directors
Werner Naef
Born in Switzerland Werner started a professional career as an airline pilot following initial studies in engineering with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich. A 32-year career with Swissair and in parallel for 30 years with the Swiss air force saw him as a fighter and airline pilot, an instructor as well as fleet and training manager in his civilian life. His parallel air force career took him through the ranks as a squadron commander for eleven years and he completed his service duty as a colonel in 2000.
With a postgraduate degree in psychotherapy, he became one of the leading forces in introducing human factors into the aviation industry and beyond. Werner was a Board member of the European Association for Aviation Psychology (EAAP), and he served as an expert with the Swiss Civil Aviation Authority, representing the Association of European Airlines on the European Joint Aviation Authority's Human Factors Steering Group. He became the project manager at the Daimler Benz Foundation's GIHRE research project, with a specific focus on aviation.
Following the collapse of Swissair in 2001, Werner and his wife Andrea specialised in consulting, coaching and training in the aviation and rail industries in Switzerland and Germany, as well as in medicine and management. In 2003 Werner followed a call from Air New Zealand to support the introduction of the Airbus A320 with a focus on related human factors.
In 2005 Werner Andrea decided to stay in this part of the world. Once again they set up their own business and in 2007 they acquired the exclusive rights for PCM in Australia and New Zealand after proper certification in the US as PCM Master Trainers.
Still being a European Association for Aviation Psychology (EAAP) registered Aviation Human Factors Specialist Werner is the recipient of EAAP’s 2008 Award ‘For his outstanding International commitment and achievement in Aviation Psychology’.
Werner's role within KCO Ltd is focusing on business development, marketing and on running a broad range of PCM seminars across Australia and New Zealand.
Andrea Naef
Andrea graduated from Zurich University in 1998 with an MSc in Psychology, and subsidiary subjects in IT and Neuropsychology. She then joined Swissair as a psychologist supporting operational human factors training.
In 1999 she was appointed Deputy General Manager Human Factors Training at Swissair, with a particular focus on design and implementation of training programmess for all crew categories, and on day-to-day management of the training department.
Andrea was instrumental in the design and implementation of specific training programmes beyond aviation (eg, human factors in medicine, the ‘fear of flying’ seminar).
Following the collapse of Swissair in 2001, Andrea and her husband Werner specialised in consulting, coaching and training in the aviation and rail industries in Switzerland and Germany, as well as in medicine and management.
When Werner followed a call from Air New Zealand in 2003, down under Andrea continued to develop 'GemaSim', a software package that allows for unique, intense, generic team- and stress-management training. She managed its implementation as a training tool in Europe, in the US and in Australia. In 2005 Andrea and her husband Werner decided to stay in this part of the world. Once again they set up their own business, and in 2007 they acquired the exclusive rights for PCM in Australia and New Zealand after proper certification in the US as PCM Master Trainers.
Andrea's role within KCO Ltd is focusing on running and managing the business, contract issues, liaison with the US-based licensor, development and management of new products, and on PCM certification examination.