London 2023 Speakers

Oliver Althoff is currently a Managing Director at Seabury Capital advising clients in the aviation, aerospace and defense industries. Over the past seventeen years, Oliver has been a senior investment and corporate banker as well as corporate finance executive. Prior to joining Seabury Capital, Oliver held the financial officer role of Managing Director and Head of Capital Markets & Treasury for Waypoint Leasing, a private-equity owned, global helicopter leasing company.
Prior to joining Waypoint, Oliver was a Director for CIT’s Transportation principal finance business, originating and structuring financing solutions across the debt capital structure and supporting M&A advisory transaction in A/D/G. Oliver raised capital in buy-out leveraged cash flow transactions as well as asset-based and -backed transactions for acquisition financing, growth capital and general corporate purposes. These financings included senior, second-lien, mezzanine and uni-tranche transactions. His clients included middle market private equity firms, aviation and aerospace and defense industry suppliers. Separately, Oliver supported several sell-side M&A transactions in the sector for both direct clients and sponsors active in the industry.
Previously, Oliver was part of GE Capital’s executive management trainee program assessing risk and analyzing financing opportunities for reorganizing businesses, predominantly in the aviation and aerospace industry. Before that, he was a new product and technology development manager in consumer finance for Bank of America, after beginning his career in management consulting at Mitchell Madison Group focusing on the telecom/IT and financial institutions sectors.
Oliver received his B.A. Economics and M.P.A. in Political/Macro-Economy from Cornell University, and a M.B.A. in Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. After emigrating solo from Germany to the U.S., during High School, he lives today with his wife and three children in Connecticut.

Laura Bowden, has more than 12 years of experience in aviation at Air bp which she joined in 2010 after several years at parent company, bp in lubricants, exploration and retail. Laura has held the position of Global Marketing Manager for five years with responsibility for the company’s global marketing activity in general, business and commercial aviation. This includes marketing the company’s low carbon agenda to maintain Air bp’s industry leadership in this area.

Prior to that she held the position of Global Marketing Offer Development Manager for five years where she was responsible for marketing value adding offers for commercial airlines, general aviation and the military, in alignment with the bp aviation strategy on digital and low carbon.

Laura is based at the company’s headquarters at Sunbury-on-Thames, England. She holds a Bachelor in Business Studies (BBS) degree in International Business and Marketing from Trinity College, Dublin.

Chris Bradshaw has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, currently known as
Bristow Group Inc. and formerly known as Era Group Inc., since 2014. Mr. Bradshaw has been a Director of the Company
since February 2015. He served as Chief Financial Officer of Era Group Inc. from October 2012 to September 2015. From 2009
until 2012, Mr. Bradshaw served as Managing Partner and Chief Financial Officer of U.S. Capital Advisors LLC, an
independent financial advisory firm. Prior to co-founding U.S. Capital Advisors LLC, he was an energy investment banker at
UBS Securities LLC, Morgan Stanley & Co., and PaineWebber Incorporated. Mr. Bradshaw serves on the board of directors of
The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) and HeliOffshore. He graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College with a degree in Economics and Government

Dr Brown is an experienced Aerospace Engineer, with a 30-year track record in modelling and understanding aircraft and helicopter aerodynamics, aerospace education, and air vehicle analysis and design. He is a Chartered Engineer, and Fellow of both the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
He began his aeronautical career in the late 1980s as a design engineer in the South African helicopter industry, moving to academia in the early 1990s. He is an internationally-acknowledged expert in the aerodynamics of rotorcraft, and has made a broad range of technical contributions to our understanding of how the design of these vehicles affects their flight characteristics and safety. Since leaving academia in 2016 to co-found Sophrodyne Aerospace, he has advised and assisted a range of aerospace organisations worldwide to better understand the range of aerodynamic issues that need to be addressed, particularly when designing advanced multi-rotor electric aircraft. His latest work, for instance, has helped the eVTOL community to understand how some of the particular characteristics of their designs might conflict with proposed regulations and influence the ability of this type of aircraft to operate effectively in dense urban environments.
Dr Brown is thus eminently qualified to speak on the conflict between business and technical aspirations within the rotorcraft field, and the constraints that are imposed on reality by the existing laws of physics.

