Two aviation industry experts have been appointed as visiting professors by Coventry University. Philip Baum and John Strickland both have decades of experience in the airline business and will be focusing on the university’s BSc Aviation Management and MSc Air Transport Management courses.
They will also support the university’s Aviation Management courses that are delivered overseas, including at Emirates Aviation University in Dubai, and at the City University of Hong Kong.
John, who will be a visiting professor in Airline Business Strategy, has held senior positions at airlines including British Airways, KLM UK and Buzz. He was instrumental in the decision by KLM to establish the low cost carrier Buzz in 1999 and has worked as a consultant to airlines, airports and aviation investors since 2003.
Philip, who will be a visiting professor in aviation security, is, of course, Editor-in-Chief of this journal, Aviation Security International, and a regular guest on the BBC, CNN and Sky News.
Philip’s background is in international civil aviation security. He’s an expert in all aspects of inflight security, especially hijacker and unruly passenger management, and in behavioural analysis techniques. He developed the Tactical Risk Assessment of People programme – known as T.R.A.P. – a security system based on non-racial profiling, observational skills and questioning techniques.
Philip said: “I feel honoured to take up the post of visiting professor in aviation security and to continue my work with Coventry University, which not only provides an academic grounding to its students but also helps bridge the gap between the worlds of academia and industry practice, encouraging and helping graduates to find their niche within the aviation industry as they transition from student life to operational deployment.”
Jenni Fernando, senior lecturer in aviation management, said: “Bringing two internationally-renowned industry experts who have a wealth of experience and first-hand knowledge of airline business and security will further strengthen our aviation courses.
“We’re delighted to welcome John Strickland and Philip Baum to our team and look forward to their input in our degree programmes and seeing how they will inspire our students.”