Mark Bisset

Clyde & Co

Partner, Head of Aviation Finance

Mark is Head of Aviation Finance, Clyde & Co, London.
Clyde & Co is a global law firm headquartered in London with a focus on five core sectors: transport, insurance, energy, trade & commodities and infrastructure. The firm is one of the top 10 largest law firms in the City of London. The firm employs 2,600 legal professionals in 60 offices across six continents. Of these, around 100 are aviation law specialists and the firm is generally recognised as the world’s largest aviation law firm.
The firm’s aircraft finance team has 5 partners based in London, together with Mike Nelson in Dubai and Stuart Miller in Hong Kong.
Mark’s experience includes loan and lease financing, operating leases and tax-based leases, export credit finance, and aircraft purchase and trading, in a wide variety of jurisdictions.
Mark has been very active over the last two decades in the business jet market, acting for financiers, owners and operators. Mark is ranked as a Band 1 individual in Private Aircraft (Global-wide) in Chambers High Net Worth, and Clyde & Co is similarly first-ranked. Spear’s Magazine describes Mark as an “eminence grise” of business aviation.
Mark also has extensive aviation regulatory experience, including recently extensive advice on Russian sanctions. Mark led the Clyde & Co team which in January 2018 published the report “Brexit scenarios for business aviation” for the EBAA.
Mark is contributing editor of the annual publication “Getting the Deal Through – Aviation Finance and Leasing”.
Mark is a Guest Lecturer at the International Institute of Air and Space Law, Leiden University.

Heather Gordon

Martyn Fiddler Aviation

Legal Director

Heather Gordon is Legal Director at Martyn Fiddler Aviation. Heather joined the team in 2013 having previously practiced within a leading Isle of Man law firm’s aviation practice since 2007. Heather holds graduate and post graduate degrees in law and studied internationally for her MBA.

Coming from an aviation family, Heather is devoted to the industry and a passionate advocate for business aviation. Her enthusiasm is translated into her work and as a result she is often asked to speak at conferences and seminars internationally on tax, customs, and corporate aviation matters.

eddie Gross

Vedder Price

Shareholder

Eddie Gross has almost 40 years of experience representing bank-affiliated, captive and independent financing providers and investors, as well as lessees and borrowers. in all aspects of aviation and other equipment finance transactions, including documenting, structuring, negotiating, syndicating and enforcing these transactions.

Eddie is considered an industry leader regarding the leasing and financing of all types of aviation assets, including fixed wing aircraft, helicopters and engine pools. Clients include market-leading aircraft and helicopter financing providers, investors and operating lessors, as well as large publicly or privately held businesses, governmental entities or high-net-worth individual lessees and borrowers. The business aircraft financed in these transactions include jets and turbo-prop aircraft operated primarily for the customer’s business purposes, or for transportation services including chartering, or pursuant to fractional or “pay card” arrangements. The financed helicopters are typically operated in various service capacities (e.g., air ambulances, oil and gas service, fire suppression, hauling, etc.) or for VIP, business or other transportation purposes. These aircraft and helicopter financings vary in structure and include domestic and multi-jurisdictional tax and non-tax leases, operating leases and secured loan financings, involving progress payment, completion and other multi-funding structures. The structures of these transactions typically involve multiple counter-parties, including citizenship and other trusts, management companies, maintenance program providers and affiliated and unaffiliated users of the aircraft and the manufacturer or other seller.
In 2016 through 2022, Eddie was ranked Band 1 in Private Aircraft (Global-wide) in Chambers High Net Worth. The legal ranking recognizes the world’s leading high net worth advisers where one aviation professional described Eddie as “the most knowledgeable aircraft finance lawyer in the US that I’ve worked with, both from a know-how and market perspective.” He was also recognized among the world’s leading aviation attorneys by Euromoney Legal Media Group’s Expert Guides from 2013 to 2021.

Todd Guelich

Assured Partners

Senior Vice President

Todd Guelich has been with AirSure Limited for 31 years having being initiated in the aviation insurance industry at USAIG. He worked for them as an underwriter in Dallas for his first five years out of college. A pilot since 1973 he received his education from the U.S. Naval Academy and University of Kentucky. He is also an active member of NBAA, IFBOA, HAI and NATA. He has served on the NATA’s Air Charter Committee since 1992 and participates in lobbying congress on general aviation regulatory issues.

Todd believes that to understand the efficient placement of insurance products, you have to observe the operators and directly participate in the decision process when addressing risk through safety initiatives, contractual or waiver deferrals. For those who know him, his on-site operator visitation schedule often reaches 100 days per year. His participation includes the policy direction for all facets of flight (from 121 to 135) and ground servicing facilities throughout North America and dozens of international locations. Experienced in the insurance placement of non-U.S. citizen trustors, trustees and beneficiaries, Todd frequently assists in the multiple interpretation issues evoked by the interacting contractual relationships required by the variable parties.

Todd is the father of three teenagers which may also help explain his travel schedule.

David Hernandez

Vedder Price

Shareholder

Mr. Hernandez has extensive experience assisting clients with a wide variety of business aircraft transaction and regulatory matters, including aircraft purchase/sale agreements, aircraft flight department restructuring, aircraft management arrangements, fractional program documents, use policies, cross-border transactions, personal use of aircraft, joint-ownership use agreements and
regulatory and enforcement matters. He is the Chair of Vedder Price Business Aviation and Regulation Sub-Practice Group, the Chair of the National Business Aviation Association’s Tax Committee and a frequent speaker on various business aircraft and regulatory topics. Mr. Hernandez has been recognized among the world’s leading aviation attorneys by Euromoney Legal Media Group’s Expert Guides “Aviation Guide” and Chambers as a highly rated High Net Worth Individual Aviation Advisor.

Brendan Lodge

JSSI Advisory Services

Advisory Services Manager

As Advisory Services Manager for Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI), Brendan Lodge brings over 25 years of asset finance and business aviation knowledge, skills and experience to the JSSI Advisory Services and JSSI Parts divisions.

Mr. Lodge builds relationships with banks and financial institutions and promotes JSSI’s portfolio of services, including the JSSI Asset Monitoring Platform (AMP) and aircraft inspection and value appraisal consultancy services. Mr. Lodge provides additional support to JSSI Parts to assist in the acquisition of aircraft at the end of life for the purpose of tearing down and parting out to support aircraft on JSSI programs.

Previously, Mr. Lodge worked for over 20 years in the UK banking and finance industry with Lombard, part of Royal Bank of Scotland. As part of the Lombard Aviation Unit, he financed aircraft at all levels of the business and general aviation sectors. Mr. Lodge later joined the Icelandic bank, Kaupthing, where he was a key member of the small team that developed and grew their business aviation portfolio. He has a further 8 years of experience with JetBrokers as an aircraft sales broker and played a key role in establishing their European franchise.

Mr. Lodge is Founder and Chairman of The Aviation Supper Club, renowned for its regular business aviation industry networking dinners.

Chris Miller

JSSI Aviation Capital

Managing Partner

As Managing Partner of JSSI Aviation Capital, Mr. Miller oversees and leads the team in growing JSSI Aviation Capital into a global market leader in customized asset-based financing alternatives in the business jet space.
Chris was the founder and CEO of Shearwater Global Capital which was a private finance company offering asset-based financing for aviation assets across the globe. Prior to Shearwater he was Managing Director of Guggenheim Partners Business Aircraft Investment (BAI) Group. The BAI Group provided capital solutions to the Business Aviation Industry; specifically, asset-based lending on a medium to large sized business aircraft.
Before entering the business world, Chris served in the United States Marine Corps, as an F/A-18 pilot, Aircraft Maintenance Officer and Aviation Safety Officer. Chris is a graduate of the U.S. Navy & Marine Corps School of Aviation Safety and currently holds a commercial pilot rating. He is an accredited “Senior Aircraft Appraiser” with the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) and the former President of the National Aircraft Finance Association (NAFA). Chris received a BA from Denison University and an MBA from Columbia University.

Aoife O'Sullivan

The Air Law Firm

Partner

Aoife is an owning partner of The Air Law Firm, a boutique law firm dedicated to the aviation industry. She specialises in international and cross-border aircraft finance, sale and leasing in the commercial and corporate aviation sector. She advises clients on aircraft finance and regulatory issues, including corporate structures, aircraft acquisitions and airline start-ups. Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine named her as one of the Top 10 Leaders in business aviation in Europe. Aoife is Chair of the British Business and General Association who liaise closely with Government, regulatory bodies and industry on matters affecting the business aviation community. Aoife has been independently nominated by her clients, contacts and peers for inclusion in all exclusive industry and legal guides for her work in aviation law and her contribution to the industry, including Chambers; Legal 500: Finance; Euromoneys Women in Business; Expert Guides: Aviation; International Who’s Who of Aviation Finance Lawyers; Best Lawyers; Who’s Who Legal; and Lawyers World Leading Lawyer Awards.
Aoife is regularly invited to speak at international aviation conferences and events. She writes for and has been quoted in all major leading publications including the Financial Times, BART, Fly Corporate, Airfinance Journal and Altitudes.
Aoife was admitted as a Solicitor in Ireland in 1997, England and Wales in 1998 and admitted to the Supreme Court of the Cayman Islands in 2002.

Oliver Stone

Colibri Aircraft

Managing Director

Oliver is the managing director for Colibri Aircraft Ltd., a private aircraft brokerage and advisory firm based in London. Oliver started with Colibri Aircraft in 2011, after spending the previous 8 years managing the brokerage and advisory unit for a firm in the United States. His focus has been on the international arena, selling and purchasing aircraft for clients as well as advising lenders on asset value protection and repossessions. Having bought and sold aircraft for customers in Asia, South America, Europe, the Middle East and the US, he has a first-hand perspective on different cultures and their approach to private aviation, as well as the demand for such aircraft around the world.

Ford von Wiese

Citi Private Bank

Director, Head Global Aircraft Finance & Advisory Services

Mr. von Weise is currently a Director and Global Head of the Aircraft Finance Group & Advisory Services at Citi Private Bank. The group provides private aircraft financing solutions and aviation advice to individual ultra-high net worth clients and their companies throughout the world. Mr. von Weise’s responsibilities and roles while at Citi have included loan origination, product program management, reporting and workouts. The group focuses on transactions typically in the range of $10 to $75 million.

Mr. von Weise has over twenty-three years of related business aviation experience, most recently serving as Vice President of Business Aviation Finance for Merrill Lynch Capital and GMAC Commercial Finance. Prior to joining GMAC, he was Vice President of Capital Transactions at Lend Lease Real Estate Investments,
where he was responsible for the recapitalization and workout of large multi-family properties throughout the U.S.

Mr. von Weise is also the most recent past president of the National Aircraft Finance Association and was appointed by the Boards of Selectmen from the Massachusetts towns of Concord, Lincoln, Bedford and Lexington as a member of the Hanscom Field Advisory Commission. He is also a past board member of the Massachusetts Business Aviation Association and a local volunteer representative for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

He is also an instrument rated pilot with over 2,500 hours of experience, aircraft owner, and a pilot for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. Mr. von Weise has also appeared on the Discovery Channel as an aviation expert in the Celebrity Crash Files, J.F.K., Jr, documentary series. He is also currently a member of the Board of Advisors for Brown Aviation Lease.

Ford began his career in the Credit Analyst Training Program at Chemical Bank and holds a joint History and Environmental Studies degree, Cum Laude, from the University of Vermont.

Zohar Zik

HFW

Partner

Bio coming soon…