Melissa Bacani

HSBC Private Bank

Head of Credit Advisory – South Asia

Melissa Bacani is Head Credit Advisory, South Asia for HSBC Global Private Banking and is based in Singapore. In this role, Melissa provides credit solutions to private banking clients looking to leverage against their assets. These assets range from securities, real estate, insurance, hedge funds, and private equity to trophy assets such as private jets, yachts and fine art.

Prior to joining HSBC Global Private Banking, Melissa was Head of Specialty Financing and COO for Investment Finance at Citi Private Bank, based in Hong Kong. As Head of Specialty Financing, she was responsible for private jet and art lending for Asia Pacific as well as Global Program Manager for Insurance Premium Financing. She began her career in London with the Capital Markets Origination team at Citi Global Markets working on large corporate and cross border acquisition financings for European blue chips.

Melissa has an MBA from the London Business School and an MSc in Social Policy and Planning from the London School of Economics and Political Science in the UK.

Phil Balmer

TAG Aviation

Director of Maintenance

Mr. Phil Balmer is Director Maintenance for TAG Aviation Asia. He has over 27 years of experience in aviation, and is a Licensed Engineer holding Australia, EASA, and FAA A&P certificates, with ratings on multiple types of business aircraft including Bombardier, Cessna Citation, Dassault Falcon, and Gulfstream.

Prior to joining TAG Aviation Asia in 2010, Phil worked in Corporate Aviation Maintenance in Brisbane, Australia, was Avionics Supervisor, Maintenance Manager, Director of Maintenance at Jet Aviation Singapore, General Manager of Jet Aviation Dubai, and Jet Aviation Malaysia. Phil is also a Multi-engine, instrument rated Pilot.

On volunteer basis, Phil is the Chairman of the Hong Kong Chapter of the Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA).

Darren Broderick

ACAM

CEO

Darren is the CEO of Asian Corporate Aviation Management Pte. Ltd. or ACAM as more commonly known, which is the largest privately owned and operated, corporate aviation management company
in the Asia Pacific Region, providing its clients with a wide range of customer centric, bespoke services from acquisitions through to full turnkey aircraft management solutions, aircraft maintenance support,
CAMO, flight support and handling services.

Ranked amongst the top 10 Operators by fleet in Asia Pacific, the company has demonstrated continuous annual growth since its formation in 2010 and operates a diverse fleet including Airbus Corporate Jets,
Boeing Business Jets, Gulfstream, Bombardier, Dassault, Embraer, Hawker, Beechcraft and Cessna aircraft. ACAMs Head Office is strategically located at Seletar Airport Singapore with an additional full operations,
maintenance and support base in Jakarta, Indonesia.

In 2022 the Company announced its expansion with a new venture ACAM Middle East located in Dubai, U.A.E. to support its growing fleet of managed aircraft in the Middle East, Africa and Europe, followed by another
recent announcement in January 2023 of the latest expansion plan – the establishment of ACAM Pacific in Melbourne, Australia to serve the expanding business aviation market in the Asia Pacific region.

In addition to being an accomplished businessman with long-term roots in the Asia Pacific region, Darren is an accomplished aviator himself and maintains ATP licences on both Aeroplanes and Helicopters accumulating
more than 15000 flight hours throughout his career. Darren received the prestigious Sikorsky Aircraft Rescue Award in 2001.

Arnaud Brolly

IMPACT

Founder & CEO

Profile coming soon

Mark Butler

Action Aviation

CEO

Mark was born and lives in the UK. His career in aviation started back in 2008 in Cranfield and led to over 100 aircraft transactions that he closed, not including helicopters sales when he had been working as Sales Manager for Bell Helicopters.
Mark holds Private Pilot License as of 2001 and apart from his life-long devotion to aviation, he is a passionate driver and Formula 1 follower.

Adrien Chazottes

Jet 8 Aviation

Co-founder & Managing Partner

Adrien Chazottes has been living in Asia since 2004, where he has been developing the Private and Business Aviation sector for the major part of the past two decades. After various positions at VistaJet, Hawker Beechcraft and Bombardier, he founded Jet 8 in 2018 as a Private Aviation Family Office, with a focus on servicing clients in Asia. With headquarters in Hong Kong and key personnel located across the region, Jet 8 provides its clients unparalleled service, tailor made strategies and the negotiating advantage when acquiring or selling Aircraft.

