Diversity and Inclusion in Aviation: Building an Inclusive Company Culture through Hiring Practices
Gain practical strategies to reduce bias in aviation hiring and build a diverse, inclusive, and high-performing organizational culture.
@ Aeroclass
Course description
Diversity and inclusion are essential for innovation, safety, and performance in the aviation industry. This course is designed to help aviation organizations identify and address both conscious and unconscious bias in recruitment and selection while creating inclusive practices that strengthen their workforce and company culture.
Participants will explore the challenges unique to aviation hiring, understand how bias impacts safety and team effectiveness, and learn practical tools to embed inclusivity across the employee lifecycle. The course combines industry-specific examples, case studies, and actionable frameworks to ensure immediate relevance and application.
By the end of this class, participants will be able to recognize bias, improve hiring outcomes, and contribute to an inclusive organizational culture that attracts, supports, and retains top aviation talent.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this class, participants will be equipped to:
- Recognize conscious and unconscious bias in aviation hiring and selection
- Apply structured, inclusive hiring and evaluation techniques
- Develop job descriptions and recruitment strategies that attract diverse candidates
- Integrate fair and transparent assessment and interview processes
- Foster an inclusive onboarding experience and long-term culture of belonging
Who should attend
- HR and Recruitment Specialists in Aviation
- Department Managers and Team Leaders
- Safety and Training Managers
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Professionals
- Executives and Decision-Makers shaping workforce strategy
Meet your instructor
Arpad Szakal
Arpad is an Executive Search & Leadership Assessment professional and a former aviation lawyer. He is an experienced consultant with specialized expertise in the engineering, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors, as well as aerospace & defense.
Arpad has a broad industrial background having previously worked as an Associate at a boutique executive search firm in London. Whilst at the firm, he delivered a number of transport and energy-related search mandates and also supported the maritime & finance practice on C-Suite and senior management assignments. He brings in-depth knowledge of international markets having successfully delivered executive and Board-level assignments globally.
Prior to his career in search & assessment, Arpad worked at the Aviation Departments of two leading international law firms in London where he handled EU regulatory cases including passenger rights. He was also involved with a range of complex aviation liability matters often involving multiple jurisdictions. Arpad earned his LLM (Adv.) degree in Air & Space Law at the Leiden Institute which is one of the leading academic research and teaching institutes in the world specializing in aviation law and regulation.
As a guest lecturer at various executive education programs, Arpad speaks on a range of career management topics including executive communication skills & career planning as well as onboarding. He also publishes widely on the topic of diversity & inclusion within the aviation industry.
He speaks fluent English, German, Hungarian and conversational Spanish and lived in Hungary, Germany, The Netherlands and the UK. Arpad is also a Certified Facilitator of the Hogan Leadership Assessment Suite.
He is an active member of the Royal Aeronautical Society, the Air League and the Aviation Club of the UK.
Why you should attend?
The aviation industry thrives on teamwork, innovation, and trust - all of which are strengthened by a diverse and inclusive workforce. Inclusive hiring practices not only improve safety and performance but also enhance organizational reputation and employee engagement.
This training equips you with the tools to identify and mitigate bias, attract and retain diverse talent, and cultivate an inclusive company culture that supports operational excellence and long-term success.
