ACI Media Press Release Archives (2006)
New Leadership in Regional Offices - 10/07/2006
Geneva – Director General of ACI Robert J Aaronson has announced new appointments to two key management positions in two of the ACI Regions*: “ACI is pleased to welcome Ms Maggie Kwok and Mr Mamoune Chakira to the ACI management team. Under their strong leadership, we expect to witness growing airport participation in each region and the introduction of innovative initiatives to serve our members. In a period of steadily growing traffic demand and air transport market expansion, they will have an exciting role in promoting ACI services and products that respond to their respective regional challenges and professional requirements.” | |
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Ms Kwok will serve as Regional Director for ACI Asia Pacific, leading the merger process for the ACI-Asia and ACI-Pacific regions, which was announced in May 2006. Ms Kwok is enthusiastic about her new role, “This is a truly challenging opportunity for me to move from government service to an international organisation. In my former career, my task was to ensure quality service in operational and management fields. With ACI, my focus is again to provide quality services – this time for member airports, which in turn will provide better service to airport users.” Ms Kwok, former Chief Superintendent, Customs & Excise Department Hong Kong SAR, has extensive experience in the area of world trade facilitation. Her international educational background (Hong Kong, Australia, Japan, and UK) and 34 years of experience in management and negotiating roles will be great assets in her new position. She has worked in strong partnership with the airport community throughout her career, and was instrumental in making Hong Kong into an international and regional air logistics hub. She initiated an innovative “one-stop clearance” for air-to-land transshipment cargo and was also instrumental in obtaining the enactment of the Air Cargo Transshipment Ordinance, which simplified legal requirements and customs clearance. Recipient of numerous awards throughout her career, she was presented with the prestigious World Customs Organisation WCO Medal of Honour in 2002. Mr Chakira, Regional Secretary for ACI Africa, is equally upbeat about leading new activities in his region: “I intend to give strong impetus to increasing member involvement and developing programmes adapted to their needs. We will put special emphasis on participation in training opportunities - through the ACI Global Training Hub and the ACI-Fund for Developing Nations. I want to step up cooperation with relevant institutions across Africa to achieve technical, financial and economic improvements within the air transport sector.” A graduate of ENAC in Toulouse, France in 1993, Mr Chakira joined the international airport AIMPSA in Moroni, Comores, handling a variety of special projects and airport management responsibilities. He was directly involved in the successful computerisation of aeronautical information services at the airport, rehabilitation of air navigational aids, technical cooperation between Comores and ASECNA and the creation of a ground handling subsidiary. After a year of aviation consultancy in the Indian Ocean region, he joined the UN Kosovo peacekeeping mission, where he worked on the reconstruction of the airport and air navigation infrastructure and civil aviation administration for the province. | |