro.  Aviation Week & Space Technology and Airliners & Airports Magazine are the media partners.

About Aviation Week:
Aviation Week, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, is the largest multimedia information and services provider for the global aviation, aerospace and defense industries. Industry professionals rely on Aviation Week for analysis, marketing and intelligence. Customers include the world's leading manufacturers, suppliers, airlines, militaries, governments and other organizations that serve this global market. Aviation Week produces data and analytics services including the Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN), industry-leading events around the world, as well as ShowNews and Business & Commercial Aviation.

On July 2, 2012, the group's flagship Aviation Week & Space Technology (AW&ST) relaunched with an even greater focus on technology, business and operations that has long been the brand's hallmark.  In addition to civil, military and space, AW&ST's market coverage is further expanded with new monthly Defense Technology and MRO editions to include land and sea and aftermarket insights. 

Aviation Week's 2012 digital expansion includes a redesigned AviationWeek.com for deeper community engagement and navigation and a comprehensive technology upgrade to the Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN).  AWIN, the industry's essential integrated business tool, now has increased capability through more fleet and MRO data and an expanded team of data analysts.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies:
McGraw-Hill announced on September 12, 2011, its intention to separate into two companies: McGraw-Hill Financial, a leading provider of content and analytics to global financial markets, and McGraw-Hill Education, a leading education company focused on digital learning and education services worldwide. McGraw-Hill Financial's leading brands include Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts energy information services and J.D. Power and Associates. With sales of $6.2 billion in 2011, the Corporation has approximately 23,000 employees across more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.

SOURCE Aviation Week