Bernd is in the aviation business since 35 years. Started as helicopter pilot in the German Army and went through training in the US. After having flown harbor piloting and rescue for several years, he joined HTM as Flight Operations Manager in 2002. In 2010 Bernd was nominated as Authorized Representative and became Managing Director in 2014.
Back in 2009, HTM started as the first helicopter company the Offshore Wind Business in Germany and by that, established procedures and set standards in that sector.
Since then, Bernd is responsible for the Offshore Wind Business in HTM and is still flying offshore on regular basis.
HTM is operating 6 helicopters in Offshore Wind on three bases is Germany and one in France.

Camille has more than 17 years of experience in structured finance with a specific focus on tangible assets.

After experiences in audit (Ernst & Young), LBO (PAI Partners) and internal audit (Société Générale New York), Camille joined the Corporate Coverage department of Société Générale in the automotive sector. In 2008, Camille joined the Asset Based Finance team of Société Générale CIB, developing overseas activity and carrying out numerous structured leasing transactions on trains, boats and various industrial assets. In 2011, Camille joined the Asset Based Leasing team of BNP Paribas. He structured financial and operational leasing transactions on a wide range of assets: social housings, industrial equipment and facilities, aircraft as well as helicopters operated in Europe, Africa and USA. Camille took his position at RIVE Private Investment in 2015 to further develop the Asset Finance practice.

Camille is a graduate of HEC in Paris with a specialization in Finance.

Tim is the Deputy Lead of Ascend by Cirium Advance Air Mobility Team. He liaises with the market regarding the latest development of the AAM sector and researching valuation methodology for these new assets. Aside from the AAM sector, he also involved in the commercial and engine market and is responsible for values research and delivering appraisals. Prior to joining Ascend, he worked at HAECO HK as a Technical Service Engineer.

Bio coming soon...

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.

Sara joined Ascend by Cirium in 2016, after six years in the EMEA sales team managing relationships with the majority of EMEA lessors and aircraft traders. Sara specializes in commercial aircraft and helicopter valuations, and is also responsible for liaising with the market regarding developments and providing thought-leadership input, particularly for the helicopter space. Sara holds a BAHons in Business from the University of Westminster and a CIRM from the Institute of Risk Management.

Emmanuel began selling fixed and rotary wing aircraft in 2004. In 2009, Emmanuel founded Heli Asset a firm dedicated to helicopter sales, which later merged with Avpro, a world leading aircraft brokerage firm. Emmanuel has completed hundreds of aircraft transactions, across the globe. In 2019, he co-founded Aero Asset with Valerie Pereira & William Sturm.

As an economist by training, Gérard Deterne formed PTERON Valuations in 2021 with the intent to build new valuation services upon many years of experience as a Business Developer in the aerospace industry.
Prior to creating PTERON Valuations, Gérard worked for Airbus Helicopters in Marignane, France, where he developed inhouse appraisal & valuation expertise, put together marketing campaigns towards lessors and lenders, engineered lease-based projects, organized briefings and webinars for the investors community and promoted sales boosters in support of the helicopter lessor’s business and the banking community.
Gérard has also worked in the UAV Business Unit at Airbus Defense & Space where he contributed to the development of the drone and UAV business while managing all aspects of market analysis and UAV asset management strategies.
Gérard has been an Accredited Senior Appraiser – Machinery & Technical Specialties – Helicopters, for some years now. He is also a member of the American Society of Appraisers.

Bio coming soon...

Freshta Farzam has more than 10 years of experience in the green hydrogen and aviation industries. At LYTE Aviation, Ms Farzam as CEO & Founder, is focused on the creation of a disruptive eVTOL aircraft that expands the horizons of current dimensions, shapes and opportunities. “Whatever you dream, begin it, for boldness has genius, power and magic in it” (Goethe), that is the philosophy by which Ms Farzam enters into highly competitive industries and yet, expands the existing technologies with her bold mindset.
Ms Farzam founded the company LYTE Aviation and has global leaders and investors of the aviation industry backing her up with her visionary venture.
Ms Farzam is a graduate of the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg.

