Wim Ovaa

Managing Director & Head of Training & Regulatory Services

Wim Ovaa joined SGI Aviation, a Seabury Group Company, in 2007 as Senior Vice President of SGI Advisory BV.

He has over 13 years of airline and aviation experience, with an expertise in Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) Program Management, EU ‘Community List’ (‘Blacklist’) coordination, EASA Regulations, and change management. He is directly responsible for the business development of training services and strategic consulting for SGI Advisory BV. In addition to safety-oversight programs, Mr. Ovaa’s expertise includes aviation safety regulations and operator safety management systems.

Prior to joining SGI, Mr. Ovaa was head of the European Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) SAFA Program, with oversight of all 27 European Union member states. He was instrumental in developing and implementing the EC SAFA program across Europe. This included the development and implementation of program adaptations designed to ensure that all EU Member State Authorities complied with their legislative obligations.

Other significant positions held by Mr. Ovaa have included Head of Airworthiness & SAFA Office for the Joint Aviation Authority (JAA) where he oversaw the SAFA program for 42 participating states. In this role, he managed the SAFA program on behalf of the ECAC organization (European Civil Aviation Conference) and its Member States. As Senior Policy Officer with The Netherlands Civil Aviation Authority he oversaw approved maintenance and production organizations and was responsible for SAFA implementation.

Mr. Ovaa graduated with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands. In addition, he holds a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA).