On June 27, Airports Council International (ACI) World and Amadeus announced Miami International Airport’s Chief Innovation Officer (CIO) Maurice Jenkins as the 2023 winner of its Best Airport Innovation Leader Award.
“Congratulations to Maurice for standing out as one of the world’s best and brightest in the field of airport technology,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “Our County is fortunate to have someone of his world-class expertise and caliber in charge of innovation at our community’s global gateway.”
For the third year, Amadeus and ACI World invited airports globally to submit innovative technology projects and examples of leadership that serve to enhance the passenger journey, drive operational efficiency, or improve processes for employees, travelers, and other stakeholders.
From submissions received across the globe from airports of all sizes, a panel of external industry experts assessed the technology solutions and innovation leaders. The two other awards were: Best Innovation in Airport Passenger-related Processes, won by Seoul’s Incheon International Airport; Best Innovation in Airport Operations and Installations Management, won by Hong Kong International Airport.
“Travelers are the center of the aviation ecosystem, as we would not exist without them,” Luis Felipe de Oliveira, Director General at ACI World. “And this remains the foundation of all that we do as we continue to innovate the travel journey and build a sustainable future. This year’s winners show the best examples in the world, and we applaud their exemplary work and vision.”
Just last September, MIA was also one of three airports in the world to receive a Future Travel Experience (FTE) Airport Pioneer Award at the FTE Global 2022 Awards ceremony in Las Vegas. The FTE awards program recognizes the world’s most pioneering airports and airlines for their outstanding efforts to transform the passenger experience and define the future of the air transport industry. Other airport winners were Edmonton International Airport and iGA Istanbul Airport.
MIA was awarded for its efforts to implement biometric boarding at more than 130 gates throughout the airport. When fully completed in 2023, MIA will be home to the largest implementation of biometric technology at any U.S. airport.
As MIA’s CIO, Jenkins serves as the principal advisor to the airport’s Director and CEO on all matters related to information management and information technology. Prior to his role as CIO, Jenkins was responsible for defining and managing IT capital assets and IT management processes to ensure their successful implementation and project integration at MIA.
In addition, Jenkins served as the Aviation Department’s Chief Information Officer/Director of Information Systems, responsible for the development and implementation of standards‐based policies and procedures that support business operations that improved the overall quality of service of enterprise IT systems. Jenkins strategic vision has successfully culminated in the integration of new technology such as biometrics and virtual queuing in MIA’s South and North terminals.
Jenkins has served as the Chairman of the Business Information Technology Committee (BIT), which was established by ACI to set strategic objectives future technology direction for airports. He also served as Chairman of the Florida Airports Council’s Information Technology Committee from 2019 to 2021. Jenkins has given presentations on implementation solutions to key IT leaders and airport IT conferences in the U.S. and internationally, sharing proven successful practices with his peer group.
“We are extremely proud to have Maurice leading the way for our innovation efforts, and this prestigious recognition from ACI World is the latest example of how valuable he is to MIA,” said Ralph Cutie, MIA Director and CEO. “Under Maurice’s leadership, our new Innovation Division will be introducing significant customer service improvements for our travelers in the near future.”
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