Carolyn Forsyth is General Manager of Sales, Commercial & Customer Support for Heli-One, the world’s leading helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) company. In her role, Carolyn oversees the Sales, Commercial and Customer Support functions at Heli-One. Carolyn has nearly 30 years of experience in aviation and came to Heli-One after 15 years with Pratt & Whitney Canada, where she was latterly General Manager of the company’s aftermarket engine sales and leasing division and also held a number of prior positions of increasing responsibility in Marketing & Customer Support. Carolyn’s previous experience includes commercial positions in helicopter operations and maintenance with CHC, Bond Helicopters and Rotortech. Carolyn holds an MBA with concentrations in Strategy & Finance from McGill University in Montreal and a BCom in Business Studies from Edinburgh University and also holds a Private Pilot Licence (PPL).

Roberto Garavaglia holds a MSc in Aeronautical Engineering at the Milan Polytechnic and is now SVP Strategy & Innovation at Leonardo - Helicopter Division, a leading helicopter OEM with main industrial activities in Italy, UK, Poland, Switzerland and the USA.
He led AgustaWestland Marketing from 2003 to 2013, contributing, with his Italian and UK-based teams, to product definition, user segment development and sales achievements in both civil and military international markets.
In Dec. 1998, he joined Agusta SpA acting as area manager for civil sales in several Central and Northern European countries.
Between Jun. 1991 and Nov. 1998 he was in Toulouse at ATR, the regional aircraft manufacturer, holding several posts in Marketing and Sales, eventually leading the Airline Marketing team.
In 1989 he joined Aero Engineering, an aeronautical design Company in Milan, as a system and structural engineering analyst on several civil and military programmes.

Owen joined IBA in 1994 and is responsible for group sales revenue through managing and growing IBA's key client relationships. With nearly 40 years of banking, travel and aviation experience, Owen also oversees some of IBA's more complex projects, including the workout of distressed assets, acquisition due diligence and airline assessments.
Owen has previously worked at Bureau Veritas Aviation as Head of International Business Development, Thomas Cook as Retail Manager and Lloyds Bank. He regularly opines on industry news, writes articles and speaks at aviation conferences. Owen is a member of the Technical Committee, Hague Court of Arbitration for Aviation.

Michael Halaby has 20+ years of providing strategic funding advice to C-suite executives in the aviation, automotive and financial institution sectors on accessing the US$ and international bond, secured bank debt, and regional financing markets; he has arranged over US$122 billion in debt financing via ~270 transactions for borrowers in the US, Europe and Middle East. Michael is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society

— Based in London, Michael Halaby is Managing Director – Head of Aviation Advisory at MUFG Bank, Ltd. In this capacity, Michael’s role is to build and supervise the Aviation Advisory business for its global aviation partners including lessors, airlines and investors which aims to help its clients raise capital, offer aviation financial consultancy services such as a lease versus buy analysis or fleet financing options and provide advice on ESG strategies. He is an active speaker on ESG (see list below)

— Previously, Michael Halaby was Principal at Halaby Aero Limited, a consultancy actively involved in advising aviation firms on accessing debt and equity financing as well as ESG aviation finance. Assignments included advising a debut operating lessor on strategies to access the debt markets, assisting an aviation asset manager on their ESG policy, providing insight on regional aircraft, slots financing and on expansion into aircraft leasing. Michael has also written recent analyses on ESG in aviation finance, on the regional aircraft sector and on the debt capital markets for aviation. He wrote an ad-hoc market commentary, “Contrails of Consciousness”, which was read by hundreds of senior aviation professionals

— Michael was Head of Aviation Debt Origination – EMEA at Deutsche Bank in London for over six years; he was responsible for client coverage of airlines, aircraft operating lessors and aviation-related businesses across the debt product suite (eg secured bank debt, EETC, unsecured bonds, private placements, ABS, Schuldschein, Jolco); he increasingly spent time on equity private placements and M&A

— Previously Michael was a Senior Transactor in Deutsche Bank’s Structured Finance team structuring secured debt transactions for airlines and aircraft leasing companies located in EMEA and some select names in the US

— Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Michael worked at Valais Advisory for two years providing issuers and investors with impartial, independent assistance in securing and understanding debt capital markets financing

— Previous to Valais, Michael was at BNP Paribas in New York for six years as Managing Director — Debt Capital Markets where he was responsible for financials and aviation DCM. He personally executed 104 transactions with a total value of US$66.8 billion as Lead Manager/Bookrunner. Michael also built and ran the Yankee bond product group

— Before BNP Paribas, Michael worked for ABN AMRO, for ten years, initially in Amsterdam then London and New York in their Debt Capital Markets group covering US aviation, auto and FIG clients. At ABN AMRO, Michael executed 152 transactions with a total value of US$55.3bn as Lead Manager/Bookrunner

— Michael received his MBA from Columbia Business School and received his BSBA from the University of
Denver; he also attended the Université de la Sorbonne (diplomé in French Civilisation)

— Before business school, Michael worked in Paris for four years at American Express Carte – France and
American Express Bank – France

Mr. Hannan was appointed to the position of Senior Vice President, Technical Operations and Fleet Management in May 2019, following his appointment as Senior Vice President Technical Operations in September 2018. In his role he oversees new aircraft deliveries, fleet operations and transitions, and has technical oversight for the global fleet of over 330 Helicopters. Mr. Hannan has over 20 years of experience in the helicopter industry including senior roles with operators, distributors, lessors and MRO services providers. Prior to joining Milestone, he served as Vice President and General Manager of Precision Aviation Group (PAG) where he was responsible for the Canadian Division encompassing Fixed Wing and Helicopter Component Sales, Customer Support, Logistics and Operations. He was also a member of the PAG Group executive leadership team and the Transport Canada Accountable Executive. Mr. Hannan also led the Commercial and Customer Support Department at Heli-One Canada for four years, where his global team were responsible for all internal and external MRO support bids, PBH agreements, dynamic component work and pricing. A graduate of the University of Limerick, Kieran holds a Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering and diplomas in Business Finance and Leadership from University College Dublin Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.

Lee has extensive experience with helicopter and UAV operations supporting the renewable energy wind sector. With its rapid expansion and development, the offshore wind sector presents a dynamic environment with unique challenges and opportunities for aviation to contribute positively.

Leading the development of industry guidance to support the safe use of aviation, Lee founded and is currently chair of the HeliOffshore Windfarm Working group, is active in the G+ aviation workstreams, Flight Safety Foundation Technical Advisory Committees and works with OEM’s as well as multiple industry and regulatory bodies.

As a professional pilot for over 20 years, Lee has flown both onshore and offshore operations, holds a current ATPL(H) and an MSc in Aviation Management.

Joseph A. Hawke is President, CEO and Chairman of Uniflight, LLC, Grand Prairie, Texas, and founder and Chairman of Hawke Aerospace Group, Malvern, Pennsylvania, a private equity firm that is actively pursuing platform company acquisitions in the aerospace industry, with a special focus on the rotorcraft segment of the market.
Prior to forming Hawke Aerospace Group in 2007, Hawke was General Partner of Meridian Venture Partners and MVP II, Radnor, Pennsylvania where he was a Senior Member of the investment team for a firm with $200+ million cumulative capital under management. He began his tenure at MVP II in 2001 (now known as MVP Capital), where he was instrumental in redirecting the investment strategy towards middle market buyouts with deep industry access. Hawke was active on 7 portfolio company Boards, Chairman of 3. Hawke was responsible for
Innovating the aerospace investment practice at MVP, beginning with Keystone Helicopter Corporation in 2002. He completed a 2nd acquisition Composite Technology Inc. (CTI, based in Grand Prairie, TX) in 2004, then combined Keystone and CTI to prepare for sale. Executed successful stock sale to Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation in December 2005.
Negotiating the acquisition of Air Evac Lifeteam which closed in July 2004 with a majority equity co-investment from Brockway Moran & Partners. Led to formation of Air Medical Group Holdings in connection with a series of aquisitions of related air medical Part 135 operations (Critical Air Medicine, Southwest Helicopters, Med-Trans, et al). CIBC-led recap in 2006. Bain agreed to acquire AMGH for approximately $1B in August 2010.
Taking the role of acting CEO to lead the turnaround of Boston-based managed care services company MCMC, then recruited new industry veteran CEO. Effected a total of 9 acquisitions including platform investment, and raised over $20 million in senior credit facilities and $9 million of subordinated debt.
From May 1999 - September 2001 Hawke was Partner and Co-Founder, NewSpring Ventures, L.P., Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, a $90+ million venture capital firm.
Hawke began his career as a Commercial Banking Officer at First Fidelity Bank, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Hawke holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree (finance concentration) from Temple University Graduate School of Business and Management, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree (philosophy major) from Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania.

Jim Janaitis is a premier aviation attorney with a specialty in rotor wing operations and reputation for taking the time to understand each client's business and create bespoke solutions to accomplish their individual goals. He has extensive experience partnering with all types of rotor-wing businesses including maintenance and repair facilities, leasing and financing companies, charter operators, management companies, parts manufacturers and sellers, offshore operators, air medical operators, and companies acquiring targets that own aircraft or hold Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certificates. He is an Embry-Riddle graduate, has his pilot’s license, and, in addition to practicing aviation law for over a decade, has worked with an aviation consulting firm and the safety department of two national airlines.

Jaspal Jandu is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LCI and is responsible for running all facets of the business, including strategy and planning.
He was previously LCI’s Chief Financial Officer and played an instrumental role in developing its proven leasing platform and robust financial strategy. He spearheaded the development of the company’s partnerships with many leading financial institutions.
Prior to joining LCI in 2007, Jaspal worked for Morgan Stanley where he was responsible for numerous aviation investments. During this role, he transferred to the then in-house lessor, AWAS, remaining with the company until its divestment to Terra Firma. Jaspal has also held posts with the Society of British Aerospace Companies (SBAC) and has an established track record in the aviation industry.
Jaspal graduated from Essex University with a degree in Economics and completed his Economics Masters in 1996. Jaspal is also an alumnus of Harvard, Wharton, and London Business School, where he has completed a number of Executive Development programmes.

Jeff Juergens is the Director, Commercial O&G, for Lockheed Martin Corporation. In this capacity, he is responsible for leading the Corporation’s business development for new S-92 aircraft sales and aftermarket upgrades.

Previously, Mr. Juergens was the General Manager for PHI Americas, Latin America. In that role, he was an Accountable Manager and responsible for all aspects of Business Development, P&L, HR, Operations, Maintenance, and Safety) from January 2019 to February 2022.

He previously served as PHI’s International Sales & Marketing Manager, In that role, he was responsible for all aspects of International Business Development from August 2014 to December 2018.

Throughout his career, Mr. Juergens has been in the O&G industry successfully leading several initiatives and teams for new products, chemical services, and engineering solutions (pressure pumping, drilling, gas compression, and power generation) for other companies such as Caterpillar and Nalco.

Mr. Juergens graduated from Texas Tech University with an International Business degree.

Jason Kmiecik, ASA, is President and Owner of HeliValue$, Inc., the world's most trusted helicopter appraisal firm, and publisher of The Official Helicopter Blue Book®, the accepted standard for helicopter resale pricing information.
Jason is responsible for the execution and management of HeliValue$' corporate business strategy, internal appraisal processes, and programming of proprietary algorithms, appraiser staff, and Editor of The Official Helicopter Blue Book®. He frequently consults in aviation finance and lease sectors and participates in industry forums.
Before joining the HeliValue$ team, Jason entered the United States Marine Corps in 1998 to begin his career in the Aviation Industry. He worked as a mechanic on various models of airplanes and helicopters such as the F/A 18, C-130, T-34, CH-46, CH-53, and UH-1N during his ten years of Active Duty, reaching the rank of Sergeant and becoming a Quality Assurance Inspector serving in both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Jason is an Accredited Senior Appraiser of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA), holding accreditations in Machinery & Equipment and Aircraft Specific designations.

