Antiguan Miguel Southwell Takes Charge at Airport

Antigua and Barbuda Airport Authority engages Brakkam AviationManagement for interim leadership

The Antigua and Barbuda Airport Authority (ABAA) has engaged Brakkam Aviation Management, LLC (Brakkam) to provide interim executive management and support during the absence of a permanent Chief Executive Officer.

Brakkam will assist with the recruitment of a new CEO and advise on enhancements to strengthen efficiency, safety, customer experience, financial sustainability, and environmental stewardship.

ABAA, established under the Airport Authority Act of 2006, manages the V.C. Bird International Airport in Antigua and the Barbuda International Airport in Barbuda. This engagement comes at a critical time as preparations advance for the 2026 ICAO audit and certification of both the VCBIA and the BIA.

ABAA Chairman Rolston Potter noted that the Authority is at a pivotal stage in its growth as an international hub, requiring world-class management systems.
“Brakkam brings proven leadership and expertise within the global aviation sector, positioning the ABAA to meet and exceed international standards,” he said.

Brakkam LLC, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, has worked with major clients including the World Bank Group, Guangdong Airport Authority (China), Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Airports Authority of Jamaica, the Governments of St. Lucia and the British Virgin Islands. Its services cover airport planning, development, and management across the globe.

Brakkam LLC, has appointed its founder and principal, Miguel Southwell, an Antiguan, to serve as project leader and Interim CEO of ABAA commencing September 29, 2025.

With more than 40 years of aviation experience, Mr. Southwell previously led Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest passenger airport, and has served in senior roles at Miami International Airport. His global contributions include leadership roles within Airports Council International (ACI) and advisory work for CARICOM on regional air connectivity.

An Antiguan, Southwell’s career spans over 40 years, starting with LIAT in 1973 and rising to become the head of Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), the world’s busiest passenger airport with over 100 million passengers annually and a combined annual operating and capital budget of US$1 billion. During his leadership at ATL, in 2016, Southwell was named Atlanta’s “CEO of the Year” by both the Atlanta Business League and the Atlanta Business Journal.

Prior to his leadership at ATL, Southwell served as deputy head at The Miami-Dade Aviation Department, with purview over Miami International Airport, the America’s busiest international cargo airport, and five general aviation airports.

He also served as an adjunct professor at Georgia State University in Atlanta, where he taught both airport and airline management courses. He has also lectured at airport management seminars in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

In 2023 Southwell played an integral role as part of a consulting team engaged by CARICOM to make recommendations for the recovery of inter-Caribbean air connectivity in the region’s post-COVID-19 environment.

He served 6 years on the World Governing Board of Airports Council International (ACI), the official and only global association of airports with approximately 1,800 airport members in five regions including Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and North America. He is a past-president of the ACI Latin America and Caribbean Region, a former Board member of ACI North America Region, and a former Board member and past-president of ACI-Fund, which provides gratis training for airport professionals in developing countries around the world.

Prior to his career in airport management, Southwell served as Regional Assistant Vice President, overseeing savings and lending operations of 16 branches of Willamette Savings in Portland, Oregon.

He has a bachelor’s degree in management from Portland State University in Oregon, has a master’s degree in international business from Baruch College – City University of New York, and holds a “Driving Government Performance” Certificate from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government Executive Education.

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