ACI World Director General Angela Gittens said, “We are delighted to welcome two such highly qualified professionals to fill these top level positions. Our association’s mandate is to defend airport interests and promote professional excellence in the airport industry, but we are operating in a tough business climate that requires balancing immediate economic and financial pressures while pursuing our long-term vision for sustainable airport development. I know that I can count on both of these individuals to contribute meaningfully to meeting that challenge.

"Graham will focus on furthering cross-industry collaboration with industry partners in the global context of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), whereas Tounsi will focus on advancing the interests of the Africa Region’s 200 member airports located in 47 countries, and coordinating activities with national, regional and international aviation bodies active in the region.”

Graham joins ACI following seven years at the International Air Transport Association and nine years working for the airline Virgin Atlantic. Having managed a diverse portfolio of professional responsibilities in these organizations, Graham has gained expertise in the fields of aviation security, facilitation, customer service and human resources. While serving at IATA, Graham earned the respect of airport professionals in joint efforts to improve airport security and facilitation. Her knowledge and diplomacy has been highly appreciated by aviation businesses and stakeholders, international organizations, regulators and political institutions working with her on cross-industry initiatives such as Simplifying Passenger Travel.

Graham succeeds Anne McGinley who, on behalf of ACI, pioneered the creation of a full-time ICAO liaison office in Montreal. Under her expert guidance since 2005, ACI has strengthened the airport voice with both the ICAO Council and the ICAO Secretariat. A milestone achievement for ACI during McGinley’s tenure was launching the first ever global airport management training programme, jointly developed by ACI and ICAO. A second major milestone was securing observer status for ACI at the Air Navigation Commission, a critical ICAO forum for promoting airport views and ensuring a more balanced debate on key aviation issues alongside our industry partners, the airlines and air navigation service suppliers.

“ACI will continue to expand its proactive engagement at ICAO,” said Gittens. “Graham’s knowledge of security issues, combined with the knowledge of the Montreal office environment and safety specialists, will enable the team to cover these three core ICAO responsibilities on a regular basis. By getting involved at the very earliest stages of discussion and development of global standards and guidelines, airports can help set the agenda for sustainable aviation, not just follow it.”

Ali Tounsi is the successor to Maamoune Chakira in the role of ACI Africa Regional Secretary. Chakira, who joined ACI in July 2006, left the organization to take up the position of Safety Officer, ACIP in the ICAO ESAF organization in Nairobi, Kenya. During his tenure at ACI he worked actively to raise awareness of safety and security issues and to strengthen cooperation between ACI Africa and aviation partners across the region in addressing those issues.

Tounsi’s professional profile is an excellent match for quickly taking up the reins of his new position. In addition to having both academic airport training background and direct airport management experience, he also knows the ACI organization quite well. He has served as Chairman of the ACI Africa Security, Safety and Facilitation Working Group, as Deputy Member of the ACI Africa Regional Board and the Africa Region representative on the ACI World Safety and Technical Standing Committee.

Tounsi holds an engineering diploma from the Air Academy of Tunisia and a master’s degree in airport management from the Ecole Nationale de l’Aviation Civile (ENAC) in France. He began his career in the field of teaching, focusing on airport management, operations and infrastructure. He then moved to hands-on airport management holding the positions of Manager Djerba Zarzis International Airport and Manager Tozeur Nefta International Airport. Most recently, Tounsi served as Airports Operating Manager at the Tunisian Office de l'Aviation Civile et des Aéroports where he gained excellent experience in strategy and development of airport facilities.

Gittens comments, “We are delighted to have found such an experienced and well-rounded candidate for this position. It is also a great advantage for us to recruit an individual who has already worked closely with the ACI organization, and who therefore knows many of the Region’s member airport operators and understands their most pressing concerns. The rich linguistic and cultural variety of the African member states provides an exciting perspective, and Tounsi will no doubt be using his trilingual skills in French, Arabic, and English to work closely with his members to unify the entire region behind common needs and goals.”

Tounsi will have the opportunity to review those priorities in depth with his members when he presides over the Africa Region’s annual meeting, to be held 28 September - 2 October. In his new role, he will also be an active member of the ACI Worldwide Training Steering Committee, helping to develop a well-tailored training programme for his region.