Nigel Leishman is Executive Vice President & Global Head of Marketing based at LCI’s Singapore representative office, Singapore Commercial Leasing, where he is responsible for developing commercial opportunities in the Asia Pacific region.

Born in Scotland, Nigel has been involved in commercial aviation for over 20 years including several management roles providing broad experience in all aspects of the air transport business.

He joined LCI in April 2008 from aircraft leasing company AWAS where he was Vice President Sales based in Singapore. During his seven years with AWAS he concluded many transactions throughout Asia including China.

Prior to joining AWAS, he was Customer Marketing Director for Airbus for six years, based in Toulouse and latterly Sydney. In this role he was instrumental in several new aircraft deals in Europe and Asia-Pacific region.

Earlier in his career he also worked with DHLWorldwide Express in the Middle East and airline Air Europe based in London-Gatwick.

Nigel holds a Masters degree in Air Transport Management from Cranfield University, where he graduated top of his class, and previously studied at Edinburgh University and the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Frank Liemandt – Consulting offers more than 25 years of experience in the fields of PR, Sales, Marketing and Politics. He is advising SMEs, associations and public clients with the major focus on aerospace. On behalf of the European Helicopter Association EHA, he is working as the Show Director for the new leading event in the rotorcraft sector: EUROPEAN ROTORS – The VTOL show and safety conference. He is also general manager for the German Helicopter Association (DHV).

Thato Matsha is a Senior Aviation Finance Consultant at Investec Bank with over 9 years’ experience in aviation finance. She is focused on providing financing solutions across various aviation assets including commercial aircraft, freighters, business jets and helicopters. Thato holds strong relationship with airlines, operating lessors, OEMs and operators. Thato Matsha has been involved in over 50 transactions across Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas. She is a qualified chartered accountant, with a Bachelor of Commerce in accounting from the University of Cape Town.

Crispin Maunder joined LCI in 2006 to establish its leasing platform, serving as CEO until January 2012 when he was appointed Executive Chairman.
Crispin has almost 50 years' experience in aviation. Upon graduation from Imperial College, University of London in 1971 with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering, he entered Court Line Aviation the then leading UK charter airline. In 1974 he joined the marketing team at British Aircraft Corporation concentrating on the BAC One-Eleven programme. This was then followed by a period working in the Middle East and Africa with Autair Limited, a helicopter operator and aircraft trader.
In 1977 he joined Short Brothers to lead their sales efforts in Africa and the Middle East, taking on European Sales in 1983, before being appointed General Manager – Aircraft Trading Division, to drive Short Brothers' move into aircraft leasing and trading.
He joined Ansett Worldwide in 1989 as Regional Sales Director – Europe, before being appointed as EVP Sales and Marketing in 1991 to head up the lessor's global sales and marketing activities. Subsequently he also took on management of the lessor’s technical capability. In 2002 he was appointed EVP – Strategic Development assuming responsibility for the company’s strategic planning and business development processes, and a member of Ansett Worldwide Aviation Holdings board.
Crispin is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Régis Magnac started his career within RTE in 1998. After having led different operational teams, he became Managing Director of RTE’s helicopter operations in 2007. From 2008 to 2012, Régis was
elected Vice-President of the SNEH (French civil operators association) and was a Member of the Board as Vice President of the UFH (French Helicopter Association). He joined Airbus Helicopters in 2012 as Vice-President. He has led Operational Marketing teams for six years. After leading the Oil&Gas and Leasing businesses for two years, his role has been extended in 2021 to Energy, Leasing and Global Accounts.
In 2014, Régis was awarded the “Medaille de l’Aeronautique” distinction by the French Minister of Transport."