Ryan Chui

Hongkong Jet

Associate Director of Business Development

Profile coming soon

David Colindres

San Marino Aircraft Registry

President

Profile coming soon

David Crick

DavAir Group

Managing Director

David Crick is an Accredited Senior Appraiser of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA). He has just completed his term as the International President on the ASA International Board of Governors and also recently served as the Chair on the Finance & Leasing Committee of the Helicopter Association International.

David is the Managing Director of the DavAir Group, a company providing international aviation inspection, appraisal and advisory services.

He has an unparalleled passion for the aviation sector performing appraisals of both fixed wing & rotary aviation assets in Australia, the Asia Pacific Rim, the USA and various countries in Europe & the Middle East.

With over 20 years of specialised valuation and consulting experience to many different sectors, David has considerable knowledge of corporate valuation requirements for financial reporting, mortgage security assessments, insurance & liquidation disposals. He performs appraisals for finance and leasing, aviation sales, mergers and acquisitions, insurance disputes, and expert witness for the legal fraternity.

David has presented at various international forums addressing current issues in aviation assets and appraisal methodologies. He also lectures on Aircraft Appraisal methodology and processes in the USA and has recently been appointed as a Member of the Technical Standing Committee of The Hague Court of Arbitration for Aviation.

Jon Dahlfors

Stonebriar Commercial Finance

Director

Jon is a Director at Stonebriar Commercial Finance. He primarily focuses on underwriting & origination for SCF Aviation Capital and is Head of the Corporate Responsibility Committee. Prior to Stonebriar, Jon was an analyst at Guggenheim Aircraft Opportunity Fund, where he assisted global origination efforts. Jon began his career spending time in differing training programs at multiple aircraft manufacturers and operators. He received his undergraduate degree in accounting & entrepreneurship from the University of Kansas. Jon is also on the Young Benefactors board within the First Tee of Greater Dallas.

Gary Dolski

Metrojet

CEO

Gary brings more than 40 years of progressive international aviation experience to Metrojet

having previously worked for Bristol Aerospace, Bombardier, MD Helicopters and Jet Aviation.
In September 2017, Gary was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of Metrojet Limited.
The company’s principle lines of business include Aircraft Management and Maintenance
with operations based in Hong Kong, China, The Philippines and Singapore, servicing the Asia
region.
His work experience covers business development and strategy, customer support, finance,
commercial, completions/refurbishment, manufacturing, program management, FBO, MRO,
and aircraft management and charter within the commercial, military and general aviation
sectors.
Gary has significant international experience having held numerous senior management
positions based in locations throughout Canada, the UK, USA and Singapore prior to his arrival
in Hong Kong

David Dixon

Jetcraft

President, Jetcraft Asia

As President of Jetcraft Asia since 2012, David Dixon is responsible for optimizing sales strategies and managing operations throughout Asia. A leading global authority on the private aviation sector, David has lived and worked in Asia in aircraft sales for more than 40 years and has more than five decades of aerospace industry experience. David joined Jetcraft following a long an over 30-year career with Bombardier’s Business and Commercial Aircraft divisions. In 1997 he was awarded the MBE – Member of the Order of the British Empire distinction by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth for his contribution to British exports. He is also a former Vice Chairman of the Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA) an organisation he helped establish.

David is originally from the UK and resides in Hong Kong.

Mick Doohan

Jetcraft

Profile coming soon

Philip Du Preez

UAS International Trip Support

Director of Charter

Philip’s passion for aviation is deeply ingrained. After completing his private pilot’s license, he moved into business aviation and began his career in 2008 in aircraft sales. He then progressed to managing the turnaround of a fixed base operation (FBO) and charter division for an operator in South Africa. In 2015, he joined ExecuJet, where he managed various portfolios, including relaunching the aircraft sales division for Luxaviation. After nearly nine years with Luxaviation, he assumed the role of Director of Charter at UAS headquarters in Dubai.

Matt Frick

Global Jet International

Managing Director

In his capacity as the Managing Director at Global Jet International, Matt assumes the pivotal role of being the Accountable Manager for the Air Operator Certificate (AOC). His responsibility extends to overseeing all operational and commercial facets of the business.

Global Jet International, headquartered on the picturesque Gold Coast in Australia, is a distinguished business aviation company specializing in aircraft management and charter sales services.

