About the
advisory board

Damien Meadows is the Advisor on European and International Carbon Markets at the European Commission, DG Climate Action. He has been involved in developing market-based responses to climate change for most of the last ten years, as Head of the European Commission's unit responsible for the International Carbon Market, aviation and maritime and, previously, as the Deputy Head of the European Commission's unit responsible for the whole EU emissions trading system. 

Between 2000 and 2004, he worked on the drafting, negotiation and implementation of the EU ETS, the EU's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol and other climate-related legislation. In addition, he has worked on the negotiation and adoption of the REACH chemicals law that comprehensively reformed EU regulation in this area.

He has an LLB in European Law and has worked as a solicitor and legal adviser for the UK Departments of the Environment and Transport, and also for the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat at the 4th Conference of the UN Convention on Climate Change.  

Filip Cornelis is Director for DG MOVE Directorate E in the European Commission, in charge of Aviation since October 2015. He is also Head of Unit for Aviation Safety since December 2012. With the technical assistance of EASA, this Unit is in charge of adopting and enforcing EU aviation safety and environmental law. 

He joined the European Commission in 1994 and covered political, economic and commercial affairs in the European Commission’s Mission in Kiev as deputy to the Head of Mission. From 1998 on, he worked in the Task Force for Accession Negotiations, in charge of the European Union’s accession negotiations with Hungary and of negotiating chapters 2 (free movement of persons) and 21 (regional policy) on a multi-country basis. He then led the Commission team drafting the Treaties of Accession for the 12 new EU Member States. In 2003-2004, he was seconded to the University of Pittsburgh, USA, as European Union Fellow at the Center for West European Studies. 

In January 2006, Filip Cornelis moved on to transport policy by joining the Office of the Director General for Energy and Transport, Mr Matthias Ruete. He was the leading member of the Office from 2008. He was then appointed Head of Unit for Aviation Security in the European Commission in September 2010.

Niclas Svenningsen is the Manager for the Strategy and Relationship Management unit in the UNFCCC Secretariat. In this capacity he is responsible for developing and strengthening approaches and strategies for catalysing climate action under the UNFCCC framework, in particular through private sector cooperation, market based instruments and regional outreach. Niclas has a background in civil engineering and environmental law.

Jane Hupé is Deputy Director, Environment, in ICAO’s Environment Branch, and the Secretary of the Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP). Ms. Hupe is responsible for the environmental programme of ICAO and has been at  the forefront of ICAO’s efforts to define and promote policies and standards for an environmentally sustainable aviation. Her responsibilities entail directing ICAO environmental activities, including managing the CAEP, advising the ICAO Council on matters related to aviation and the environment, including the establishment of aviation environmental Standards, guidance and policies, and coordinating all activities in the field of aviation and the environment with other International Organizations.

Jane contributed to various IPCC Reports on aviation related measures, including the 2007 IPCC Fourth Assessment Report and was the lead author of the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. For her work, Jane received a certificate acknowledging her contribution to the award of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize to the IPCC. Jane has a Master’s degree in Aviation from the École Nationale de L’ Aviation Civile (ENAC), Toulouse, France, and many other post-graduate degrees, including in environmental auditing.

Tim Johnson is Director of the Aviation Environment Federation. He has worked with the Federation for over twenty years, having joined as Planning Officer in 1989 with a degree majoring in transport planning.

He became Director in 1997 with his early work focused almost exclusively on aircraft noise and planning law, and has more recently focussed on aviation’s contribution to climate change, an issue that the AEF plays a major role in resolving at a global and national level.

PATRICK GANDIL was born March 29, 1956 and is married with two children.
 From 1981-1984, Patrick worked at the Regional Directorate for Infrastructure (Haute-Saône) as Head of the Functional and Operational Division.

He was Director for Teaching of the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées until 1988 and worked in the Department for Infrastructure and the Transport, in charge of local government near the Human Resources Director until 1989.

From 1989-1994, Patrick was appointed Deputy Director for Services and Decentralization by the Human Resources Director and he worked as the Director of Departmental Directorate of the infrastructure of Val-d’Oise until 1995. Patrick was appointed Deputy Director of the Minister’s Cabinet by Dominique Perben to the Department for the public office and from 1997-1999 worked as Director of the airports office with the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC).

Patrick worked as Director of Roads with the Department for Infrastructure, Transports and Housing until 2003 and as Director of the Minister’s Cabinet by Gilles de Robien, Minister for Transports, Infrastructure, Tourism and the Sea, until 2005. From 2005-2007 he worked as General Secretary of the Department for Ecology and Sustainable Development and Infrastructure. Patrick has been the Director General for Civil Aviation Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Town and Country Planning since October 2007.