Speaker Details

Roel Huinink
JFK International Air Terminal

Roel Huinink

Roel Huinink is the CEO of JFKIAT, the first private operator of an airport terminal in the United States, and develops & manages Terminal 4 at JFK. He is an experienced aviation executive and held various management positions between 1999 to 2014 at Royal Schiphol Group. Between 2014 - and 2017 Roel served as an executive of Norwegian-based Airport Retail Group. Since 2020 he served on the WBP/Associates Board of Directors of ACI - North America.
Day - 2 - Customer service, passenger and workforce experience - 09:05 - 09:35

Conversation: Building experiences, driving transformation – a T4 state of mind

The CEO and president of JFKIAT, Roel Huinink, and Sevda Fevzi, the president and CEO of Sevly, will explore the transformational journey of JFK Terminal 4, marked by major infrastructure upgrades and operational enhancements. This conversation will delve into managing terminal growth, the evolving 'soul' of the building, and the impact of the transformation across key pillars: employee, airline, passenger and commercial experiences. Key insights will focus on aligning these pillars to enhance the customer experience, the role of leadership in driving cultural change, and how this transformation is reshaping not only the terminal’s physical space but also the human experiences that bring it to life.

The audience will learn:

  • Managing an iconic terminal transformation effectively and sustainably
  • Aligning CX and EX vision in a large terminal redevelopment
  • Driving operational efficiency with enhanced passenger experiences
  • Engaging and supporting our community during a terminal transformation
  • Maintaining service quality amid terminal growth


Day - 1 - Airport design, planning and development - 09:00 - 17:30

Panel discussion: Gateways to the Americas – challenges and opportunities of hub

Gateways across the Americas, from Canada and the USA in the north to Colombia, Peru and Argentina in the south, are embarking on major expansion programs to meet capacity demand. Such major capital programs at existing airports result in challenges when it comes to the goal of simultaneously retaining/enhancing customer and stakeholder satisfaction. The panelists will share examples and case studies illustrating how this delicate balance will be addressed in the coming years in the plans and designs at their respective airports.

The audience will learn:

  • Challenges of airports in the Americas
  • How to balance capacity expansion and customer experience at operational airports
  • Case studies from leading hub airports
  • How to put customer experience at the heart of planning and design
  • Smart planning of airport development to safeguard ongoing operations