Matt brings a wealth of experience to his current role, having held diverse operational and commercial management positions within the commercial aviation industry – most recently Airnorth – over the past decade before transitioning to the dynamic realm of business aviation in 2021.

After obtaining his Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, Matt ventured Down Under to complete his Master’s in Aviation Management from Griffith University, further enriching his expertise in the field.

Paul Jebely

The Hague Court of Arbitration for Aviation

Paul is a senior partner and serves as Global Head of Aviation & Marine at Withers Worldwide. He is qualified to practice law in England, the United States (New York
and Washington State) and Canada (Ontario).
He is widely regarded as the top international private aviation attorney counselling ultra-high net worth individuals around the world on all aspects of private aviation.
He also regularly counsels such individuals in connection with the acquisition, sale or financing of other high-value private assets, ranging from superyachts to rare collector cars. In total, Paul has counselled clients on well over US$ 20 billion in such transactions, as well as on restructuring and contentious matters. In doing so, he has been the recipient of many legal and aviation industry awards – including being named
“Global Private Aviation & Yachts Lawyer of the Year” (Chambers & Partners) and “Asia Private Client Lawyer of the Year” (Law.com). He has also been interviewed by
the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Bloomberg, Robb Report, China Daily and other business publications, and published and lectured extensively on various aspects of asset finance, principally aviation. In addition to his client work, Paul is also the Founder and Chairperson of The Hague Court of Arbitration for
Aviation that launched in July 2022.
Immediately prior to joining Withers, Paul served as the managing partner of a leading American law firm in Hong Kong and was co-chair of its global private wealth and asset finance practices

Alex Jiao

Hongkong Jet

Chairman

Alex Jiao holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering and a Master’s degree in Economics, focused on Global Economics.
He has a strong engineering background and extensive experience in strategic business development within Asia’s business aviation sector as well as a demonstrated history of working in China’s commercial airline industry in the earlier part of his career. Most recently he served as a director at UAS an International Trip Support Company headquartered in Dubai, UAE of which Deer Jet (Beijing) Co. Ltd is the majority shareholder. Prior to UAS he was the Director of Strategy & Business Development for Deer Jet (Beijing) Co. Ltd the largest business aviation service provider in the Asia Pacific region which also includes the largest FBO network in Greater China, before being appointed CEO of Hongkong Jet.

Torbjorn Karlsson

Korn Ferry

Mr. Karlsson specializes in advising C-Suites and Boards within the industrial sector on how to build highly effective organizations and executive teams.

For the last 30 years he has lived and worked across multiple locations in Asia Pacific and brings a proven track record in assembling high performing teams, as an
executive recruiter, advisor and as a senior leader; particularly in the manufacturing, automotive, aerospace and aviation and commercial functions.

Mr. Karlsson’s broad experience in the region spans consulting, sales and marketing, infrastructure projects as well as procurement. With hands on experience from developing new markets and business opportunities in both established and emerging markets he brings an in depth understanding on how to assist companies in strengthening their commercial activities while building a solid operational foundation for a high growth environment. He is especially passionate about developing ASEAN as a strategic market.

Mr. Karlsson has built leadership teams in some of Asia Pacific’s top multinational companies, as well as privately held and private equity owned operating companies. His placements include CEOs, presidents, general managers as well as talent in sales and marketing, finance, operations, services, research and development, procurement and supply chain management. He has also placed senior executives across Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East/Gulf States in start up LCCs, full service Airlines, Regional/Commuter operators as well as at MROs, OEMs and industry service providers.

Prior to joining Korn Ferry, Mr. Karlsson was VP Sales, APAC for Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. Earlier, he was a managing partner in another global search firm, and the regional leader of their Industrial Practice in Asia Pacific. Prior to his search career Mr. Karlsson was based in Jakarta, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Singapore in various leadership positions at Saab Aircraft, Rockwell Collins, Cathay Pacific Airways and Honeywell Aerospace.

Mr. Karlsson studied mechanical engineering at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden and also earned an MBA. He is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt

Vivek Kaushal

Global Jet Capital

CEO

Vivek Kaushal serves as Chief Executive Officer for Global Jet Capital. Vivek joined the firm in 2015 and has been part of Management Team throughout, first as Chief Risk Officer, and most recently as President and Chief Operating Officer. Vivek has nearly 30 years of leadership experience in various financing businesses and was the Chief Risk Officer for GE Capital Business Aviation Finance prior to its purchase by GJC. Vivek received an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, and a BS in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

Jenny Lau

AsBAA / Sino Jet

Ms. Jenny is the Vice Chair of Sino Jet Group, and the Chairperson of
Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA). She has also been invited
to be a member of ACJ Customer Advisory Board. Under the leadership
of Ms. Jenny, Sino Jet has managed the largest fleet in the Asia-Pacific
for five consecutive years and has been awarded the “World’s Leading
Private Jet Company” at World Travel Awards for four consecutive years.
Ms. Jenny graduated from the University of Southern California with a
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in
Urban Planning. She had a successful career in the private banking
division of Morgan Stanley, accumulated experience by providing wealth
management services and advised to ultra-high-net-worth clients.
Ms. Jenny is keen on developing cutting-edge ideas in business aviation,
to drive and build better communities by forming win-win alliances with
business partners. Ms. Lau has been honored with the prestigious title of
“Business Woman of the Year – Aviation in Hong Kong” at the Women’s
Tabloid Awards 2024. Meanwhile, she has been awarded for the
Outstanding Contribution to Business Aviation and Sapphire Pegasus
Business Aviation Award to prove her greatest contributions in industry.

Philippe Leysen

MJets

Chief Commercial Officer

Profile coming soon

Puja Mahajan

Azzera

Founder & CEO

Puja Mahajan is a seasoned aviation executive with 3 decades of experience, recognized for her pioneering innovation and service excellence. She launched her career after earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Environmental Engineering from McGill University.

With a notable history at Pratt & Whitney Canada, Bombardier Aerospace, and Elit’Avia, Puja has held critical roles such as Aerodynamics Engineer, Product Planning Manager, and Director of Flight Operations, always keeping innovation and leadership at the forefront. Among her significant achievements are the launches of the Learjet 40 and Challenger 300 aircraft. As Bombardier’s Director of Flight Operations, she spearheaded the global expansion of Bombardier’s award-winning Safety Standdown initiative, recognized as a premier aviation safety event by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.

During her tenure as CEO of European operator Elit’Avia, Puja drove remarkable growth, doubling both the fleet size and revenues. Currently, as the Founder and CEO of Azzera, she channels her passion for business aviation and dedication to environmental sustainability. Azzera’s mission is to enable the Aviation sector into climate action with practical and digital solutions. Fluent in five languages and a resident of Switzerland, Puja Mahajan is a true global influencer.

Puja Mahajan is a seasoned aviation executive with 3 decades of experience, recognized for her pioneering innovation and service excellence. She launched her career after earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Environmental Engineering from McGill University.

With a notable history at Pratt & Whitney Canada, Bombardier Aerospace, and Elit’Avia, Puja has held critical roles such as Aerodynamics Engineer, Product Planning Manager, and Director of Flight Operations, always keeping innovation and leadership at the forefront. Among her significant achievements are the launches of the Learjet 40 and Challenger 300 aircraft. As Bombardier’s Director of Flight Operations, she spearheaded the global expansion of Bombardier’s award-winning Safety Standdown initiative, recognized as a premier aviation safety event by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.

During her tenure as CEO of European operator Elit’Avia, Puja drove remarkable growth, doubling both the fleet size and revenues. Currently, as the Founder and CEO of Azzera, she channels her passion for business aviation and dedication to environmental sustainability. Azzera’s mission is to enable the Aviation sector into climate action with practical and digital solutions. Fluent in five languages and a resident of Switzerland, Puja Mahajan is a true global influencer.

Per Marthinsson

Avinode

Chief Revenue Officer & Co-Founder

Per is the co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer at Avinode Group. The company was founded in 2001
with the grand ambition to pull the directory-bound charter industry into the digital world and make it as
easy to book a private jet as it is to book a commercial
flight.

Per holds a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and Entrepreneurship from Chalmers
University of Technology in Sweden. At this university, Avinode was founded as a final-year university project.
Over the years, Per has become an industry expert and built a personal network with professionals across
every continent. Per is a true entrepreneur, constantly pushing the team at Avinode Group to move forward and develop the offering for the benefit of helping the industry move faster and smother.

