Pascal Bachmann

Jetcraft

Senior Vice President, Sales EMEA

Pascal Bachmann joined Jetcraft in 2014 as a sales representative based in Europe. In his current role he leads all Jetcraft sales initiatives in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and manages a team of Sales Directors based in those regions. Prior to Jetcraft, Pascal was Sales Director for ExecuJet Europe and Vice President Europe for NetJets.
Pascal is a multi-engine commercial IFR licensed pilot, a competitive rally car driver and is fluent in French, German and English. He currently resides in Dubai with his wife and four children.

Robert Baltus

European Business Aviation Association

COO

Robert Baltus’ aviation experience spans nearly 20 years advising and supporting senior management and executive Boards of a variety of aviation related companies. He has worked for aircraft management, fractional and charter operators and has built strong relationships with the leading business aviation companies in the industry. A business aviation specialist, Baltus is experienced in start-ups, fleet selection, training and strategic change management.

As Chief Operating Officer of the EBAA, Robert oversees a team of experts to monitor and provide analysis on European aviation policies, and is responsible for member engagement with events such as EBACE, EBAA Safety Summit and AirOps.

He has a business management degree from HES Amsterdam and an MSc in Air Transport Management from Cranfield University, was a JAA Accountable manager and is a Commercial Pilot rated on the Boeing 737.

Tim Barber

Duncan Aviation

Aircraft Sales & Acquisitions EMEA & Asia

Tim was one of the driving forces behind the establishment of JetBrokers Europe in 2009 and oversaw its operational merger with JetBrokers Inc. He left the business in mid-2015 and worked for a while with Air Partner, where he benefitted from the company’s wider business aviation activities.

He has a good deal of wider business experience, having run sizable companies and held directorships with businesses listed on the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) and the Alternative Investment Market (AIM). He now represents Duncan Aviation Aircraft Acquisitions and Sales outside of the US.

His passion for aviation is also demonstrated through his role as an ambassador for the Mosquito Pathfinder Trust ” www.thewoodenwonder.org.uk ” a charity seeking to get a de Havilland Mosquito back in the British skies.

Tim travels extensively to work with his clients and their aircraft, and is also a fan of the use of social media in his business activities – https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbarber2/ and https://twitter.com/Tim_bizav
Outside of aviation, Tim is married to Vicki and has 3 teenage daughters. Before parenthood he had loads of hobbies and interests but now makes do with a bit of tennis!
Duncan Aviation is the world’s largest privately-owned business jet support facility and the aircraft sales and acquisitions division has been involved in around 3,500 transactions.

Fabian Bello

Journey Aviation

CEO

Fabian Bello is CEO and founding member of Journey Aviation, one of the world’s top Gulfstream operators. Under his leadership, the company has demonstrated notable growth since its inception in January of 2014, exceeding $200 million USD in total revenue within its first 5 years in business, while establishing itself as an industry preferred quality operator. In April 2019, Bello acquired Longtail Aviation, the only AOC in Bermuda which currently operates a BBJ and can operate any aircraft with no weight or seat restrictions.

While in the aviation industry, Mr. Bello has held various positions, such as executive vice-president and president/CEO of an international division, as well as president/CEO of other related aviation companies. Most notably, Mr. Bello is known for managing the introduction of Deer Jet’s BBJ’s and ACJ fleet into the Middle East, catapulting the company’s penetration into the international markets.

Prior to entering the aviation industry, Mr. Bello worked in the logistics industry, working for a top worldwide logistics company with over $3 billion USD yearly turnover. In addition to his extensive business knowledge, Mr. Bello has vast experience working with and uniting diverse cultures worldwide; particularly Hispanic, European, Asian and of Arabic regions. He has an innate ability of bringing and keeping individuals working together in pursuit of a common goal. Getting things done effectively, efficiently and with the buy-in of all related parties is one of the strongest attributes to his management style.

Mr. Bello was born in Havana, Cuba and immigrated to Miami, Florida at the age of three. He was raised in South Florida and attended the University of Miami where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Marketing in preparation for his management career.

Meha Bhatia

Rolls-Royce

VP Sales & Marketing

Megha Bhatia leads as Vice President of Sales & Marketing for the dedicated business aviation organization at Rolls-Royce. Her passion for technology combined with a degree in Aerospace Engineering and Masters of Business from Embry-Riddle University has enabled her to serve as a driver of change within the aerospace industry.

During her time in business aviation, she has led the introduction of the pioneering sustainable program, SAFinity, which enables carbon neutral flight by combining sustainable projects with a direct investment in SAF, and launched CorporateCare® Enhanced which was the first aftermarket program to expand its premier comprehensive protection for nacelles.

Prior to her current position, Megha specialized for more than a decade in Sales and Business Development with Rolls-Royce. Based both nationally and internationally in the United Kingdom and Singapore, Megha has partnered with customers globally within marine, airlines and business aviation sectors. She led Sales & Business Development for an innovative division focused on advancing ship intelligence, including autonomous solutions. She also headed the global Customer Issues Resolution team to transform their process with significant improvements in customer satisfaction. Megha brings with her a breadth of customer & strategy expertise with the proven ability to positively impact business revenue and performance while maintaining strong customer relationships.

Megha also co-founded Rolls-Royce Women Houston Chapter, and is currently a member of the NBAA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion working group

Mark Bisset

Clyde & Co

Partner

Mark is Head of Aviation Finance, Clyde & Co, London.
Clyde & Co is a global law firm with a focus on five core sectors: transport, insurance, energy, trade & commodities and infrastructure. The firm employs 2,000 legal professionals in 52 offices in every worldwide region.
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 15+ years in the business jet market, acting for financiers, owners and operators. In 2017, Mark was ranked as a Band 1 individual in Private Aircraft (Global-wide) in Chambers High Net Worth, and Clyde & Co was similarly first-ranked. Spear’s Magazine describes Mark as an “eminence grise” of business aviation.
Who’s Who Legal Aviation has commented that Mark is an “exceptional finance lawyer with extensive knowledge of both the commercial airline and business jet market.”
Mark also has extensive aviation regulatory experience, including recently advice on ownership and control issues, sanctions, and slots trading. Mark has recently been heavily involved in Brexit-related advice and 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 2018” and co-editor of “Getting the Deal Through – Air Transport 2018″. He is the co-author of Aviation Insurance Issues in Law and Practice from the Lessor/Lender Perspective”.
Mark is a Guest Lecturer at the International Institute of Air and Space Law, Leiden University.

Willie Brewster

Signature Aviation

Fuels Manager EMEA

William Brewster, currently Fuel manager for Signature Aviation Europe Middle East and Africa

He joined BBA/Signature in 2010.  Since joining the company Willie has held several roles to include Airport Station Manager, Airport Pipeline manager responsible for top tier COMAH Storage, including Fuel Tanks, Hydrant & Refuelling Bowser Operations, Regional and Cluster manager for multiple JIG locations and technical manager. He has used his reputation for building relationships with customers and fuel suppliers across a wide industry to succeed at every one of these positions.

Back in Aug 2017 Willie was tasked to identify a robust environmentally friendly supply of bio/sustainable fuel that could be offered to our customers at Signature.  This was a challenging project as the biofuel products available then were not drop in ready, nor readily available and much more costly.  It was May 2020 when sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) became available for the UK Biz/GA market, and we could offer to Signature Aviation customers at our Luton operation.

Signature was the first FBO to pump SAF in the UK. As a global company Signature pumped over 22 million litres during 2021 and have a global goal to increase this volume aggressively during 2022

The goal for Signature working with our fuel suppliers is to educate aircraft owners & operators on the road forward, and to help reduce or meet goal zero for carbon emissions, by working together as one we will be able to share vital information so we can help climate change and offer a cleaner fossil fuel that is fit for today’s flights

Liam Byrne

Bermuda Aircraft Registry

Director of Business Development

Liam Byrne is the newly appointed Director of Business Development for the Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority.

He has held senior commercial and operational positions with TransAer International Airlines, Lufthansa Consulting and latterly with the UK CAA where he managed business development activities in all key markets as Senior Manager International Development within CAA International.

He has led advisory services business development and projects in safety regulatory policy and oversight, safety management, strategy development and airline/aviation authorities capacity building.

Michael Skou Christensen

Satcom Direct

Vice President

Michael Skou Christensen has over ten years of experience with satellite communications within the
private aviation industry. In 2013, Michael lead the opening of SD’s Australasia office, where he acted as
Managing Director until 2016. He is now the Vice President for SD International, where he is responsible
for establishing and growing the sales, support, marketing and training presence across the international
business. His various roles throughout his time in aviation have seen him involved with many different
parts of the value chain, from OEMs and completion centers to end-customers. He holds a bachelor’s
degree in Engineering, and a master’s degree in International Management.

Hazel Courteney

San Marino Aircraft Registry

State Safety Manager

Dr. Hazel Courteney is State Safety Programme Manager at San Marino Aircraft Registry. Hazel Chaired the international Panel at ICAO that developed Annex 19 on Safety Management including the requirements for State Safety Programmes. She is an established international consultant in this area, often working on behalf of EASA, ICAO and IATA. Previously she spent 20 years at the UK CAA and has also worked at NATS, British Aerospace, Westlands and Easams Systems House. In her spare time, she flew light aircraft for 15 years and now lives in Sussex with her husband and two sizeable dogs.

Alan Cunningham

DLA Piper

Partner

Alan acts for banks, leasing companies, airlines, business jet operators, ship owners, ship management companies, data centre providers, contract hire and fleet management companies, OEMs and high net worth individuals.

Alan advises on all aspects of PDP and stage-payment financing, debt financing, operating lease, finance lease and hire-purchase structures, export credit backed financing, residual value guarantee arrangements and tax structures.

