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Issue link: http://airportbusiness.epubxp.com/i/193245
40 under forty AGE 33 JORGE RUBIO ❘ "MY passion for aviation started before I can remember. As a child I used to get in trouble with my parents because I would draw airplanes on paper, cut them out, and glue them to the walls of our house. I just can't help it. I believe I have the aviation gene," says Jorge Rubio. It's a good gene to have when you're airports manager for the County of Ventura Department of Airports, a position he's held since 2011. In this role, he is responsible for the day-to-day operations of both Camarillo and Oxnard airports, which combined have more than 650 based aircraft and 190,000 operations a year. Rubio has been with the Department of Airports since 2006 and previously served as the Oxnard airport AIRPORTS MANAGER COUNTY OF VENTURA, DEPARTMENT OF AIRPORTS manager and as an airport operations officer. He says his job excites him because he gets to spend time with his first love, aircraft, and has the flexibility to get involved with the different aviation organizations and share experiences with other professionals to help shape the aviation industry as a whole. Rubio is an active member of Airports Council International–North America, contributing to the association by being involved with the Marketing and Communications Committee's Air Service Working Group and recruiting airlines for its annual JumpStart conferences. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Southwest Chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives representing Southern California, where he is a member of the Scholarship Committee helping students achieve their educational goals. He is also chairing the Association's 54th Annual Airport Management Short Course Conference in Monterey, Calif. in January 2014. Rubio holds a Bachelor's degree in aviation administration from the University of New York at Farmingdale. He is a certified member of the American Association of Airport Executives and is currently working on his Accredited Airport Executive designation. YEARS IN AVIATION 11 "I'm a strong believer in the idea that you are only as strong as your team. I worked hard to build a customer service focused team from the ground up that was recognized when Calgary won a global award for the highest Customer Satisfaction level in the entire Air France and KLM networks." MAMMEN THARAKAN, MANAGER-AIR SERVICE DEVELOPMENT, CALGARY AIRPORT AUTHORITY AGE 30 MAMMEN THARAKAN ❘ AS A relative newcomer to the aviation world, Mammen Tharakan says he finds himself fascinated by the unexplainable passion he has for the industry. He does sometimes joke, however, that his career in aviation started before he was a teenager because he was often called upon for his calligraphy skills to pen the certificates of graduating pilots from the flying school in Doha, Qatar where he grew up. He started in the business 10 years ago, with a handling company in Toronto, where he quickly learned all aspects of flight handling including customer service, ramp operations, weight and balance, flight planning, crew management , etc. And along the way he's learned that he likes working hard to motivate a team and lead them to success. His efforts have paid off, and he was promoted in 26 airportbusiness October 2013 MANAGER, AIR SERVICE DEVELOPMENT CALGARY AIRPORT AUTHORITY short order to manage all aspects of station operations which took him to a few other airports in San Francisco, Vancouver, Dallas and Calgary. Currently, he is the manager of Air Service Development for the Calgary Airport Authority, which operates the Calgary International Airport —one of the fastest growing airports in the country that is currently in the middle of a $2 billion expansion project. In this role, he oversees the multi-level relationships with the airport's airline partners, as well as tourism, government and industry partners to help the airlines be successful and allow them unhindered growth, so as to expand the air service network of Calgary. Tharakan takes a holistic approach to working with the airlines, coordinating cross-functional projects that affect their operation at the airport. Tharakan is a new addition to the Calgary Airport Authority as of February of 2013, working with Air France-KLM as a station manager prior to that. In that role he was tasked with opening the Calgary station and the challenge of re-establishing the KLM brand in Calgary in 2009. While a member of the Calgary airport community, he worked tirelessly to enhance the experience of the passengers and improve safety and efficiency through simplified processes. While chairman of the Calgary Airline Operators Committee, he introduced initiatives that strengthened the airline-airport relationship, and continue to bring benefit today. YEARS IN AVIATION 10