Per has a passion for all things aviation and loves traveling the globe to connect and build closer relationships with industry professionals and explore the world with his wife and children. Besides aviation, Per is a foodie that loves giving his tastebuds new flavors, a perfect combination of his passion to traveling.

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.

Trevor Merszei

JSSI

Vice President of Business Development, APAC

As Vice President of Business Development, APAC, Trevor leads a dynamic and diverse team in the region delivering a portfolio of JSSI products and services to enhance the ownership experience at every stage of the aircraft life cycle.

Prior to joining JSSI, Trevor served as Chief Executive Officer of OrientSKYs Private Jets, based in Bangkok Thailand. During his 14 years at OrientSKYs, Trevor oversaw the development of charter operations across multiple jurisdictions, forged alliances with national air carriers and operators and retained some of the largest global corporate and institutional charter clients for all their Asian charter needs. Trevor also developed the private jet sales and acquisition brokerage arm of OrientSKYs, counting many firsts through his extensive global network. This included the world’s first pre-owned acquisition of a Gulfstream G650 and the first privately owned Boeing BBJ in Thailand. Mr. Merszei graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a BA in political science.

Stuart Miller

Clyde & Co

Partner

Stuart is the head of the Aviation Finance & Leasing team at Clyde & Co in the Asia Pacific region. He is based in Hong Kong, from where his international aviation practice covers both commercial aircraft and corporate jet transactions.

Stuart has acted for banks and other financiers, export credit agencies, aircraft lessors, airlines and other operators, corporates and HNWIs / UHNWIs on numerous aviation transactions over many years. He has a wide perspective of the industry sector, and acts for a wide range of aviation market participants. He has advised lenders and borrowers, lessors and lessees, sellers and purchasers, and other industry participants on their respective interests across many different types of transactions and structures.

Stuart’s international approach comes from his personal background and his extensive experience gained in international law firms. He has been based in Hong Kong for over 10 years and prior to that he practiced law in London (England) with another international law firm for the previous 10 years. Stuart’s early years of legal practice were in a law firm in Auckland (New Zealand). He has been involved in a wide variety of aviation, commercial, banking and finance, and corporate matters involving many jurisdictions across his career.

Stuart is consistently ranked or referenced in various directories, including Chambers Asia Pacific, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, IFLR 1000, Who’s Who Legal: Transport, and Who’s Who Legal: Aviation.

Chris Miller

JSSI Aviation Capital

Managing Partner

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

Emil Pope

Far East Aerospace Network

Managing Director

Emil Pope is an aviation industry veteran with broad business aviation knowledge accumulated during 30+ years with Honeywell Aerospace and more recently as an aviation consultant.
He is an avionics engineer by trade, as well as being a private pilot and holding both MBA and MSEE degrees.
A native of the USA, Emil is presently based in Malaysia and Indonesia. He has over 25 years of experience in the Asia Pacific aviation industry. This includes prior postings in China and Japan.
Emil is a recipient of the Golden Summit Award from the government on Sichuan, China, for his contributions to the development of aviation industry there. He is also a Six Sigma Green Belt.

Leona Qi

Vista

President US

Leona Qi joined Vista in 2016 as head of the Asia-Pacific market, where she tripled the customer base, and now serves as President U.S., Vista. With her leadership, the team is responsible for growing Membership across North America, the biggest and fastest growing market in business aviation. Mrs. Qi has over a decade of experience in capital markets and business aviation finance. Prior to joining Vista, she held various roles at Global Jet Capital, Guggenheim Partners, and BNP Paribas. She holds a master’s degree from Princeton University and resides between New York City and London with her family.

