Dr Alexander Roy, Head of Policy at Manchester Airport Group (MAG), which owns and operates Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands Airports, with nearly 65million passengers per annum, representing one in five of all air passengers at UK airports. Furthermore, our airports supported the movement of over 733,000 tonnes of air cargo to and from the UK, with a value of more than £27.5bn. Alex lead MAG's policy work, engaging with national and local government and other stakeholders in promoting the benefits of aviation to the UK and ensuring we are a good neighbour to our host communities. His work has a particular focus on surface transport access, and Alex has been particularly involved in the development of a new high-speed rail station at Manchester Airport, initially for HS2 and now for Northern Powerhouse Rail. He has also been closely involved in the rollout of Greater Manchester’s Bee Network to Manchester Airport’s Ground Transport Interchange, and improvements to the Stansted Express rail service. Prior to joining MAG, Alex was Principal Economist at the transport consultancy Mott MacDonald, having previously spent a decade in economic development consultancy working on a wide range of projects in the UK and overseas. Alex also ran the research department of New Economy, which subsequently evolved into the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, led by the GM Mayor. Alex holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Leeds.