Clark McGinn has been active in the helicopter sector for fifteen years and has closed around USD7Bn in transactions as a financier (managing RBS's rotary business), as an operator (heading CHC's Dublin leasing company), and as a lessor (leading Waypoint's global sales group). He now advises new capital investors on stressed opportunities in the helicopter world Clark has been active in the mission-critical helicopter sector since 2004, closing over USD 8Bn in transactions. Uniquely, he has held senior roles in leading a global bank’s rotary business (at RBS), creating a captive lessor/asset finance hub in Dublin for the then largest helicopter operator (CHC), and building out the international network of relationship managers at the then biggest independent lessor (Waypoint).
Through his consultancy, Uplifting Advice, he now acts as a trusted advisor to significant investors across the spectrum of the helicopter industry and is a regular keynote speaker at Helicopter Investor (and other conferences).
Beyond helicopters, Clark is Honorary Research Fellow at the Centre for Robert Burns Studies in the University of Glasgow, having completed his PhD there on the history of the Burns Supper. Amongst his published books, and academic articles, his popular The Ultimate Burns Supper Book (Luath, £7.99) was first published in 2006 and is now in its Third Edition and is based on his experience having spoken at over two hundred Burns Suppers in twenty countries. He also serves on committees for The Caledonian Club in London, the Robert Burns World Federation.

Mr. Moulin was appointed to the position of Head of Europe & Americas in May 2019, following his appointment as Vice President Commercial Europe in June 2015. He has over 15 years’ experience in the helicopter industry. In his role, he has responsibility for leading Milestone’s global commercial team as well as achieving growth targets, portfolio placements, budgets and customer service resolution, with a primary geographic focus on customers in Europe and the Americas regions. As Head of Europe & Americas, he is also responsible for Milestone’s fleet of Airbus and Leonardo Helicopters and manages relationships with OEM partners. He started his career with Airbus Helicopters in France, and from there moved to Airbus Helicopters in South East Asia where he was responsible for helicopter sales in the civilian markets of The Philippines and Indonesia. He then joined Bell Helicopter as Regional Sales Manager in Europe where he successfully introduced the B429 into the Western European market with major breakthroughs in France, Switzerland and the UK. He holds a Master’s degree in International Business from the Kedge Business School in France.

• 50 Years, Swiss, Master of Arts (University of Berne)
• Chairman and Technical Director of European Helicopter Association
• 10 Years at Next Generation Flight Training and NGFT Consulting
• 10 Years as Senior Consultant in International Financial Institutions
• 8 Years as Head of Training (HT) of Helicopter Pilot School (ATO)
• Member of RAeS
• CPL/IR, FI (A/H) EASA/FAA
• QM CAMO
• Lt Col, Staff Officer, Swiss Air Force, General Staff

Jeremy Parkin is Managing Director of Parapex Media, a specialist market intelligence agency for the aviation industry. The activities of Parapex Media include an airframe-by-airframe database of the world's turbine helicopters, a Press/PR function primarily targetting the helicopter and corporate jet industries, a social media management agency and an industry news website.

The Parapex Media turbine helicopter database brings together Jeremy's IT skills and deep knowledge of the helicopter industry. He made his first helicopter data sale while studying Computer Science at university, and with a research team has built up an enviable research system which monitors updates across social media, industry news, flight activity data and close monitoring of every OEM's production lines. The constant trawling for information has also led to global data files on landing pad locations, operating contracts, superyachts and helicopter sales inventories. The data is made available via bespoke marketing reports and data download.

Jeremy founded the world's first news website for the helicopter industry in 1999, and today that is manifest as HeliHub.com - covering civil and military news from all corners of the globe, as well as a wealth of safety data and documentation. The news website provides research data to the database, and the database research identifies news stories which would otherwise not be surfaced.

