Raphael Kuuchi is the IATA Vice President for Africa. Prior to joining IATA he worked in the airline industry for many years in different managerial roles. For nine (9) years before moving to IATA, Mr. Kuuchi worked for the Nairobi-based African Airlines Association (AFRAA), as Director Commercial, Corporate and Industry Affairs. His expertise includes air transport management, aviation consulting, network and fleet planning and training. He has written and published many articles on aviation and was for over six years, the editor-in-chief of the famous Africa Wings magazine.

In his current role at IATA, Mr. Kuuchi is leading the Africa team in providing support to the growth and development of aviation and working with governments and stakeholders to ensure safe, reliable, competitive and environmentally sustainable aviation in Africa. Top on his priority list are issues of safety and security, liberalization, reducing industry cost, encouraging smarter regulation and regulatory harmonization, capacity building and environmentally sustainable operations.

Mr. Kuuchi holds an MBA from Henley Management College, UK and a B.Sc. degree in Business Administration. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (FCILT) UK.