Our Management Team

Mr. Patrick Ky is the Chief Executive Officer of the International Centre for Aviation Innovation (ICAI), based in Singapore. ICAI functions as an international hub to unite governments, industry stakeholders, and research institutions in addressing key aviation challenges and co-developing innovative solutions for the future of air travel. Before taking the helm at ICAI, Mr. Ky served for a decade as Executive Director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), where he expanded the agency’s global influence and led major initiatives to enhance aviation safety standards.

Mr Tan Yean Guan oversees the air navigation services (ANS) programme and regional collaboration in air traffic management (ATM) research and development (R&D) in ICAI. Prior to ICAI, Mr Tan joined Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) as an air traffic controller and attained and maintained two air traffic control (ATC) ratings in Area (enroute) Control. He is also trained in flight procedure design, and played a major role in the development of the national and regional Performance Based Navigation (PBN) plans.

Mr Blair Cowles is ICAI’s Chief International Collaboration, responsible for maintaining effective and mutually beneficial relationships with ANSPs, research institutes, transport ministries, civil aviation authorities, airports, ICAO, OEMs and international organizations. Prior to joining ICAI in 2025, Blair spent 12 years as IATA’s Asia-Pacific Regional Director focused on Safety and Flight Operations. Based in Singapore, he led a small team engaged in extensive advocacy work throughout the Asia-Pacific region representing the safety and operational interests of IATA member airlines.

Philip is the chief engineer for ICAI and is responsible for the R&D translation. He previously served in various local and overseas aviation leadership and management roles. Prior ICAI, Philip led enterprise software investment in Pavilion Capital. Philip started his career and served in the Singapore Armed Forces for 25 years. During his tenure in the SAF, he led several major programs and capability development initiatives.

Paul Tan is the Head of Programme Management / Programme Director (Airport) at ICAI, where he leads collaborative R&D efforts with airport stakeholders to develop automation and robotics solutions that address manpower challenges. Prior to ICAI, Paul spent 28 years at ST Engineering, managing advanced projects in aerospace, robotics, UAVs, autonomous vehicles, and intelligent imaging systems. His last role was as Director of the ST Engineering–NTU Corporate Research Lab, overseeing over 30 cutting-edge initiatives in AI and autonomous technologies.