Gian Paul has over 19 years in the aviation industry initially specializing in Quality Management Systems and Safety Management where he was responsible for implementation of International Organisation of Standardardization (ISO) standards and IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) Recertification. He was one of the principal auditor leads in Avianca and spent over 4 years working in Ground Handling Operations where he was the co-lead for IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) certifications. Gian Paul then joined the Avianca Safety Department, where he coordinated and developed the new Safety Management Systems (SMS) training programs for the Avianca Holding Group.

This included the development of the ‘Train the Trainers’ program on SMS. A key initiative was the development and implementation of a ‘Just Culture’ program and the oversight and standardisation of the Groups SMS programs including safety promotion activities and safety assurance programs (including Safety Performance Indicator and Key Performance Indicator reporting). He was responsible for the development of Virtual SMS Training for all the personnel in Avianca Holdings and latterly supported the creation and development of the Avianca Emergency Response Plan (ERP) and Dangerous Goods (DG) virtual training programs. Gian Paul is passionate about aviation safety, which led him to develop his masters’ thesis in Engineering Management and Applied Data Analytics on Risk Identification through analytical models and continuous improvement techniques.