Bart Demosky

Bombardier

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Bart Demosky is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Bombardier. He is an accomplished senior executive with a long track record of creating value through innovation and building high performing teams. His mandate is to steer Bombardier toward a strong financial future as a company focused on business jets with overall responsibility for all financial functions across the company from institutional investing and structured aircraft financing to cash management, accounting and budgeting. Since joining Bombardier in 2020, Mr. Demosky has successfully guided the company through complex debt management strategy and turned Bombardier into one of the top-performing Canadian stocks of 2021.
In his previous role as President and CEO of Universal Rail Systems Inc., Mr. Demosky was responsible for executing the successful restructuring and turnaround of Canada’s leading rail infrastructure and services company. Under his leadership, Universal established itself as the partner of choice across Canada for maintenance, infrastructure and integrated rail projects and services.
Prior to joining Universal Rail, Mr. Demosky served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Canadian Pacific Railway Limited during its transformation from 2013 to 2015. Previously, Mr. Demosky was the Chief Financial Officer of Canada’s largest integrated oil company, Suncor Energy Inc., from 2009 to 2013 and held various other executive positions during his eight years with the company, including Senior Vice President Business Services, and Vice President and Treasurer.
Mr. Demosky brings over 30 years of leadership and operating experience in the transportation, energy, infrastructure and services industries. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Calgary and is an Honours graduate from the University of Calgary’s Management Development Program.

Anne Devilliers

Dassault Aviation

International Sales Director for Great Britain, Ireland, the Balkans and Greece

Anne Devilliers is International Falcon Sales Director for Great Britain, Ireland, the Balkans and Greece at Dassault Aviation since 2019.
Devilliers started out with Dassault in 2003 at the company’s Dassault Falcon Jet (DFJ) subsidiary in the U.S. and held several positions within the DFJ Marketing Department.
In 2013, she was appointed DFJ Market Research Manager before moving back to France to head up Falcon marketing development.
Devilliers joined the Falcon sales team in 2016 as Sales Manager for Pre-owned Falcons and two years later became International Sales Manager for new aircraft.
A graduate of Montpellier Sup de Co Business School, Devilliers is steeped in Anglo-Saxon culture with more than a decade spent living in the United States.

Delray Dobbins

Pratt & Whitney Canada

Sr Manager, ESP Sales & Global Strategy

Delray Dobbins leads Sales and Global Strategy for Pratt & Whitney Canada’s Eagle Service™ Plan (ESP™), an engine maintenance program for the corporate jet segment. Since joining the company in May 2018, Delray has worked closely with business jet customers, industry influencers, and other key stakeholders to continue to enhance P&WC’s ESP maintenance program offerings.

During his 25+ year career, Delray has held several key positions in the aviation industry. Starting with Rolls-Royce in the early 90’s, Delray worked in the technical publications division supporting the AE3007 engine program. Delray then advanced into a customer support role in 2001 on the GV and G550 engine programs. Later, he was promoted to Regional Customer Manager supporting NetJets’ 130 Gulfstream and Citation X aircraft.

In 2009, Delray became a regional sales executive for CorporateCare covering the Midwestern United States and developed strong relationships with many of those flight departments.

In 2015, Delray joined the Mente Group where his primary mandate was to assist clients in buying and selling aircraft as well as ensure they were knowledgeable of the available engine programs.

Delray has volunteered with the National Aviation Hall of Fame based in Dayton, Ohio and often supports their efforts at the Reno Air Races and their annual Enshrinement Gala.

Delray has a Bachelor’s Degree in Aviation Technology from Purdue University where he graduated with his airframe and power plant license as well as  commercial/instrument pilot’s license. Delray is also part owner of a 1967 Beechcraft V35 Bonanza.

Keri Dowling

Air Law Office, P.A.

President

Keri L. Dowling earned her Juris Doctorate and was admitted to The Ohio Bar in 1998.

She represented the City of Cleveland before the FAA, NTSB and other governmental agencies, and in negotiations with tenants, landowners and contractors during the expansion of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, the largest civil aviation airport expansion in US history.

Keri Dowling represented various airports and aircraft manufacturers in civil litigation in both state and federal courts until 2005, when she, newly admitted to the Florida Bar, began to represent various aircraft owners in the purchase of aircraft, structuring of ownership and operational needs, as longwell as other transactional related matters.

Don Dwyer

Guardian Jet

Managing Partner

Don Dwyer, Guardian Jet’s co-managing partner, is particularly regarded for his extensive expertise on aircraft finance, asset management, fleet planning and aircraft sales.

He spent most of his career rising through ranks at the aircraft manufacturer, Hawker Beechcraft. As their Vice President of Global Sales, he led the entire sales team and oversaw the company’s international dealer network.

In 2010, Don Dwyer joined his brother, Michael, as co-managing partner of Guardian Jet. Since then, Guardian Jet has become one of the top three aircraft brokerage and consulting firms in the world.

Don is a member of the National Business Aviation Association Advisory Council. An avid sailor, Don is also a 4,500-hour commercial pilot and certified flight instructor.

Mike Dwyer

Guardian Jet

Managing Partner

Michael Dwyer is the co-founder and managing partner of Guardian Jet, one of the world’s leading jet aircraft brokerage and consulting firms.

A leader in aircraft capital planning, fleet optimization, aircraft brokerage and aviation business consulting, Mike has authored many industry articles and regularly speaks at industry forums. He is well-regarded throughout business aviation for his expertise, professionalism and integrity.

Since 2002, his mission always has been to create a transparent, client-focused business. In an effort to share important aircraft data with clients, Mike leads the development of the company’s proprietary Market Survey, whereby clients receive a current valuation of their aircraft in a Guardian Estimate™. Mike is also responsible for product development of the “Vault,” the firm’s online aviation asset management portal, which includes JetFinder™ and other valuable online tools.

Prior to Guardian Jet, Mike held Regional Sales Manager positions at Gulfstream Aerospace, Cessna Citation and Mooney Aircraft.

An avid and experienced pilot, he has amassed nearly 4,000 hours of flight time. He holds an Airline Transport Pilot rating and earned type ratings for the seaplane and Cessna CitationJet. He is also a Certified Flight Instructor.

Mike earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Rhode Island, in Kingston, Rhode Island, and a master’s degree in Finance from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in Troy, New York.

Dave Edwards

Royal Aeronautical Society

CEO

Dave’s career has taken him through all areas of the aviation industry, including flight operations, ground services and maintenance into senior executive roles with leading airlines and aviation companies and subsequently into trade bodies.

As Chief Executive of the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) Dave is responsible for the day to day management of the 25,000 member society, established in 1866, and the delivery of its charitable aims and learned output.  Offering a wide range of education programmes, apprenticeship and degree accreditation, next generation opportunities as well as an international array of lectures and events, the society has Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as its patron.

Most recently, Dave was CEO of The Air Charter Association, alongside investments in a number of small businesses and non-exec directorship roles through Windsor Capital LLP.  He is also a trustee of the aviation charity, fly2help.

Dave was Executive Vice President of Qatar Airways’ Business Jet Division, Qatar Executive following fifteen years with Gama Aviation plc as their Managing Director, Middle East and Asia and Group General Manager.

In 2010 he was elected as the youngest ever Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, in addition he is a member of the Royal Air Force Club and the Air League, a Liveryman of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots and a Freeman of the City of London.

Outside of aviation his hobbies include… aviation, as a private and glider pilot.

Norbert Ehrich

Jet Aviation

VP Flight Sales EMEA

A 30-year veteran of Jet Aviation, Norbert began his aviation career with Jet Aviation in 1992 at the then World Headquarters in West Palm Beach Florida.

Since joining the company, Norbert has held various senior leadership roles in the U.S., EMEA and South America across FBO, MRO, Aircraft Management and Charter services. Most recently, Norbert has been leading the EMEA aircraft management and charter team in Zurich since 2018. He played an integral role in expanding the regional fleet through the acquisition of Luxaviation’s Swiss Aircraft Management and Charter Division in June 2021 and continues to strategically promote Flight Services while strengthening alignment across the regions. Norbert holds a Bachelor of Science degree in International Business from Florida Atlantic University and is fluent in German, English and Spanish.

Andrew Farrant

Global Jet Capital

Chief Marketing Officer

Andrew Farrant serves as Chief Marketing Officer for Global Jet Capital. Prior to joining GJC, Andrew was the Vice President of Strategic Planning, Marketing, and Corporate Communications for Sequa Corporation and Chromalloy where he led strategic planning and brand development. He previously worked at StandardAero, leading brand development and management. Prior to that, he led the successful corporate rebranding of Landmark Aviation, a Carlyle Group company formed after the merger of three aviation businesses, including an engine maintenance, repair, and overhaul network. He previously spent 15 years in marketing leadership positions at Bombardier Aerospace. Andrew holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada.

Alex Fecteau

Boeing Business Jets

Marketing Director

Captain Alex Fecteau is the Director of Marketing for Boeing Business Jets, a division of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Prior to his current position Captain Fecteau worked with airlines around the world in Boeing Commercial Airplane marketing, with a focus on flight deck technology, and Boeing technical product subject matter. Captain Fecteau earned his undergraduate degree in Aeronautical Engineering, and Master of Science Degree in Mechanical engineering, followed by an extensive career as an F-15 instructor pilot in the US Air Force and pilot for 2 major US Airlines.

Alex has extensive experience working with customer flight operations departments, flight standards, training, and executive levels leadership. He has also worked with regulators worldwide for airplane systems certifications and performance based navigation operational approvals, and was an advisor to several EASA, ICAO, and FAA aviation rulemaking committees.

Valerio Ferro

Air bp

Vice President Sales and Marketing

Valerio Ferro is Air bp’s Vice President Sales and Marketing based in Madrid, Spain. He leads a team of over 100 professionals around the globe with responsibility for sales, marketing, digital and pre and after sales support.

Valerio joined parent company bp in 1997 and has gained highly relevant experience in a variety of commercial roles of increasing responsibility in different countries and bp businesses including: Aviation Fuels, Renewable Energies and Lubricants.

Valerio joined Air bp in 2006 and has held the roles of Global Supply Manager, Cluster Manager West Med and Global Offer Development Manager. Prior to being appointed Vice President Sales & Marketing fourteen months ago, Valerio held the position of Global Supply Director.  Valerio is a board member of Air bp Limited, SLCA and Terminales Canarios.
Valerio speaks four languages including English, Italian, Spanish and French. He holds a Master’s Degree in Marketing and Business Administration from the University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.

Matt Finch

Transport & Environment

UK Policy Manager

Matt is the UK Policy Manager for Transport & Environment, Europe’s leading clean transport think tank. Matt has spent over a decade in climate policy, and now almost exclusively works to decarbonise aviation. He sits on various Government advisory panels, around issues such as sustainable aviation fuel and zero emission aircraft

Declan Fitzpatrick

Irish Aviation Authority

Safety, Compliance and Strategy

Declan Fitzpatrick is Director Regulatory Performance & Innovation for the IAA, with 30 year’s experience in the aviation industry including commercial service delivery and regulatory oversight. Declan has held previous roles in industry with Aer Lingus and SR Technics delivering aircraft transitions and design solutions. He has also served as a Commissioner for the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), overseeing the development of the global standards and recommended practices for civil aviation. The IAA delivers a first class regulatory performance standard and has an excellent reputation at ICAO and in Europe. The IAA team is currently transforming its business processes and bespoke services for key customers to continue to build on this reputation, including new 24/7 platforms and bespoke aircraft registry services.

With a background in airworthiness engineering, Declan is a Bachelor of Science in Engineering but also holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and a Masters in Risk and System Change.

Craig Foster

Valour Consultancy

Senior Consultant & Co- Founder

Craig Foster is the co-founder of Valour Consultancy, a leading provider of market intelligence and consultancy services. He has extensive experience covering a wide variety of technology markets including the Internet of Things, M2M, smart home, smart grid, maritime connectivity, in-flight entertainment and connectivity and cabin technology more broadly. Foster has been an industry analyst for 15 years and is based in Grantham in the United Kingdom.
Prior to establishing Valour Consultancy, he was a principal analyst at ABI Research and a market analyst at IMS Research. At ABI, he launched a new research area devoted to the home automation market, before focusing his efforts on expanding the research portfolio of the company’s M2M service. At IMS, Foster’s research focused on the power transmission and low voltage products markets, after which he moved on to take responsibility for the company’s then-nascent aerospace research group.
Foster is a regular speaker and participant in panel discussions and has been widely quoted in trade journals, magazines, and other forms of online and print media. He holds a BA in economics from the University of Leicester.

Johnny Foster

OGARAJETS

President & CEO

John B. Foster, IV (“Johnny”) serves as President and CEO of OGARAJETS, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1980, Johnny joined the company in 1991 and was appointed President in 2005, followed by full management and ownership in 2013.
Recognized by his trademark bow ties, beard, and rarely in socks, Johnny embraces a business acumen grounded in a fully transparent and ethical moral code influenced by his father, industry veteran John Foster. Johnny sets the strategic vision for OGARAJETS with a priority set on responsible growth, uncompromised leadership, and excellence in all actions. Since his time with the company, OGARAJETS has completed just shy of 800 global transactions valued in excess of $3.5 billion.
Johnny served on the board for the National Aircraft Resale Association (NARA, now IADA), most recently as chairman from 2015-2017. He now serves as a board member of the IADA Foundation which is committed to offering financial support to students and young professionals and aviation related charities in time of need. He also served on the board for the Georgia Business Aviation Association (GBAA), leading efforts to the development and launch of the GBAA Scholarship Initiative. Locally, Johnny formed a strategic partnership between OGARAJETS and serves on the board of Aviation Career Enrichment (ACE), an Atlanta-based flight school whose primary mission is to serve its students by providing a positive and nurturing environment to boost academic and life skills through exposure to aviation training.

Johnny is a graduate of Colorado State University and an active member of the Southern 7 Chapter of YPO (Gold).

Johnny is married to his lifelong friend, Laura, and they have three children.

Bernhard Fragner

GlobeAir AG

CEO

Driven by the mantra “Passion into Profession” Bernhard Fragner founded GlobeAir in 2007 with the dream to create a new way of travelling in Europe, by applying an air taxi business model to short-haul flights.

Today GlobeAir is internationally recognized as one of the leading private jet charter operator in Europe, with the world’s largest fleet of Citation Mustang jets, 21 in total.

Passionate about aviation, technology and customer service Bernhard Fragner pushes every day his team to new limits, making sure every charter request is handle with extreme precision and care to exceed clients’ expectations.

Since 2008 Bernhard Fragner has become a very active member of the entry light jet community. In November 2011 he joined the Baltic Air Charter Association (BACA) and he became a member of the Council in November 2014. In August 2014 Bernhard Fragner joined the board of directors of the Citation Jets Pilots (CJP) and in 2017 he has been awarded with the prestigious PEGASUS award for his lifetime achievement.

Bernhard graduated as a civil engineer in mechanical plant design from Vienna University and received an MBA in aviation management from the Blue Danube University in Linz, Austria. Furthermore, he holds an ATPL license, including a type instructor endorsement and an EASA FCL type rating examiner authorization. After having worked as a commercial director in industrial plant design for several years he was trained in all EASA post holder management positions at mainly JAAT in The Netherlands.

Stephen Friedrich

Embraer

CCO

Steve Friedrich is the Chief Commercial Officer at Embraer Executive Jets, where he is responsible for the direct management of the global sales organization for new and pre-flown aircraft as well as the oversight of relationships with customers and industry collaborators. With more than 30 years of experience in the leasing and aerospace sectors, his wealth of experience spans across sales, marketing, finance, customer support and services and aftermarket programs.

Prior to joining Embraer, Steve led global sales efforts and marketing activities at Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace Business Aviation as the company’s Vice President-Sales & Marketing. His previous banking and aviation finance experience includes key leadership positions as Vice President at Summit Bank of New Jersey and Assistant Vice President at United Jersey Bank.

Steve graduated with an A.B. in Economics & Business from Lafayette College and received his M.B.A. from the Stern School at New York University.

Marie-Laure Gassier

BNP Paribas

Senior Credit Advisor jet & Yacht Finance

Marie-Laure Gassier is Head of Business Jet financing for BNP Paribas, based in Geneva.

Marie-Laure is a senior finance professional with over 20 years of experience with BNP Paribas in France, Singapore and Switzerland.
Marie-Laure has successfully grown over the last 10 years the business jet financing franchise of the bank for clients private and corporate. Since 2016, BNPP has set up in Switzerland a new platform dedicated to business jets and yachts financing, in order to serve better UHNWI clients.
Based in Geneva, the team is dedicated to providing jets and yachts financing solutions with a bespoke approach to a wide range of private clients. The focus is on transactions from 10 MUSD onwards for new or pre-owned aircraft with a global approach.

BNP Paribas is a leading bank in the Eurozone with a well-recognized footprint in Aviation and Shipping finance globally. Since 1981, the aviation finance department originates, arranges and distributes all types of aircraft financing solutions. With a global exposure in excess of 10 Bn USD and a portfolio of more than 1000 aircraft, the group maintains a prime and leading position in the transportation sector.

Marie-Laure holds a Political Science diploma with major and economics and finance (Sciences Po) and a Master Degree in History from Sorbonne University. She is a regular contributor at some major corporate jets conferences and events.

Robert Gates

Global Jet Capital

Head of Sales, International

Robert Gates serves as the Head of International Originations for Global Jet Capital. Robert has over 30 years of experience in aircraft financing and leasing. Prior to joining GJC, he has held senior-level positions with Merrill Lynch and RPK Capital (a Carlyle Group portfolio company). He also spent time at Chase Manhattan Bank. He holds an MBA from Cornell University.

Simon Geere

Farnborough Airport

CEO

Simon joined Farnborough Airport from Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA), bringing with him a wealth of experience, with over 25 years in aviation and airport leadership roles. Formerly holding both board positions and senior roles across several UK and European Airports, Simon is also currently a board member of Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton Airports, in addition to Farnborough Airport. Originally setting out to be an architect, Simon changed course and undertook a degree in Transport Studies which introduced him to his now long standing career in aviation. He started at BAA plc in 1994, later joining London Luton Airport as General Manager Aviation and then Business Development Director, responsible for the airport’s revenue generating projects. Joining MIRA in 2002, Simon took charge of driving operational performance across the European airport portfolio whilst steering the business through the many challenges faced by the aviation sector in the past 20 years.

Eddie Gross

Vedder Price

Shareholder

Eddie Gross has over 30 years of experience representing bank-affiliated and large, independent equipment financing companies in all aspects of equipment finance transactions, including documenting, structuring, negotiating, syndicating and enforcing these transactions. Eddie handles all types of equipment finance matters and structures, including single-investor, leveraged financings, true/ tax motivated leases, synthetic leases, TRAC leases, “bundled” and other vendor-originated financings, and domestic and cross-border financings, primarily for transportation equipment, but also for other types of equipment, including manufacturing and assembly line, construction and drilling, energy-related and other facilities, medical and health-related facilities, high-tech equipment (including “bundled” financings), trucks and trailers, modular units and vessel repair equipment.

Eddie is considered an industry leader in business aircraft and helicopter finance. Clients include market-leading aircraft and helicopter financing providers, investors or operating lessors, as well as large publicly or privately held businesses, governmental entities or high-net-worth individual users. Many of these transactions involve foreign-registered aircraft and vary in structure. They include tax and non-tax leases, operating leases and secured loan financing of managed and/or chartered aircraft, fleet aircraft and helicopters operated in various service capacities (e.g., air ambulances, oil and gas service, flight schools, etc.). These transactions include engine pools, aircraft operated under fractional and “pay card” arrangements, progress payment, completion, and other multi-funding structures.

In 2016 through 2021, Mr. Gross 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 2020.

James Hardie

Collins Aerospace

Head of Marketing, EMEA

James Hardie is responsible for Collins Aerospace global marketing and strategic planning for ARINCDirect services. ARINCDirect was established in the USA in 2003 to provide direct access for business jet operators to ARINC communication services. Additional services such as flight planning, were quickly established and continue to be developed. He took responsibility for the ARINCDirect business development in EMEA in early 2006 and subsequently in the Asia Pacific region.

Based in the UK, James joined ARINC in 2001 and has worked with various flight departments around the world providing and developing products and services to meet their needs. Now part of Collins Aerospace IMS division, he has been involved in various projects related to airline and business aircraft operations and communications. James also has a background as a pilot with a CPL(A) and military helicopter experience.

Hamish Harding

Action Aviation

Chairman

Hamish Harding is the Chairman of Action Aviation, an international aircraft brokerage company with a long history in the Middle East and Asia.
Action Aviation sold over US$ 200 million of pre-owned business jets in 2015, and Action Aviation has, in recent months, sold a number of business jets to Asian buyers, including a Boeing Business Jet and a Gulfstream G650ER.
Hamish is enthusiastic about the potential in the Asian market for preowned business jets, both for sales and acquisitions, and sees business aviation partnerships as the way forward to better cover the geographically largest continent.
Hamish originally gained a degree in Chemical Engineering from Cambridge University. From there he joined UK IT consultancy company Logica and was involved in information technology for the banking sector throughout the 1990s, operating as Regional Managing Director for Logica in the Middle East and later India.
Hamish has been a pilot for over 30 years and holds an Airline Transport Pilot with a number of jet type ratings, and is the holder of several FAI speed records in business jets. He was a commissioned officer in the British Territorial Army for 8 years, and enjoys scuba diving, skydiving, snow skiing, golf and spending time with his family in Dubai.

Brad Harris

Dallas Jet International

President and CEO

Brad Harris is the founder and CEO of Dallas Jet International, LP. Brad earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Professional Aviation and Airway Science and a Masters Degree in Human Relations and Supervision/Industrial Organizational Psychology from Louisiana Tech University.
In 1992, Brad entered the aviation industry as a corporate pilot for a Fortune 500 corporation. Four months later, in addition to his corporate pilot position, Brad started a successful aircraft leasing business that expanded to a successful management company in 1995. In 1993, Brad also began his aircraft sales career and, in a very rapid fashion, became one of the most highly respected aircraft brokers/dealers in the world. In 2002, Dallas Jet International was created as an aircraft sales, consulting, management and brokerage company.

Brad has not only maintained a career focus on aircraft sales, but he also has extensive experience in aircraft consulting and management. Included on his client list are several clients, for whom Brad and his firm have set up flight departments, consisting of: aircraft crewing, aircraft management, aircraft maintenance and aircraft operating budgets. Currently, there are two (2) Dallas Jet offices in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. The corporate office is located in Colleyville, Texas and a sales office is located at The Crescent in Uptown Dallas.

Throughout his career, Brad has earned ten (10) different type-__ratings in jet aircraft including the Gulfstream 550, 450, 350, GV, GIV, GIII, GII, Hawker 125, Falcon 10, Citation 550/500, Beechjet 400/400A, Lockheed Jetstar II, Diamond Jet and King Air 300/350. Brad thoroughly enjoys his time in the cockpit and continues to fly in leisure. Brad enjoys his time outdoors, as he is an avid golfer, hunter and fisherman. In 2008, Brad is on record for caching a 904-__pound Blue Marlin while fishing a Billfish Tournament in the Bahamas. The 15.5-foot replica can be found hanging on Brad’s office wall in Colleyville. Brad enjoys spending time at his ranch in North Texas where he’s able to relax and take it all in.

What most people do not know about Brad is that he possesses significant entrepreneurial experience in real estate and commercial insurance. This business experience, combined with his unparalleled experience in all facets of corporate aviation, has been the foundation of success for Dallas Jet International and its clients. Brad currently sits on the Presidents Advisory Board at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, the Customer Advisory Board at CAE Simuflite, the Board of Directors for the National Aircraft Finance Association (NAFA) and is the current Chairman Emeritus of the National Aircraft Resale Association (NARA).

Glen Heavens

Synergy Aviation

Chairman

Glen is the Chairman of Synergy Aviation, the well-respected aircraft management company he founded in 2004. Synergy owns and manages a fleet of aircraft across Europe and the Middle East. The company retains its primary focus of managing business aircraft but also specialises in air ambulance, urgent cargo and special missions in war/conflict zones.

His aviation career started at Fairoaks Airport near London where he worked in flight training and air traffic control.

Alongside his involvement in Synergy Glen is one of three partners in a specialist investment company; with a growing portfolio of aviation businesses.

When away from the boardroom and not flying Glen likes nothing more than sailing or scuba diving.

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 also a member 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.”

Glenn Hogben

The Air Charter Association

CEO

Glenn Hogben is the Chief Executive of The Air Charter Association, the leading trade association for companies and individuals engaged in aircraft charter. He joined the association initially as a Non-Executive board member in 2017 and was elected Deputy Chair in 2019 prior to taking on his current role as Chief Executive.

Glenn has over 18 years experience in aircraft charter, leasing and management. His aviation career started when he joined ACC Aviation in 2004. He has worked on a wide variety of leasing and air charter projects around the world. Initially becoming a successful ACMI leasing broker he then lead the diversification of ACC Aviation into the adhoc and corporate charter markets.

Glenn has built a wealth of knowledge across all areas of the aviation business, with both commercial brokering experience and operational experience whilst being instrumental in the growth of ACC Aviation to become one of the top 4 aviation brokerages and being part of the management team who carried out an equity backed MBO of the business.

Glenn has a Diploma in Leadership & Management and a BA Honours degree from the University of London in History and Geography. Prior to his aviation career held roles in a major utilities and retail companies.

Alireza Ittihadieh

Freestream Aircraft

President & CEO

Alireza graduated from Boston University School of Management with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and has also attended post-graduate workshops in Business Management at Harvard University. Following graduation, Alireza joined the Republic National Bank of New York in New York City as a Trader. He was rapidly promoted to Lead Trader for the foreign exchange desk reporting to the Head Trader until he left to join The M Group. While there, he continued working as a Foreign Exchange Trader, specializing in Structured Finance Currency Derivatives. In 1992, he founded Freestream Aircraft Limited, where he continues as Director. Freestream Aircraft Limited is a Multi Faceted Aviation Company.

Rebecca Johnson

JetHQ

President

President, EMEA Rebecca may have grown up in California and gone to San Jose State University, but her career has long since taken her past her Golden State roots. She’s been a demonstration pilot all over the world as part of Hawker Beechcraft. As a corporate pilot, she flew various VIPs to their global business destinations. She’s been in charge of Gulfstream’s sales territory in southern Europe.

Her varied experiences and deep outdoors passion exemplify a “typical” JetHQ leader, who isn’t merely a collection of words on a resume. Rebecca has flown far and raced hard, both in cycling and triathlon. She doesn’t sit still for long.

Rebecca’s home in Switzerland serves as an excellent base for monitoring the continents large aviation community and scenic bicycle rides through the mountains. Knowing the industry well, she carves out an inside path to JetHQ’s next prospect.

David Kendrick

Civil Aviation Authority

Head of Airline Licensing

David heads the Airline Licensing Department within the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s Consumer & Markets Group. David is responsible for the grant and management of all UK airline Operating Licences, together with the administration of the UK Foreign Carrier Permits and TCO system (that allows EU and third country operators access to the UK).

David brings a broad background to his role, particularly in relation to the application of the rules surrounding ownership & control, insurance and leasing. He also chairs the CAA’s Illegal Public Transport Steering Group.

Over the years David has also been engaged in managing aspects of the CAA’s response to airline insolvency, more recently in relation to Thomas Cook and in dealing with the issues presented by the Covid pandemic and Ukraine.

David is part of the CAA’s EU Exit air service negotiating team which leads on airline licensing and Third Country Operator issues, David and his team have been involved in assisting UK Government with a range of activities in including their Afghanistan resettlement flights.

Richard Koe

WINGX

Managing Director

Richard Koe is managing director of WINGX Advance GmbH. WINGX, based in Germany and
founded in 2012, provides business intelligence for the global business aviation market.
WINGX’ expertise is derived from tracking flight records and the research of all associated data
points which enable it to provide a global analysis of market conditions and trends.
From this data infrastructure, WINGX builds insights, reports and dashboards through which it
supplies actionable intelligence to support our customers’ decision-making.
In today’s uncertain market, WINGX’ analysis and understanding of prevailing trading
conditions provide critical insights enabling companies across the sector to survive and thrive.
WINGX customers span the entire industry supply chain, from airports, operators and
manufacturers to industry investors and financial analysts.
Prior to senior management roles in business aviation operations and investment, Richard has
worked widely across several technology and manufacturing industries, picking up decades of
high level business analysis experience.
Richard has a first class bachelor’s degree from Oxford University and a master’s degree in international business relations from Johns Hopkins University.

Dennis Krause

GE Aviation

Director, Services

Dennis joined the Business Aviation team at GE in 2021 as the Director of Services responsible for GE’s suite of engine and service programs in the Business and Corporate Jet market space. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, Dennis has 15+ years’ experience with GE, including background in product management, services, sales & operations. As Director of Services, Dennis’ primary focus is the business aviation engine maintenance and customer support globally for GE CF34, Passport and CFM engines powering Bombardier, Embraer, Boeing Business Jets and Airbus Corporate Jet airframers. Dennis has an undergraduate degree in Engineering & Management from Clarkson University, and Master’s from Boston College.

Guillaume Landrivon

Bombardier

Vice President, Smart Services and Programs.

Guillaume Landrivon is Vice President, Smart Services and Programs at Bombardier
Aviation. In his role, he is responsible for driving the success and continued enhancement of
Bombardier’s pioneering cost-per-hour service programs, which have provided customers
with high-quality, genuine Bombardier parts for more than three decades. He is also tasked
with driving development of new and innovative aftermarket services.
Throughout his career, Mr. Landrivon has developed a strong expertise in customer service,
customer relations, technical support and business development. He joined Bombardier in
2017 as Vice President, Parts Services, where he oversaw the growth and expansion of
Bombardier’s worldwide Parts Services team.
Most recently, Mr. Landrivon was instrumental in leading the customer services and support
team in the negotiations of key divestitures completed by Bombardier. Prior to joining
Bombardier, Mr. Landrivon spent 20 years at Dassault Aviation, where he held various
leadership positions in customer relations, field services and spare parts. His last two roles
at Dassault included Director of Field Service and Customer Relations and Vice President,
Worldwide Falcon Spares and Supplier Management. Mr. Landrivon also led the company’s
spare parts strategy and logistics efforts to support in-service fleet and expand its worldwide
network of facilities.
Mr. Landrivon has an extensive knowledge of aviation and holds an engineering degree in
Aeronautics from ESTACA in Paris (École supérieure des techniques aéronautiques et de
construction automobile). He also holds an FAA IFR single engine private pilot license.
Mr. Landrivon is based at Bombardier headquarters in Montreal, Canada.

Christophe Lapierre

Luxaviation Group

President Business Aviation Support Services

Christophe Lapierre joined the Air Force officer Academy in 1995 where he graduated with a bachelor of aeronautics, and his pilot license. He served on various transport aircrafts and military operations worldwide. In 2002 he joined the flight academy, as Instructor and examiner.

In 2004 he was assigned to the Presidential flights squadron as Airbus CJ chief pilot until 2009, as well special advisor for A330CJ project.

Christophe joined Comlux early 2009, as lead captain for Royal families and Heads of State on ACJ 319 and 330.

He integrated the management team in 2010 as Vice President for commercial operations, then Vice President business development, and accountable manager until end of 2015.

Christophe joined Luxaviation Group in January 2016 as Chief Commercial Officer.

Christophe has an extensive knowledge and broad experience in business aviation, which will help him to coordinate commercial activities across the group and lead to further developments.

Ève Laurier

Bomabardier

Vice President, Communications, Public Affairs and Marketing

Ève Laurier was appointed Vice President, Communications, Public Affairs and Marketing, at
Bombardier in May 2021. A seasoned professional and senior executive leader, Ms. Laurier
brings more than 20 years of knowledge and experience in public relations, communications,
corporate marketing and branding to Bombardier. Her mandate is to lead the company’s
community and government engagement, employee and customer outreach, and steward
the brand journey internally and externally, around the world. Ms. Laurier is also an
executive-level catalyst for Bombardier’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) strategy, an
essential driver of Bombardier’s decarbonization efforts and a pillar of the company’s
Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) strategy. She is also a member of
the board at Aéro Montréal.
Prior to joining Bombardier, Ms. Laurier held several senior leadership roles including
serving as a General Manager at Edelman’s Montreal office, where she was instrumental in
helping businesses and organizations evolve and promote and protect their brands and
reputations. She was also Vice President, Strategic Relations, at Richter, an accounting and
financial consulting firm. Her impressive knowledge of communications and marketing was
honed with various roles and responsibilities at other well-known agencies and
organizations, including Publicité Martin, Sprint Communications and Publicis/BCP.
Actively committed to causes close to her heart, Ms. Laurier donates much of her time pro
bono to organizations such as the Marie-Vincent Foundation, whose mission is to support
children and adolescents who are victims of sexual and physical violence.
Ms. Laurier’s accomplishments and her participation in numerous conferences and
charitable activities, as well as her presence on corporate boards, have contributed to her
recognition as a role model for future generations of women. In 2020, she received the Prix
Coup de Coeur from the Association des femmes en finances du Québec, and she was also
an award finalist in the Leadership, Femmes d’exception category at the 2020 Les Mercuriades gala, a prestigious business contest organized by the Fédération des chambres
de commerce du Québec (FCCQ). In 2018, she was part of a small group of women leaders
from around the world selected to participate in the International Women’s Forum Fellows
Program – an intensive leadership development program in partnership with Harvard
Business School and INSEAD.
Ms. Laurier holds an Executive Master of Business Administration from McGill and HEC
Montréal and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Concordia University.
She is based at Bombardier headquarters in Montreal, Canada

Irakli Litanishvili

Aim of Emperor

Director & Founder

Irakli is a serial entrepreneur, a founder and owner of the Aim of Emperor international group of 15 companies that include charter brokerage, international aircraft handling, aircraft, helicopter and yacht sales and acquisition, travel and marketing divisions. He is also a CEO and Co-founder of an IT company Mirai Flights an 8-minute booking service for private jets in the UK, Europe, Middle East and CIS countries.

Adel Mardini

Jetex

President & CEO

Adel Mardini launched Jetex in Dubai in 2005, with the mission to create a one-of-a-kind company catering to the needs of the most discerning travelers in every aspect of private aviation. His business philosophy encompassed delivering bespoke services, from the moment of departure all the way through to arrival at the client’s destination and beyond, providing a holistic luxury travel experience every step of the way.

Mr. Mardini drives the company’s innovations and strong global growth through his hands-on leadership and impeccable attention to detail.  He embodies the spirit of developing a deep understanding of Jetex’s clients, while constantly inspiring the Jetex associates to exceed their own ambitions and capabilities.

Today, Jetex serves an elite clientele through its extensive global network of award-winning private jet terminals and ground handling facilities in more than 25 countries worldwide and employs more than 500 professionals. The company offers a comprehensive range of international trip planning, ground support, fuel and concierge services, all delivered with the highest degree of quality, flexibility and privacy.

A Board Member of the Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA), Mr. Mardini played a key role in its development. This pioneering body was instrumental in starting a dialogue between airport operators and the region’s governing authorities. MEBAA has helped shape local regulations to meet with international standards, as well as create extensive business opportunities in emerging markets.

Mr. Mardini is a Member of the Advisory Board of the Dubai Airshow, one of the most significant international aerospace events. The Advisory Board is focused on a range of topics including instilling confidence in aviation post-pandemic, development of talent and skills, as well as supporting the next generation of women in aerospace.

Mr. Mardini is also an active member of the World Economic Forum and the Young Presidents’ Organization, a global leadership community of chief executives committed to a shared mission of becoming better leaders through lifelong learning and idea exchange.

A strong believer in corporate responsibility and giving back to the community, he is involved in numerous charitable activities and developed the first partnership by a general aviation company to champion and support electric aircraft for short-haul flights.

Chris Marich

MySky

Co-founder & Global Strategy Director

Christopher Marich is an entrepreneur, co-founder and global strategy director of MySky.

Marich set up his first venture at the age of 14, a goods delivery service. He graduated from the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne with a degree in hospitality management and worked in the aviation industry for several years, later setting up his own aviation business, focused on charter capacity commercialization.

In 2015, together with his friend Kirill Kim, Marich noticed that management companies, consultants, and jet owners were struggling to manage their finances, provide transparent documentation, and maintain jet profits. So, they launched MySky and set out on a mission to bring standardization and transparency to the private aviation industry. Since then, it has grown into a globally recognized industry player with operations around the world and key strategic alliances with major aviation companies. It continues to offer a suite of innovative solutions and tools to further establish itself as the industry’s most powerful spend management platform.

Marich oversees MySky’s headquarters in Switzerland and is responsible for the overall strategy and development of the group.

Marich is a contributing writer for Bilan Magazine, a leading finance publication in Switzerland. He speaks fluent French, English, German, Spanish and a bit of Italian. He likes to ski and is currently a trainee pilot.

Robert Marsden

Farnborough Airport

Chief Financial Officer

Rob joined Farnborough Airport in March 2020 as CFO bringing extensive experience from capital intensive businesses.
Prior to the Airport, Rob held a range of senior finance positions over a 14 year career at Centrica primarily supporting their oil and gas and power generation segments.
He offers a broad finance background with significant commercial finance and M&A exposure as well as Board experience managing JV investments.
Rob is an ACA accountant who started his career with KPMG London.

Per Marthinsson

Avinode Group

Chief Revenue Officer & Co-Founder

Per Marthinsson co-founded Avinode in 2001, with a youthfully grand ambition to pull the printed directory-bound charter industry into the digital world. The vision was to make it as easy to book a private jet as it is to book a commercial flight. Twenty years later, Avinode is now universally accepted as responsible for revolutionising the way business aviation industry operates.

Per Marthinsson has held many positions within the company over the years, and has lately been a central part in the development and growth of Paynode. Paynode is Avinode Group’s answer to the final pain point in the industry, and the world’s first payment platform created specifically for the business aviation market.

In just two decades, Avinode has grown to become the world’s leading online marketplace for buying and selling air charter. Avinode is utilized by over 80% of the global charter market, and this number is growing, with 1,5 million trip requests sent through the system on a monthly basis. Schedaero, a modern, web-based flight operations platform, is currently used by 400 companies worldwide.

The Avinode Group has grown to be a suite of connected, easy-to-use and scalable tools that are essential to help the business aviation community manage every last detail of a trip. Through these three essential offerings, the Avinode Group presents an unrivalled , end-to-end solution for the charter space.

Bruce Marshall

AIC Title Service

Executive Vice President & General Counsel

Bruce L. Marshall joined AIC Title Service as its Executive Vice President and General Counsel in February 2014, helping ensure that AIC’s clients and leadership are protected as they move through unprecedented FAA and industry changes. Marquis Who’s Who recognized Bruce as a recipient of the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020. In August, 2019 he was a recipient of the Drinker Biddle First Chair Top General Counsel Award for the third year in a row. The First Chair Awards is an annual selection of in-house counsel who have, thorough their hard work and innovation, made significant contributions to the legal community nationwide. He received his initial First Chair Award in August, 2017 and his second in August 2018.  Bruce was also recognized in the November 2013 issue of D CEO Magazine as one of Dallas-Fort Worth’s top corporate attorneys following his win as Outstanding General Counsel or Chief Legal Officer in the Small Legal Department category at the Association of Corporate Counsel and D CEO’s 2013 Corporate Counsel Awards. Individually a 2011 winner of the Texas General Counsel Forum’s Magna Stella Award in the Small Legal Department category and finalist in the Major Litigation category, Bruce and his team also won Texas Lawyer’s 2013 Legal Department of the Year in the Diversity and Quality of Life category. With over 20 years’ experience in aviation legal matters, specializing in contracts, regulations, and litigation, he previously served as Senior Director and Division General Counsel of Bombardier’s Flexjet fractional aircraft ownership program where he strategically managed two cases challenging state and federal taxes that affected the entire fractional aircraft ownership industry and resulted in the refund of millions of dollars of paid taxes.

Bruce served as Chair of the State Bar of Texas Aviation Law Section for the years 2011-2012 and 2019. Adding to his depth of experience, he also taught Corporate Jet Investor’s Aircraft Transactions Masterclass US in November of 2019. He was elected as a Board member of the National Aircraft Finance Association (NAFA) in May 2021 and currently serves as chair of the association’s regulatory committee.

In private practice, Bruce served as corporate counsel and business manager for a charter management company with both Part 135 on-demand air cargo and passenger operations, served as vice president and legal officer for a major financial institution in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and in private practice, he represented banks, construction companies, transportation companies, and employee benefits funds in commercial litigation matters. Bruce graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor’s of Science in General Management focusing on finance and marketing and holds a Juris Doctorate degree from the Michigan State University College of Law. He serves as a frequent speaker or panelist at aviation industry events.

Mike McCready

ARGUS international Inc

SVP Operations and Business Development

Mike McCready has 25 years of experience working in the aviation industry. His experience ranges from experience in manufacturing to training to private and commercial operations. He is a commercial rated pilot and a business leader who specializes in bringing innovative solutions to the market. Building a career in aviation, Mike has run and built part 141 flight schools, worked as a contract pilot and advised clients on aircraft purchase and management. Mike has worked with startups such as Adam Aircraft, introducing the industry to carbon fiber aircraft structures, and leading teams at Jeppesen, Boeing and Jet Aviation.
In his eight (8) years with the Boeing company, Mike was a Senior Director overseeing sales for business and commercial aircraft services at Jeppesen. He founded Jeppesen Operator (software designed to bring safety and efficiency to aviation operations combining flight planning, scheduling, and trip planning into a single solution) and was part of the Boeing business development group responsible for growing Boeing Global Services.
Further pursuing his passion for building efficiencies into companies, Mike took a position with Jet Aviation, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics based in Basel Switzerland. In this role, he served as a Vice President in the US, bringing together four lines of business (Aircraft Management, Charter, FBO, and Crew Staffing) into a single, more efficient, unit resulting in growth.
Prior to joining ARGUS International, Mike founded World Jet Group, a consulting firm for aviation executives specializing in the use of analytics to support strategic growth initiatives.
Mike earned a bachelor’s degree in Aviation Technology and Mathematics from Metropolitan State College in Denver, Colorado. He enjoys spending time with his family, snorkelling, fishing, skiing, and exploring new lands.

Scott McCreary

McAfee & Taft

Shareholder

Scott McCreary represents local, national and international clients in connection with matters involving the buying, selling, leasing and financing of aircraft. His practice is primarily focused on matters relating to the Cape Town Convention, the Federal Aviation Act and the FAA Aircraft Registry, such as aircraft title, registration, finance and leasing law, as well as regulatory issues relating to the operation of aircraft under Part 91 of the Federal Aviation Regulations.

Scott is a frequent speaker at aviation conferences in the United States and abroad and has made presentations at venues such as the Strategic Research Institute’s Annual FAA Aircraft Registration, Lien & Securities Interest Conference; the Federal Bar Association’s Aircraft Title, Registration, Finance and Leasing Law Conference; the Institute for International Research’s Corporate Aviation Symposium; the NBAA’s Cape Town International Registry Meeting; and the Geneva International Forum on Aircraft Finance & Commercial Aviation.

His achievements in the area of aviation law have earned him inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America (equipment finance law), Oklahoma Super Lawyers, The International Who’s Who of Aviation Lawyers and Who’s Who Legal.

Scott currently serves on the Regulatory Issues Advisory Group and the Tax Committee of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). He has previously served as the leader of the firm’s Aviation Group and on McAfee & Taft’s board of directors.

Jay McGrath

Spectrum Networks

CEO

Jay McGrath is the Chief Executive Officer of Spectrum Networks LLC, a provider of light fidelity (LiFi) and Far UV sanitization lighting solutions for private and commercial aircraft. Spectrum Networks recently closed their Series A round in October 2021 and their development is fully funded to bring these revolutionary wireless cabin technologies to market in 2022.
Most of Jay’s commercial career has been spent in private aviation, focusing on cabin technology such as in-flight entertainment (IFE) and cabin management systems. From his days as a Sales Engineer with Airshow Incorporated in 2001 to, most recently, the Vice President of Business Development at Astronics Custom Control Concepts, he has had the opportunity to lead market technology entries, both linefit and retrofit, from King Air 350s to 747 head-of-state aircraft.
Prior to this, Jay was an officer in the United States Air Force, managing GPS development programs and coordinating international test cooperation efforts at the highest levels within United States and allied governments. He earned his undergraduate degree from the United States Air Force Academy and his Executive MBA from the University of Southern California

Chris Miller

Shearwater Global Capital

Managing Partner

Shearwater is a specialty asset-based finance company committed to providing tailored financing solutions for clients across the globe. Their primary focus is making special opportunity investments in Aviation and Luxury Assets. Founded in 2014 and based in Atlanta, Georgia, Shearwater has financed assets in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the USA.
As a direct lender, Shearwater’s funds come primarily from private investors comprised of Family Offices and HNWI. As a result, they are not burdened with the regulations that Banks or larger financial institutions face and pride themselves on being flexible and structuring deals to comply with their clients’ needs as much as possible. Shearwater works with clients from across the globe, from emerging market economies in Asia and Africa to more mature markets like North America and Europe.
Prior to a career in asset based finance, Mr. Miller ran the US Division of a UK based performance management consultancy working with management teams of both small and large organizations on the execution of their strategies. Notable projects include working with a private equity group to form a venture to fly cargo into geopolitically unstable regions of the world as well as working with large defense contractors to help fulfill urgent need requests from US military forces based in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Before entering the business world, Mr. Miller served in the United States Marine Corps, as an F/A-18 pilot, Aircraft Maintenance Officer and Aviation Safety Officer. He 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 serves on its Investment Committee. He is also the former President of the National Aircraft Finance Association (NAFA). Mr. Miller received a BA from Denison University and an MBA from Columbia University.

Tim Obitts

NATA

President & CEO

Timothy R. Obitts was named President and CEO of the National Air Transportation Association
(NATA) in January of 2020. NATA is a founding member of the B usiness Aviation Coalition for
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and the Council on Sustainable Fuels Accountability, of which
Obitts serves as Chairman of the Steering Committee and as B oard Chairman, respectively.
Obitts most recently served as the Association’s Chief Operating Officer, overseeing the day-to-day operation of NATA.
Prior to joining NATA in November 2014, Obitts served as the managing partner of Gammon &
Grange, P.C., a national practice law firm specializing in nonprofit and communications law.
During Obitts’ 18 years at Gammon & Grange, he served as corporate counsel and general
counsel for many nonprofits and trade associations, handling a wide array of issues that affect
their day-to-day activities and also lobbied Capitol Hill and federal agencies.
Obitts earned a Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from California Western School of Law and a
B achelor’s Degree, double major Philosophy and History, from Gordon College, where he also
was named All-New England in Tennis, NAIA. Obitts is licensed to practice law in California,
Colorado, the District of Columbia and Virginia, as well as numerous federal and appellate
courts, and the U.S Supreme Court. Obitts co-founded several nonprofit organizations and
serves on several nonprofit boards. Obitts and his wife of 22 years, Krista, have five children,
ranging in age from eight to eighteen.

Diarmuid O'Conghaile

Irish Aviation Authority

Aviation Regulator & CEO

Diarmuid Ó Conghaile is Aviation Regulator and Chief Executive Officer Designate of the Irish Aviation Authority.
Prior to this appointment, he was CEO of the Ryanair Group airline Malta Air. Previous appointments include Director of Public Affairs, Ryanair; General Manager – Strategy, Planning & Economic Regulation, Dublin Airport Authority; Head of Regulatory and International Affairs, An Post – the Irish national postal service.
Diarmuid’s academic background is economics (Trinity College Dublin) and European competition law (King’s College London). Following qualification, he worked in a number of governmental organisations and public advisory bodies, including the Department of Enterprise, National Economic and Social Forum, the National Competitiveness Council, and the European Commission.

CURRENT ROLE

Aviation Regulator / CEO Designate – Irish Aviation Authority 1st Jan 2021 – Present

PREVIOUS ROLES

CEO Malta Air (Ryanair group airline); 1 July 2019 to 31st December 2020

Director of Public Affairs, Ryanair; 1 July 2016 – 30 June 2019

General Manager Strategy, Planning and Economic Regulation, daa; May 2011 – 30 June 2016

Head of Retail Strategy, An Post, Irish national postal operator; Aug 2007 – May 2011

Head of International & Regulatory Affairs, An Post; Oct 2002 – August 2007

Project Manager National Competitiveness Council (NCC), Forfás; Apr 2000 – September 2002

Policy Analyst, National Economic & Social Forum (NESF); 2001 – September 2000

Evaluator/Economist, CSF Evaluation Unit (Dept. of Finance & European Commission); 1997 – 2000

Department of Enterprise & Employment, Executive Officer / Higher Executive Officer

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.

Bruce Parry

EBAA

Senior Manager, Environment

Bruce Parry is an experienced in sustainability and environmental affairs professional and has worked in the aviation industry for twenty years. He is senior environment manager for the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) and environment director for the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC). He represents business aviation on a variety levels including as the UN Observer at ICAOs CAEP on behalf of IBAC.

Perry has gained experience through working for both Airbus and Bombardier and has a background in environmental engineering management, environmental factors in aircraft product development, corporate social responsibility and sustainability. He holds a Bachelor of Science in environmental quality and resource management from University of the West of England.

Tony Payne

DLA Piper

Partner

Tony heads both the aviation sector team and the aviation – litigation and regulatory group at DLA Piper. He is a specialist partner with 18 years of experience advising clients in the global aviation sector – primarily airlines – in respect of their day to day and strategic requirements as part of DLA Piper’s dedicated aviation team.

He is responsible for the strategic direction of the aviation practice at DLA Piper and as such is responsible for managing more than 50 lawyers from trainee to partner level and managing significant budgets for marketing and business development, team development, knowledge and training and travel.

Tony’s aviation practice is centred around providing sophisticated clients with aviation centric legal support across their entire businesses. Utilising his industry leading experience in both private practice and in-house, alongside his roles on industry boards and executive experience, he delivers solution orientated advice of the highest calibre, thus ensuring his client’s objectives are delivered.

Tony’s client base is both extensive and diverse across the industry. Tony advises airlines, airports, air navigation service providers, ground handling providers, MROs, industry investors, engineering providers, defence suppliers as well as engaging with Government and Regulators worldwide.

Tony’s legal expertise is in airline and aviation specific regulatory, litigation, corporate and commercial work. This has included advising clients in respect of IPOs, M&A, investment, general structuring, ownership and control issues, vendor selection, e-commerce, international treaty obligations, air services agreements, code shares and related arrangements, airport slot transactions, charter agreements, ground handling, compliance and non-compliance issues associated with ICAO conventions, European Regulations and domestic law as well as general corporate and commercial support of aviation in house legal teams.

In April 2020 Tony was a panellist for Invest Africa’s Webinar on the Future of Aviation in Africa: Will it survive Covid-19 alongside the CEO SA Airlink and CEO of Ethiopian Airlines. In May 2020 Tony will appear live on a CNBC broadcast discussing Aviation in Africa in the current crisis.

James Person

Viasat

Sr. Director, Global Business Development for Business and VVIP Aviation

James Person joined Viasat in 2013, where he leads sales and business development in the Business and VVIP Aviation segment of the company, an area that Viasat has been active in for more than ten years, including both Ka and Ku-band networks.

Prior to Viasat, Mr. Person had general management, sales, and product management roles in high technology wireless and satellites communications companies. He began his career as a US Naval officer where he deployed during combat operations to the Middle East twice on a destroyer.

Mr. Person earned a BSEE degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an MBA in international marketing from the University of Southern California (USC).

Yesh Premkumar

Supernal

Sr. Manager, Global Partnerships & business development

“Yesh has always found himself at the center of developing solutions for new and emerging markets. It’s perhaps because he thrives in challenging and undefined environments, and garners success by treading the gray and seeing the opportunity in every challenge.

After 16 years at BAE Systems, he recently joined a new dynamic enterprise, Urban Air Mobility, a division of Hyundai Motor Group. At Hyundai’s UAM team, as Sr. Partnership Manager, he now focuses on developing and deploying blueprints for sustainable multi-modal mobility ecosystems that will create the right environment for air mobility to thrive and be successful. His objective is to create these blueprints with strategic partners at the broader market level such that it encourages standardization & interoperability, scalability, and transferability of these plans globally.
Yesh has had the opportunity to be part of a variety of markets and acquire a large spectrum of skills and experience. He has been in leadership roles in Engineering, Program Management, BD and strategy. His market experiences include military and commercial ground transport, maritime covering military and commercial in surface and under water vessels and now aviation. In all these markets he has strived to connect technology, platforms and the operational eco-system in a seamless manner through clean tech, innovation and a human-centered angle.”

Andy Priester

Priester Aviation

Chairman & CEO

Andy Priester serves as Priester Aviation’s Chairman and CEO.
He is the third generation of Priesters to lead the business, the largest and oldest family-owned Management and Charter company in the world. The Priester family has a rich aviation history starting in 1945 including owning Palwaukee Airport – KPWK (now renamed Chicago Executive Airport), operating a flight school, operating multiple FBOs, providing 145 maintenance services, and operating an aircraft sales division. Priester Aviation currently focuses solely on Aircraft Management and Global Charter after the strategic sale of the other business units. In this role, Andy is dedicated to leading the growth of the organization and enhancing Priester’s position as the preeminent choice in aircraft management, aircraft charter and related aviation services. During Andy’s tenure at Priester, he has grown the fleet from seven aircraft to over 65 aircraft they manage from 15 bases globally today.
Andy currently sits on the board of the Air Charter Safety Foundation, is current Chair of YPO Chicago – Windy City, and past Chair of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA). Andy is a proud University of Dayton Flyer and holds a Master’s degree from Concordia University

Felipe Ribeiro

Invicta Finance

Founder & Managing Director 

Longstanding experience in international and complex cross-border financings for ultra-high net worth and corporate clients. Prior to founding Invicta, spent 17 years at a Credit Suisse Group, a global bank, where he was instrumental in positioning the bank as one of the leading players globally in aircraft financing and is recognised for having successfully closed major deals. Speaks French, English, Portuguese and German and holds an Executive MBA from Business School Lausanne.

Kennedy Ricci

4AIR

4AIR

Kennedy serves as the President of 4AIR, a sustainability arm of Tuvoli, to offer expertise and guidance for creating meaningful sustainability commitments focused on aviation. Kennedy has worked to promote a more comprehensive and long-term way of thinking about sustainability for aviation while providing increased transparency, comparability, and ease of starting a program. Kennedy is a passionate general aviation pilot and has a degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Chadi Saade

Airbus Corporate Jets

Vice President Commercial

Chadi SAADE is currently Vice President Commercial leading ACJ sales, contracts and marketing teams.
Chadi started his commercial career with Airbus in 2004, as a Senior Marketing Analyst. Chadi accumulated several management responsibilities, both in the corporate jets (VP Commercial) and in the airline world (VP Commercial for South Asia region). Chadi holds a master degree in Aeronautics from University of Southampton, as well as a management degree from IAE France and an Engineering Degree from ISAE-Supaero.

Florent Sériès

TAG Aviation

Chief Commercial Officer for Europe & General Manager of TAG Aviation SA

TAG’s Chief Commercial Officer, Florent Sériès, is responsible for TAG Aviation Europe’s Aircraft Acquisition, Aircraft Management, Charter Services and Marketing activities. He joined the company in 2010 as Area Sales Manager and became Vice President of Charter Sales for TAG Aviation Europe in 2011. Three promotions within the company then saw him take on the roles of Vice President of Aircraft Management and Charter Sales in 2014, Vice President of Sales and Marketing in 2016 and Chief Commercial Officer in 2019. Following the departure of Daniel Christe, CEO of TAG Aviation, Florent became General Manager of TAG Aviation SA in 2020. In addition to his responsibilities as CCO, he now supervises the team’s activities in Switzerland and France. He is currently based in Geneva.

Prior to joining TAG Aviation, Florent worked as a Contracts Manager with Bombardier Business Aircraft from 2005 to 2007. He then joined Vistajet as a senior executive and later became Sales Director for Bombardier Skyjet International. Educated as a lawyer, he holds degrees from the Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis and from the Université du Sud Toulon Var, and practiced law for four years in France.

Shuaib Shahid

Gogo Business Aviation

Director, Global Sales

After completing his Masters in Space Mission Analysis and Design, Shuaib started his career in Madrid, Spain designing satellite augmented landing systems for aircraft. He returned home to the United Kingdom to help launch Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband service and ran the business aviation portfolio for a further five years. Currently, Shuaib works for Gogo Business Aviation as their Director for Global Sales where his team is responsible for Airtime sales for the Inmarsat and Iridium networks, as well as hardware sales outside North America.

Sidhant Sharma

2-REG

Deputy Director

Sidhant Sharma is the Deputy Director at 2-REG, leading the efforts in commercial and legal affairs. Previous experience includes Leasing & Finance at PK AirFinance, working closely with the legal team and enhancing the country risk index for aircraft investments. As well as Asset Management and Technical Services at SGI Aviation, providing advisory services during critical repossessions, risk mitigation and induction of SGI Aviation’s key asset management portfolios.

Mr Sharma holds an Advanced Masters’ degree from Universiteit Leiden in Air & Space Law graduating cum laude with the thesis focussing on the regulatory and practical practices in aircraft de-registrations and export impacting asset value and owner’s interest.

With a background in aviation finance and the commitment to further enunciate the regulatory abilities of 2-REG, Mr Sharma possesses the ideal balance of regulatory and technical knowledge to cultivate a safe and effective product for 2-REG’s clients and its key industry stakeholders

Bryan Sherbacow

Alder Fuels

Chairperson, President & CEO

With over 15 years in the industry, Mr. Sherbacow is a recognized pioneer in the development of low carbon fuels and responsible for the first commercialization of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production.

In 2009, Mr. Sherbacow co-founded AltAir Fuels for the refining and marketing of low carbon renewable fuels. The Company’s Paramount, CA facility is the world’s first refinery designed to produce SAF. Mr. Sherbacow was responsible for identifying strategic industry partners and equity investors in addition to negotiating contracts for the refinery JV, technology licensing, engineering and construction.

Commissioned in January 2016, AltAir Paramount converted a petroleum refinery to the production of SAF, renewable diesel, naphtha and propane. Mr. Sherbacow negotiated the aviation industry’s first commercial contracts for SAF with United Airlines and World Fuel Services. Additionally, he executed the first contract for operational use of renewable diesel fuel by the U.S. Navy. Subsequent contracts include Gulfstream, Boeing, UPS and Amazon.

In March 2018, Mr. Sherbacow facilitated the acquisition by World Energy of AltAir and the Paramount refinery assets. Mr. Sherbacow serves as its Chief Commercial Officer in addition to being a Director for the Company’s Paramount Pipeline, LLC business. Mr. Sherbacow also serves as Chairman of the Low Carbon Fuels Coalition and a steering committee member of the Business Aviation Coalition for SAF.

Daniel Rudas

Hahn Air Lines GmbH

General Manager & COO

For more than 20 years with Hahn Air, Daniel Rudas has been the Accountable Manager and the sole driving force behind Hahn Air´s success and its state-of-the-art flight operations.

Known as the specialist for VIP and celebrity charter flights, Hahn Air has recently pushed the limits with its remarkable Connoisseur Service.

For more than a decade, Hahn Air’s strong partnership with Textron Aviation has seen them operating the most modern jets, currently the Cessna Citation CJ3+ and the Citation Latitude. Hahn Air sets the standards.

Daniel Rudas is an aviation enthusiast and specializes in customer care and strategic planning. He is also an active blogger in VIP and executive travel, and has appeared in several TV programs.

He has held a Commercial Pilot License since 1997, acts as a Captain in the company and is also involved in different fields and activities at the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

In addition, Hahn Air is a member of the European Regions Airline Association (ERA), the NBAA, EBAA and GBAA.

Mehrzad Sepasi

ArcosJet

Vice President Sales & Business Development

Mehrzad Sepasi is widely known within the business aviation community as a highly qualified business aircraft industry professional with over 30 years of experience in different sectors of aviation. Mehrzad started his aviation career in 1990 at Bombardier Aerospace and has been Involved in a number of Bombardier Business & Commercial Aircraft developments. Over his 30 years of successful career, he has been involved in delivering of over 100 Bombardier Business Aircraft to a large number of clients around the world. During the past 15 years as a Senior Advisor – Customer Account Management at Bombardier, Mehrzad was in charge of supporting Bombardier clients in the Middle East, Russia, CIS, Canada, Far East, South America & Europe and since then has developed a strong reputation as a person of deep knowledge of the aviation industry with great customer relations skills.

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.

Nel Stubbs

Conklin & de Decker

Vice President

Nel Stubbs is a Vice President of Conklin & de Decker, the industry leader in aviation research, consulting and education, and Director of Consulting Services at Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI).

Nel has been in the business aviation industry for more than 30 years and has consulted with numerous Fortune 500 companies and high-net-worth individuals on aviation tax-related matters at both the federal and state levels. Nel is considered one of the foremost tax experts in the industry and has extensive experience in the areas of tax planning, cost and financial analysis, budgeting, aircraft ownership and operating structures and tax audits.

Over the course of the last 32 years, Nel has worked with the Internal Revenue Service and various state departments of revenue and taxation regarding tax issues associated with general aviation aircraft. She is also an active participant in industry-related tax activities, a frequent speaker at seminars and industry forums, and has been widely published in the aviation trade press.

Nel is a member of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Tax Committee, National Air Transportation Association Air Charter Committee, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Industry Advisory Board, and Business Aviation Advisor’s Advisory Board. She has also served on the Helicopter Association International Finance and Leasing Committee; NBAA Associate Membership Advisory Council; National Aircraft Finance Association’s Board of Directors; and Arizona Business Aviation Association’s (AZBAA’s) Board of Directors, where she also served as President.

Prior to joining Conklin & de Decker, Nel was with the NBAA from 1987 to 1999, where she was instrumental in the development of their tax program. She also played a key role in developing NBAA’s first comprehensive aircraft cost comparison program.

Nel has a bachelor’s in mathematics from California State University, San Bernardino, and a master’s in aeronautical science/aircraft operations from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Nel works from Conklin & de Decker’s regional office in Prescott, Arizona.

Conklin & de Decker, founded in 1984, is a JSSI company. Conklin & de Decker’s primary focus is fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft operating cost data, performance and specification databases, maintenance management software, financial management, fleet planning, market research, aviation tax issues and management seminars. The company also consults with and serves numerous high-net-worth individuals, corporations and government agencies worldwide. Nel is responsible for the management of Conklin & de Decker’s State Tax Guide for general aviation and developing and supporting Conklin & de Decker’s educational seminars and programs.

Oliver Tebbit

Watson Farley & Williams

Partner

Oliver is a Partner in the Aviation group at Watson Farley & Williams. He has almost 20 years’ experience in asset finance transactions, including in documenting, negotiating and executing aircraft and engine financing, and leasing and trading transactions across all classes of business aircraft.

Oliver is notably active in the corporate jet market, where he has a strong practice representing financiers, high net-worth individuals and operators.

Oliver is ranked in Band 1 for Private Aircraft by Chambers High Net Worth, where he was recently praised for being “very much a known entity and an established participant in the private aviation sector”.

Steve Varsano

The Jet Business

Managing Director

Steve Varsano founded The Jet Business, the world’s first street-level corporate aviation showroom. His 30-year career in corporate aviation has seen him build a dynamic business in the aviation industry dealing with the most successful entrepreneurs and corporate executives throughout the world, and involved with over 450 aircraft sales to date and in excess of $5 billion. His extensive expertise and knowledge of the corporate aviation jet market has positioned him as an internationally regarded industry authority.

Varsano started his aviation career with the American Association of Airport Executives and as the Special Assistant to the President of the General Manufacturers Association where he oversaw the Statistical Forecasting Committee and the Airport and Airways Committee. He is a commercial-instrument-rated pilot, single and multi-engine. He graduated magna cum laude from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Studies.

Varsano also was heavily involved in the merchant bank/Mergers and Acquisitions sector as a senior Vice President of Triangle Industries and Trian Group, President of the international division of Yorkshire Global Restaurants, Senior Director of Business Development of Yum Brands International and consulted for Grotech Capital Group, Centre Partners and FTI Consulting.

Varsano sat on the Board of Directors for XOJET and Virgin Galactic. He has also served as President and senior executive positions for a number of private equity companies and the companies they controlled in various industries in America, Russia and Europe.

Rolland Vincent

JETNET iQ

Creator/Director

Rollie is the Creator / Director of JETNET iQ, one of the world’s premier sources of
business aviation market intelligence, research, strategy, and forecasting. JETNET iQ is a
collaboration between JETNET and Rolland Vincent Associates, a Texas-based civil
aviation consultancy. On-going worldwide surveys of business aircraft owner and
operators provide proprietary “voice of customer” insights that are at the core of JETNET
iQ’s unique value proposition. Key customers include the world’s foremost civil aircraft
and engine manufacturers, aerospace suppliers, MRO, FBO, flight training service
providers, fleet operators, aircraft transaction specialists, aircraft lenders / lessors, and
the aerospace investment community.
Prior to establishing Rolland Vincent Associates, Rollie was employed at Textron,
Bombardier, and ICAO in various roles in strategy, marketing, business development,
aviation economics, and statistics. He is past Chair of the U.S. Transportation Research
Board’s Standing Committee on Commercial and General Aviation, where he oversaw
subcommittees focused on business aviation, commercial aviation, and rotorcraft. A
private pilot, Rollie earned a BA and MA in economic geography and MBA in international
business and marketing from McGill University.

Ford von Weise

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.

Ryan Waguespack

NATA

Vice President

Ryan Waguespack joined the staff of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) as Vice President of Aircraft Management, Air Charter Services and MROs in November 2018. A long-time supporter of the aviation business community and NATA, Ryan Waguespack served as the Chair of NATA’s WorkForce Development Committee and Illegal Charter Task Force, as well as Vice Chair of the Air Charter Committee as an association member. As Vice President, Ryan leads the Association and industry effort to combat illegal charter, working with the FAA and its Field Offices to educate the public on the risks, assisting the FAA in enforcement through data collection and reporting, and leveraging existing data sources to help the agency focus enforcement efforts.

Previously, he served in various operational roles for charter management companies, as well as aircraft sales, working closely with clients to educate them throughout the purchasing process and help them attain the best aviation solution for their needs. Prior to NATA, Waguespack held the position of Vice President of Business Development of Summit Aviation.

Waguespack is the founder of the Alabama Business Aviation Association, an organization dedicated to promoting the value of business aviation throughout the state, educating stakeholders on the value of business aircraft and community airports, and advocating on behalf of aviation businesses.

A staunch champion for promoting aviation workforce development, Ryan travels the country to speak at industry events dedicated to reaching the next generation of pilots, maintainers and business aviation leaders. He is also a frequent guest lecturer at universities nationwide, including Auburn University in the Harbert College of Business, Southern Illinois University, and the University of Dubuque. Through Waguespack’s community-building initiatives at the universities, he is working to develop channels to connect rising students with aviation businesses.

Ryan is a recreational pilot who lives in Birmingham, Alabama with his wife Amanda and two children.

Don Walsh

Stonebriar Commercial Finance

Senior Vice President

Don is senior vice president of Stonebriar Commercial Finance and SCF Aviation Capital. Previously, Don was a managing director at Guggenheim Partners Aviation Investments, where he oversaw global business aviation originations. Earlier in his career, he played key business aviation origination roles at US Bank Equipment Finance and Key Equipment Finance. Prior to that Don served in originations and portfolio management at Boeing Capital, McDonnell Douglas Finance, and Equitable Life Leasing. He received his undergraduate degree from University of the Pacific and his MBA from Pepperdine University.

Chay White

Luxaviation

Group Aviation Commercial Program Director

Chay White was born in Durban, South Africa. While his career in aviation started in 1995, his love for it commenced as a young boy. After achieving a private pilot licence and qualifying as an aircraft engineer. Chay’s hands on approach and ambition to experience new opportunities aviation had to offer has allowed him to gain invaluable fixed wing and helicopter knowledge in general and business aviation. After gaining experience in aircraft maintenance, offshore helicopter operations, ACMI contracts, project management, aircraft sales, charter and ground operations. He joined ExecuJet South Africa in 2008 as Operations Coordinator where he honed his skills in FBO, VIP charter, away from base operations and aircraft management as Aircraft Manager-Contracts.

Chay immigrated to the UK with his family in 2017 and re-joined the Luxaviation Group with ExecuJet UK as Manager Aircraft Management – Sales, was promoted to Commercial Manager in 2018, Commercial Director 2019 and was bestowed with the role of Group Aviation Commercial Program Director in January 2021. He continues to care for Aircraft Management Sales and responsibilities for Luxaviation Group. Working closely with Senior Management, Business Development Teams, Key Account Managers, CAMO and Aircraft Management support divisions. Chay supports the Groups’ efforts with a special emphasis on customer relationships, success of our employees and the health of our organization through sincerity, integrity and attention to detail.

Graham Williamson

ACASS

President – ACASS Ireland

Graham is the President of ACASS Ireland, a corporate aircraft management operator based in Europe using the newly created “EJ” registry with an Irish (EASA) type A Air Operator Certificate (AOC) and Operating Licence.  Leading and outstanding team, with complimentary skills and a proven track record in their fields, ACASS Ireland delivers unrivalled customer service, safety and operational excellence.   ACASs Ireland is part of the ACASS Group of companies headquartered in Montreal and one of the worlds leading provider of Corporate and Business Aviation services.

Prior to launching ACASS Ireland, Graham was the President responsible for all Aircraft Management and Charter Operations for one of the World’s leading Business Aviation Operators.  In his 14 years with this group, he grew the core business in Switzerland and the UK to more than 90 aircraft helping to create additional operations in Spain, Hong Kong, Bahrain and Malta.

Prior to that he was the CEO of a low-cost airline in India and in a 35-year career has held Executive posts in airlines in central Europe, the United Kingdom and the Middle East.

He is a member of the EBAA Board of Governors and has been an Accountable Manager for several Airlines and operators.

Andrew Young

AMSTAT

General Manager

Andrew joined AMSTAT in 1994 and since 2013 has served as the General Manager for the AMSTAT market research business, which includes Aircraft Shopper Online (aso.com). He previously held positions as the AMSTAT Sales Manager and the AMSTAT & ASO Director of Sales and Customer Service. Andrew is an active member of the business aviation community having served on the board of directors for the National Aircraft Finance Association (NAFA), as Education Chair for the National Aircraft Resale Association (NARA, now IADA), as a HAI Finance and Leasing Committee member and most recently serving on the IADA Products and Services Member Advisory Council.

Francisco Zozaya

JSSI

Chief Revenue Officer

As Chief Revenue Officer, Francisco provides leadership to global business development organization. Additionally, he oversees the suite of Conklin & de Decker digital and consulting solutions.
Prior to joining JSSI, Mr. Zozaya served as Pre-Owned Director at Aerolineas Ejecutivas, managing its pre-owned aircraft sales and acquisitions business unit. He facilitated several key industry alliances and memberships for Latin America’s largest business aviation company and has established an extensive network with the global broker community, financial institutions, OEMs and MROs. Mr. Zozaya graduated from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City as an industrial engineer.