Daniel Renwick

Jetcraft

Sales Director – Australia / New Zealand

Profile coming soon

Richard Smith

Civil Aviation Authority of the Cayman Islands

Director General

Richard Smith has over 40 years in the aviation industry, with experience in both the private and public sectors of the industry; he is a venerable veteran who is well known through the Caribbean region and internationally. His career has been spent working with Civil Aviation Authority (CAACI) of the Cayman Islands with attachments and secondments to international training organizations and a stint with the national flag carrier – Cayman Airways, Ltd., as a pilot.
The following is a history of his training and qualifications to date:
Joined the Cayman Islands Civil Aviation Department July 1976 as trainee Air Traffic Controller. Attended the Air Traffic Control Training Centre in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles and qualified as an Air Traffic Controller in 1977.
Appointed as Operations Officer in February 1982.
Attended FAA Academy, Oklahoma, USA in February 1983 and received certification in Airport Systems and Airport Master Planning.
Obtained FAA Private Pilot Licence, July 1983 from Sowell Aviation, Panama City, Florida.
Attended Cranfield College of Aeronautics in 1987 and received certification in Aircraft Accident Investigation Course.
Obtained FAA Commercial Pilot Licence, July 1988 from Flight Safety International, Vero Beach, Florida. Attended Transport Canada Training Institute in 1989 and received certification in Aviation Inspector and Enforcement.
Attended the International Aviation Management Training Institute, Montreal, Canada in 1990 and received certification in Advanced Airport Management.
Qualified as First Officer on the B737-200 aircraft in 1993 and flew with Cayman Airways until 1996.
Appointed Director of Civil Aviation in October 1995.
February 2003 appointed to the Board of Directors of Air Safety Support International (subsidiary of the UK CAA).
December 14, 2004 inducted to the Royal Aeronautical Society as a Fellow with the designation FRAeS.
Jan 2005 he received the Queens Certificate and Badge of Honour for his tireless efforts during and after Hurricane Ivan.
June 2008 he was named as a recipient of the Member of the British Empire (MBE) award by His Excellency the Governor, Mr. Stuart Jack at the Queen’s Birthday celebrations.
He actively participates and is involved in board meetings. In addition, he was nominated to the Board of Directors of the Air Safety Support Inc (ASSI) in February 2003 and served until 2009. ASSI is a subsidiary company created by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA) to facilitate the UK Government’s obligations to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regarding the safety oversight of civil aviation in the UK’s Overseas Territories
Mr. Smith is the country’s foremost aviation official with authority delegated by Her Excellency the Governor.

Sakeer Sheik

Titan Aviation

Managing Director

Capt. Sakeer Sheik is the Founder and Managing Director of Titan Aviation, a leading Aircraft Management and Charter Sales company headquartered in the USA with operations spread across worldwide.
Capt Sakeer Sheik who is driven by passion and love for Aviation is one of the youngest Pilot to own an aircraft in India and started his career in the mid 1990’s with a Pilot Training Academy (Flight School).
Later he moved to Dubai – UAE and formed Titan Aviation Group during 2004.
Capt. Sakeer is an Alumni of Embry Riddle. In the past, he has served as a Board Member, and Government Representative for Aviation companies based in the Middle East.
As an industry veteran, he has helped HNI’s and large corporations by proving to them that owning or chartering a private jet is relatively more economical while considering the savings of time and other tangible benefits. He has also been a strong proponent of flight safety and safety management system, and had worked hard to steer owners and customers away from grey charter market.

Rita Tam

TAG Aviation

General Manager, Macau FBO

Rita Tam is General Manager, TAG Macau FBO. She responsible for the operation and growth of the FBO services in Macau. The TAG Macau FBO aims to provide the unique seamless aviation service to all customers coming to and from Macau.
Rita has over 18 years FBO experience and has started her business aviation career in Hong Kong Business Aviation Center since 2002. Prior to joining TAG Aviation Asia, Rita was Director of Customer Relations in Hong Kong Business Aviation Center where she was responsible for overall flight servicing, ground operation, overseeing security program to ensure compliant with the aviation security requirements and ICAO standards.

Mark Thibault

Chapman Freeborn

President, APAC

Profile coming soon

Christoph Thurnherr

Nomad Aviation

VP Aircraft Management

As Vice President of Aircraft Management Christoph Thurnherr is responsible for customer and aircraft management. Christoph has more than 18 years of aviation experience. Before joining Nomad Aviation, he was Vice President Aircraft Management and Charter Sales for Luxaviation Asia, Singpaore, responsible for the Asia Pacific market. Before he has also served as Director Aircraft Management, Director Purchasing and Flight Dispatcher for Jet Aviation Business Jets in Zurich, Switzerland for the EMEA region.

