CEO & Chairman, KM Knowledge Management International

Turning operational signals into board-level decisions.

Airline Board Advisor for Safety & Risk Governance — helping Boards in complex, regulated and risk-exposed environments steer safety, quality, sustainability and performance with clarity.

Martin Kellerhals, Airline Board Advisor
50+ Years in aviation, from Swissair operations to board advisory
26+ Years lecturing on management, quality and sustainability
1,600+ Members grown as President, Swiss Federation of Civil Drones

Board Positioning Statement

A governance lens for risk, learning and resilience.

I contribute to Boards that operate in complex, regulated and risk-exposed environments, where strategic decisions must be made with incomplete information and long-term consequences.

My value lies in helping translate operational reality, experience and expertise into clear governance insight — so that safety, quality, sustainability and economic performance are consciously steered, not left to systems or assumptions.

01

Where do we take risk deliberately — and where unknowingly?

02

Which critical knowledge influences our strategic decisions, and what remains fragmented or invisible?

03

Do governance structures enable learning, or do they unintentionally suppress it?

04

Are safety, quality and sustainability actively governed — or implicitly delegated to functions and systems?

Advisory Focus

Where I bring board-level clarity

Six areas where operational experience, academic rigour and governance practice come together.

01 Knowledge Leadership & Knowledge Risk Identifying which knowledge truly drives value and risk — and where it remains fragmented or invisible to leadership.
02 Aviation Safety & High-Reliability Organisations Governance for organisations where failure is not an option, drawn from 50+ years in operational aviation.
03 EFQM-Based Organisational Excellence Structured assessment of maturity, strengths and improvement priorities using the EFQM Model and RADAR logic.
04 Governance for Safety, Quality & Sustainability Ensuring these dimensions are actively steered at Board level, not implicitly delegated to functions and systems.
05 Learning Architectures & Executive Education Building the systems and teaching that turn individual experience into institutional learning.
06 Tacit Knowledge, Decision Quality & Resilience Turning decades of operational judgement into board-ready insight under uncertainty.

Track Record

From Swissair operations to board advisory

A selection of roles and mandates that shape today's advisory practice.

1970–1982

Swissair Operations Control Center

Twelve years across Geneva, Zurich and London — traffic operations, load control and crew dispatch in a 24/7 operation with no margin for error.

1992–1995

MBA, Cranfield School of Management

Graduated 3rd in class with distinction for excellence in a full-time general management programme.

2000–Present

CEO & Chairman, KM Knowledge Management International

Advising organisations, Boards and leaders on turning operational knowledge into safer decisions, stronger learning systems and sustainable excellence.

2019–2021

President, Swiss Federation of Civil Drones

Grew a four-language national association to more than 1,600 members through the EASA regulatory transition.

2021–Present

Jury Member, Global MIKE Award

Assessing how leading organisations worldwide create, share and apply knowledge to strengthen innovation and performance.

2022–Present

EFQM Certified Assessor & Organisational Change Leader

Conducting structured excellence assessments across sectors, with a focus on regulated and safety-critical organisations.

2025–Present

Board Member & Advisory Board, multiple organisations

Strategic risk oversight and governance of safety, learning and sustainability across regulated, service- and knowledge-intensive organisations.

2025–Present

Knowledge Management Advisor, HYSKY Society

Building the organisational learning and governance architecture for hydrogen aviation and the decarbonisation of flight.

Publications & Teaching

Research and the classroom, alongside the boardroom

Nachhaltige Unternehmensführung

Compendio · 2019

Umweltmanagement und Arbeitssicherheit

Compendio · 2019

Corporate Social Responsibility

Compendio Verlag Zürich · 2010

Organizational Learning

Die Birne · 2007

26+ years in the classroom

Lecturing on management, quality, sustainability and process leadership — including ETH Zürich (Management & Sustainability of Air Transport), ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, and the management academy in Beijing.

Network & Memberships

An international circle of knowledge leaders

Active roles that keep this advisory practice connected to the latest thinking in governance, safety and knowledge management.

EFQM IAKM — International Association for Knowledge Management Global MIKE Award AeroSuisse SVFW — Swiss Association of Aeronautical Sciences Swiss Knowledge Management Forum EASA-Certified UAS Instructor & Examiner

Trust & Recognition

What others say

International peers on working alongside Martin Kellerhals in governance, knowledge management and aviation safety.

I have had the pleasure of working alongside Martin Kellerhals as a fellow jury member of the Global Most Innovative Knowledge Enterprise (MIKE) Award since 2021. The MIKE Award is one of the most prestigious international recognition programs honoring organizations that excel in the creation, sharing, and application of knowledge to drive innovation and sustainable business impact.

Over the years, Martin has consistently demonstrated an exceptional ability to assess and evaluate complex organizational knowledge practices with rigor, intellectual depth, and a sharp strategic lens. His background in board advisory, knowledge governance, and aviation safety brings a rare and highly valuable cross-disciplinary perspective to the jury process, one that enriches our collective deliberations and raises the quality of our assessments.

What sets Martin apart is his ability to connect theoretical frameworks with practical, real-world impact. His evaluations are always thoughtful, fair, and grounded in genuine expertise. He asks the right questions and challenges organizations to reflect on what truly drives knowledge-based innovation.

