THE PEOPLE BEHIND AVIGILANCE
Meet the Team
Avigilance is built by aviation safety practitioners and applied AI specialists. Decades of safety management, human performance and engineering experience, applied to the proactive forecasting of wildlife strike risk.
CO-FOUNDER & AVIATION SAFETY EXPERT
Antonio "Tony" Cortés, Ph.D.
35-year aviation career spanning the U.S. Air Force, the Federal Aviation Administration, the aviation industry, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where he chaired a science department and served as Associate Dean. Holds a Bachelor's in Physics, a Master's in Aeronautics, and a Ph.D. in Management with research into human error. 5,000 flight hours flying the Learjet, C-141B and MD-88; co-author of the 6th Edition of Commercial Aviation Safety. Originator of the bird-strike agent and risk management agent specifications driving the Avigilance platform.
CO-FOUNDER & CTO
Ashle Whittle
25-year technology leadership career spanning UK defence aviation, government, financial services and healthcare. Earlier programme work supporting Eurofighter Typhoon and Nimrod MRA4 across data and engineering systems. Managing Director of Keekco Technology and graduate of the Oxford Artificial Intelligence Programme, working on applied AI strategy for regulated environments. Originator of the Avigilance platform architecture; co-leads commercial and brand direction, and presents at the U.S. Aviation Wildlife Management Conference, Cleveland 2026.
CO-FOUNDER & HUMAN FACTORS LEAD
Ross Priday
UK Government Department for Transport Aviation Ambassador and Head of the Royal Aeronautical Society Education & Skills Committee. Ross has a 30-year career across senior military leadership and aviation engineering, with deep expertise in safety management, organisational performance and human factors. He conducts management system assessments for international airports, flag-carrying airlines and other safety-critical operators, and advises aviation insurance underwriters on risk. A trusted board-level safety advisor and expert witness in legal proceedings, he is also a specialist in Maintenance Error Management. Avigilance JV partner; brings the engineering-led safety assessment lens to the platform’s methodology and partner engagement.
CO-FOUNDER & COMMERCIAL LEAD
Simon "Si" Mahon
30-year aviation safety career spanning military air operations, contract aviation in conflict environments, maritime safety, and human performance consulting. Three-year tenure as Chief of Air Operations for a contract air company augmenting NATO/ISAF operations in Afghanistan. Founder of GMR Human Performance, with deep expertise in Human Factors, Error Management and Safety Management for organisations operating in safety-critical environments. Co-founder of Avigilance; leads the JV partnership structure and human-performance methodology underpinning the platform's safety-grade outputs.
SENIOR ADVISOR, AIRPORT & AIR TRAFFIC EXPERT
James "Jim" Wylie
25-year aviation career across air traffic control, airport safety management and aviation consulting. Former Head of Air Traffic Services, with deep experience developing ATC Safety Management Systems and airport-wide ISO 9001-aligned safety and quality frameworks. Currently leads Airspace Change proposals for the UK renewables industry, including the trial programme introducing Aviation Detection Lighting Systems (ADLS) to UK airspace. Represents industry on the UK CAA Windfarm Working Group, Airspace Modernisation Strategy, and DfT working groups; former co-chair of the Airport Operators Association AATS Working Group. Brings the air traffic, airspace and SMS perspective to the Avigilance joint venture.
ADVISORY BOARD
Guiding our mission.
Avigilance is guided by an advisory board of leading researchers and operational specialists who bring deep domain expertise to the platform's methodology and pilot programme.
Pilot, Human Factors & Flight Operations
Niven "Niv" Phoenix
Niven brings more than 20 years' experience as a military and commercial pilot, instructor, and facilitator, with deep specialism in human factors, peer support, and their integration into safety management. A former RAF pilot who achieved command on both the C-130J and the Boeing C-17 Globemaster, he is RAF Central Flying School trained as a flight and instrument rating instructor, holds a CRMI qualification, and ran the RAF C-17 human factors training programme. During the Afghanistan campaign, Niven introduced Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) to the C-17 squadron, an initiative adopted across RAF Brize Norton and recognised with an RAF commendation in the 2011 Queen's Birthday Honours List. He was subsequently selected among the first tranche of UK commercial pilots for civil pilot peer assistance, and went on to establish a collaborative peer support programme for AOC holders across the UK and Europe. Within Avigilance, he ensures that predictive risk intelligence is designed around how flight operations and safety teams actually work, think, and decide.
Wildlife Biology & Airfield Ops · Colombia
Diana "Lorena" López Medina
Lorena is a Colombian biologist specializing in wildlife risk management at national and international airports in Colombia. She brings extensive experience in aviation safety, wildlife behavior, and airport ecosystem management, supported by a Master's degree in Materials Science and a research-related patent with Colciencias. Throughout her career, she has led wildlife control teams, developed wildlife and bird hazard risk management programs, and designed strategies to assess and mitigate operational wildlife risk in collaboration with airlines, military forces, environmental authorities, government entities, and local communities. Her work integrates field biology, airport operations, data systematization, statistical analysis, information processing, and interinstitutional coordination to translate biological information into aviation safety strategies. As an Avigilance advisor, Lorena helps ensure the pilot program reflects real wildlife behavior, airport operating conditions, environmental variables, and aviation safety requirements.
Uncrewed Systems Human Performance
Chris Davies
Chris Davies brings a 35-year aviation career spanning UK military attack helicopter operations and the transition into uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS). His expertise covers Human Factors, Crew Resource Management and organisational safety culture. A UK CAA- and MAA-qualified drone pilot and instructor of ten years' standing, he advises both regulators on uncrewed Human Performance matters and has delivered Human Performance training across high-risk industries. He is the author of Remotely Uncontrolled, the first Human Performance book written specifically for drone operators.
Meteorology and Forecasting
Stuart Markham
Stuart Markham is the Founder and Chief Forecaster of CW Weather and has over 14 years' experience producing operational weather forecasts across the UK, working with the national forecasting service UK Weather Forecasts / RealWeather since 2013. Specialising in numerical weather prediction, severe weather, meteorological software development, and historical climate research, he combines expertise with leading forecast models to deliver accurate, independent forecasts. Stuart also spends countless hours researching historical weather events and large-scale climate drivers, including El Niño, La Niña, the MJO (Madden–Julian Oscillation), the NAO (North Atlantic Oscillation), and other global teleconnections that influence weather patterns. Alongside forecasting, he develops bespoke weather graphics, automated forecasting systems, and weather applications using Python and GrADS, helping businesses and the public make informed weather-related decisions.
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We're always looking for talented individuals and businesses passionate about aviation safety and technology.