Mike Walsh

AER Mobi

CEO

Aer Mobi Limited a boutique consultancy firm manages several client accounts in Asia and is a respected aviation advisory firm. Walsh has been a senior consultant since 2019. He has over 25 years’ experience in the industry having worked for the likes of Aer Lingus, ACS -Air Charter Service, Asia Jet and Hongkong Jet. He is a renowned subject matter expert in Business & General Aviation and a super connector when it comes to the Asia Pacific region. Walsh is regularly asked to assist entrepreneurs in raising see and Series A capital, connecting relevant investors with the founders as well as working with respected HNWI’s and senior corporate leaders on their requests. He frequently addresses Government bodies/NGO’s representing business interests in APAC and advocates on behalf of the industry sharing the measures being adopted like investment into alternative Fuels for a more sustainable future. In his current assignments for his client’s he is asked for his opinion in helping business leaders formulate and execute their commercialization & strategic growth plans. He enjoys conducting market analysis and is an active referral sales agent of his clients products and services to a broad network of connections.

Roman Widmer

UBS

Director, Corporate Aircraft Finance

Profile coming soon

Steve Wilford

Control Risks

Partner

Steve Wilford is the Partner based in Singapore with responsibility for management of special projects and strategic intelligence gathering. Prior to this role Steve ran the Asia-Pacific political and regulatory risk team and also managed the company’s Governance, Ethics and Compliance group in Asia. Until 2014, Steve was the Director of Corporate Investigations for South-East Asia. This remit encompassed joint venture partner/new purchase due diligence, litigation support, discreet enquiries and broader national, provincial and district political and regulatory risk analysis. In his long career with Control Risks Steve also built and managed the company’s India business, focussed for several years as a client facing advisor in the region, and worked as Control Risks’ Senior South-east Asia Analyst. 

Stefan Wood

Air 7 Asia

Executive Director

With 30 years in aviation Stefan has worked in most aspects of aviation. Starting his career as a pilot in Northern Australia Stefan soon developed the taste for business ownership. In 1995 he established Northern Air Charter with one aircraft and an Air Operators Certificate growing the company year on year with the additional aircraft and remote bases. By 2005 Northern Air Charter was operating forty six aircraft with seven bases. Stefan then decided it was time to move back into his original career as a pilot and moved to Singapore as an airline pilot, being a Captain in airline operations added to Stefans aviation skillset. However the yearning for business again took over and Singapore Air Charter was born in 2010. During the pandemic Singapore Air Charter focused on large passenger repatriation charters as the demand for regular charters disappeared. Most recently Air 7 Asia came into existence with a partnership between Air 7 Asia and Air 7 LLC based in Camarillo, California. Air 7 Asia was established to project the services of Air 7 LLC in Asia.

Rocky Zhang

Textron Aviation

Vice President of Government Affairs

Rocky Zhang, has been working as Vice President of
Textron China Government Affairs from Jul 2014. He is
responsible for government affairs and spearheading
Textron’s aviation business development efforts in China.
Rocky Zhang is also the Co-Chair for General Aviation & Business Aviation Committee, and Manufacturing & Airworthiness Committee of U.S. & China Aviation Cooperation Program (ACP) on behalf of Textron. He has been leading different GABA projects with Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and the aviation industry. Rocky Zhang has been working with U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and CAAC on a lot of activities including organizing and hosting the FAA Asia Pacific Airworthiness Bilateral Partnership Dialogue.

Besides the significant role in ACP, Rocky was elected by the industry as Vice Chairman of Asia Business Aviation Association (AsBAA), and leads the AsBAA China Mainland
Committee as the Chairman for business aviation development.
Before he joined Textron, Rocky has been worked in Boeing since the year of 2003. His last position in Boeing was Chief Engineer of Boeing China Service. In his more than 11
years career in Boeing, Rocky held increasing management positions within Boeing Guangzhou office and Boeing China, and has been working closely with the Chinese commercial aviation industry. Rocky has been well recognized by the industry for providing different trainings related to regulations, airworthiness, engineering management, aging aircraft, new technology, maintenance concept, best practices and other aircraft maintenance & engineering courses to over ten thousand professionals in
the industry all over Great China.

Rocky has been serving as airplane maintenance mechanic, engineer and manager in Beijing Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Corporation from 1995 to 2003. With years of hands-on aircraft maintenance and engineering background, he has accumulated plenty of professional aircraft knowledge and experiences.

Rocky holds a Double E Bachelor Degree from Northwestern Polytechnic University and a Master Degree of Business Administration from Rutgers University of New Jersey, and
mechanic license from FAA.