I have great respect for Martin's commitment and professionalism, and I wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone seeking a trusted advisor in the areas of knowledge management, governance, or organizational excellence.

Vincent Ribière Managing Director, Institute for Knowledge and Innovation Southeast Asia (IKI-SEA), Bangkok University

I've had the pleasure of engaging with Martin in deep discussions on aviation human factors, where his sharp insights into board advisory, knowledge governance, and aviation safety truly shine. As a sparring partner, Martin brings a strategic mindset that challenges assumptions and elevates understanding—essential for high-stakes environments like ours in aerospace medicine.

His ability to connect complex human factors with practical governance makes him an invaluable advisor. I highly recommend Martin for any leadership role demanding foresight and expertise in aviation safety.

Dr Ajay Kumar Aerospace Medicine — Operational Safety & Performance

Martin brings a rare ability to connect system-level knowledge with real operational behavior. His perspective goes far beyond documentation or compliance — focusing instead on how knowledge is interpreted, internalized, and ultimately applied under real-world conditions.

What I found particularly valuable is his emphasis on shared mental models, reflective practice, and the role of knowledge as a living element within decision-making — not just something stored in systems.

His approach is highly relevant for organizations aiming to move from procedural compliance to true operational mastery. I would highly recommend Martin as a strategic advisor for any organization looking to strengthen the link between knowledge, safety, and real-world performance.

Dr. Ahmed Abbas AI Safety Intelligence · Founder of Trainivio · PhD Engineering

Martin Kellerhals is a highly respected professional in aviation safety, knowledge management, and strategic organizational leadership.

His expertise in transforming complex operational experience into structured organizational knowledge is particularly impressive. Martin demonstrates exceptional capability in connecting aviation safety, human factors, and knowledge governance to strengthen decision-making, resilience, and continuous improvement.

What stands out most is his strategic vision combined with practical insight. He consistently promotes systems thinking, helping organizations integrate people, processes, and learning into sustainable performance and stronger safety cultures. Martin's leadership reflects technical excellence, intellectual rigor, and a genuine commitment to advancing operational safety and organizational effectiveness.

Washington Barbosa, DSc COPPE UFRJ Proactive Safety Engineering Researcher, COPPE UFRJ (Brazil)

In working with Martin Kellerhals on several projects related to foreign-trade examinations at epah, I experienced him as an extremely competent and reliable co-expert.

His solid know-how in knowledge management, his pronounced talent for structuring complex subject matter clearly, and his calm, engaging manner made a decisive contribution to the expert- and practice-oriented content of our examinations.

Martin combines deep subject-matter expertise with a fine sense for organizational context, leadership questions, and cultural dynamics. I recommend Martin without reservation for projects in knowledge management and leadership development.

Janine Osterwalder Entrepreneur & Vision Coach for SMEs

Martin is able to convey his knowledge clearly and in a well-structured way. He explains complex topics so that they are easy to follow and apply directly. It's clear he has enormous subject-matter expertise and genuinely enjoys sharing it with his students. His practical examples and his calm, clear manner helped me enormously with learning — not only for the federal exam, but also in day-to-day practice at work.

Egzona Zeneli Specialist Customs & Export Control, Federally Certified Foreign Trade Manager

I had the pleasure of getting to know Martin Kellerhals during my business studies. I found Martin's teaching very enriching. He manages to convey complex content in a way that is both understandable and practice-oriented — never dry, always relevant and substantive. I learned a great deal and can highly recommend Martin as a lecturer and source of inspiration.

Adrian Binggeli Sales Manager

During my time at SIB, I had the privilege of having Martin as a lecturer for Business Administration and Strategic Management. His deep subject-matter expertise, combined with a lively and memorable teaching style, made the classes not only informative but also exceptionally enriching.

What particularly distinguishes Martin is his far-reaching, interconnected knowledge that extends beyond the boundaries of individual subjects. Even after graduating, Martin has remained a valuable mentor to me, whose advice I regularly and gladly seek.

Neven Odrljin MAS Applied Data Analyst · Business Economist · Project Manager

I had the pleasure of getting to know Martin Kellerhals over 20 years ago, when he taught business subjects at Klubschule Migros Ostschweiz within my team, and I was able to benefit from his valuable teaching myself. Martin and I have always stayed in touch, and I was — and still am — fascinated by his great knowledge, his drive to innovate, his courage, and his enthusiasm for making big things happen — but above all, by his warmth and respect for everyone.

To me, Martin is a multi-talent with heart, intellect, and enormous knowledge. I have great respect for him and always look forward to meeting him again.

Sandra Bossi Coach & Workshop Facilitator

Mr. Kellerhals has a talent for pinpointing the right entrepreneurial questions and presenting targeted, efficient solutions. As an entrepreneur and adult educator, I am particularly captivated by his methodically sound and structured approach.

Claudia Feusi Founder, Douana® — Customs & Foreign Trade Processes

Further recommendations available on LinkedIn →

Get in Touch

For Board mandates, advisory and lectures

I welcome enquiries on Board and Advisory Board mandates, EFQM assessments, executive education and speaking engagements.

Martin Kellerhals

Martin Kellerhals

Airline Board Advisor

Based in Zürich, Switzerland — working internationally
Languages German (native), English & French (full professional)