Featured speakers

Richard has extensive experience in front line PSS negotiations for more than 40 airlines covering multiple business models including full service, hybrid and more recently LCC and ULCC.  Richard has more than 30 years of experience in airline technology including direct and indirect distribution.

Richard speaks regularly at conferences and has written for travel publications such as Airline Business and IATA’s Airlines International. Richard has lived in the UK, France, Spain, Thailand, and China. He has a BA in Business Finance and Accounting from Coventry Business School in the UK. 

Kiah Erlich is the Head of Partnerships and Consumer Sales for Blue Origin. Working closely with innovative industries, Kiah is focused on developing unique business models and partnerships with the best brands on Earth. As the first point of contact for future astronauts, she also leads Blue Origin’s Astronaut Sales team working with future Blue Origin astronauts. Kiah grew up on the Central Coast of California watching rocket launches out of Vandenberg Air Force Base. When she was 16-years old, she started taking flying lessons and soon after became a licensed pilot. She continued flying in college where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Management from Auburn University, as well as a Master of Business Administration in Aviation from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.  

Kiah’s career lifted off at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport where she worked as a graduate intern in airport management. Keeping her focus on the aerospace industry provided Kiah the opportunity to lead multiple $300M+ avionics and software businesses for Honeywell Aerospace, and several key acquisitions. At Honeywell, she was selected as one of the top 100 global millennial business leaders by Forbes 30 under 30 author Dan Schawbel and was featured in his Washington Post bestseller Back to Human. More recently Kiah led the global sales team for Panasonic Avionics Corporation. In 2019, Kiah joined Blue Origin as the NASA Launch Services Director, where she sold rocket launches to the Moon and beyond to NASA. Kiah is now the Head of Partnerships and Consumer Sales where she develops the company’s consumer sales strategy and key partnerships and builds relationships with future astronauts to help them achieve their dream of going to space as part of Blue Origin’s mission of millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth.  

Vasu Raja is American’s Chief Commercial Officer. He oversees the airline’s Customer organization, global network and has oversight of the airline’s alliances and partnerships, revenue management, and American’s AAdvantage program.

Previously he served as Chief Revenue Officer and Senior Vice President of Network Strategy, where he was responsible for Network and Alliances. Vasu joined American in 2004 and has held a variety of roles in Sales, Planning and Revenue Management.

He began his career with Teach for America in 1999 and taught for three years in Baltimore City Public Schools. In 2013, he was named one of the Top 50 Executives under 50 by Diversity MBA Magazine.

Vasu earned a bachelor’s degree in humanities from the University of Texas at Austin, where he serves on the Advisory Council for the College of Liberal Arts. 

Mitra Sorrells joined PhocusWire as a Senior Reporter in January 2018 and became Editor in Chief in May 2022. She has more than two decades of experience as a journalist for a variety of digital, print, and broadcast outlets and a B.A. in Journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Mitra is based in Orlando and enjoys rowing, cooking, and playing with her dog.