John Petkovic is a transformational finance and business executive with 20+ years of experience in global aviation finance. With a specialty in helicopters, he is recognized for leading Macquarie’s helicopter finance business, Macquarie Rotorcraft. He excels in challenging environments and has an extensive background in guiding large-scale business transformations and turnarounds.
Chief Executive Officer of Macquarie Rotorcraft since 2015, John guided the business through one of the worst downturns in industry history. He stabilized the business by investing in the right assets, developing a new lending model, and leading the integration of Waypoint, the world’s second-largest helicopter lessor, following its acquisition out of bankruptcy in 2019. Since then, he has taken the business to new heights and positioned it for its next stage of growth including EVTOLs. Over the past two years, he and his team centralized the U.S. operation in Dallas, TX.
Before taking the lead of Macquarie Rotorcraft, John served as Chief Financial Officer of Macquarie AirFinance, where he directed accounting, strategy, investor relations, and portfolio management of the company’s $8B in aircraft investments. During his tenure as CFO, he guided aircraft investment and managed the due diligence and execution of a large aircraft portfolio from AWAS.
He previously held roles within the Macquarie Asset Finance team and was instrumental in establishing Macquarie AirFinance, a global aircraft leasing business and being part of the team that acquired GATX Air. Following that acquisition John stayed in San Francisco, CA and joined the Macquarie AirFinance business.
John entered the private transportation leasing and finance space as Head of Corporate Strategy for AWAS (a Morgan Stanley-owned aircraft lessor) and supported the sale of the business to private equity firm Terra Firma in 2006. He then joined the Macquarie team, where he has become a thought leader in aviation finance and leasing.
John previously worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers and is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. He holds a degree in Commerce from the University of New South Wales. Learn more about him at LinkedIn.com/in/john-petkovic.

Grant Newman is the Chief Financial Officer of Elroy Air, where he leads the company’s finance and legal departments.

Grant is an experienced finance and aviation executive. He served as SVP, Strategy & Corporate Development at Era Helicopters, where he led the company’s M&A, capital markets and strategic initiatives. He also led Era’s merger with Bristow Helicopters and subsequently served as the combined company’s Treasurer & Head of Investor Relations. Previously, he spent a decade as an investment banker at Deutsche Bank covering transportation, aviation, and commercial aerospace. At Deutsche Bank he led Americas Commercial Aerospace and Global Helicopter Coverage. Grant began his professional career at General Electric, where he graduated from GE’s Financial Management Program and served in several other finance and project leadership roles.
Grant has an MBA from Duke University and has served as a member of the Fuqua School of Business Alumni Council since 2017. He received an MS in Finance and a BS in Economics and Government & Politics from the University of Maryland, College Park, where he also served as the captain of the varsity wrestling team.

Bio coming soon...

Olivier founded the NOVA CAPITAL Group in 2002, a privately owned investment and advisory group of companies fully dedicated to asset finance.
Acting as group CEO, Olivier turned the NOVA CAPITAL HELICOPTERS division into a leading globally recognized helicopter lessor with a proven 20 years track-record within the industry. With a current fleet of 100 helicopter and aircraft in operation, the company reached a total fleet value of circa 400 M$ as at 2021 year-end. NOVA CAPITAL HELICOPTERS is a unique full service and highly adaptable leasing platform, exclusively dedicated to the on-shore helicopter services industry.
Prior to the inception of NOVA CAPITAL Group, Olivier held some senior management positions within a leading French banking institution, including among others, Senior Vice President and head of Structured Asset Finance practice. He headed a team of professionals in charge of sourcing, structuring, and managing complex asset finance transactions in various sectors such as aviation, shipping, rail, energy, and real estate, mostly using optimized structured leasing solutions.
Olivier started his career at the Paris Bar, working as a qualified lawyer with a US Law firm, specializing in asset finance transactions.
Olivier graduated from Institut d'Etudes Politques de Paris (IEP Paris). He holds a postgraduate degree in business and tax law from University of Paris II and was subsequently admitted to the Paris Bar. Olivier was also a lecturer at University of Paris IX-Dauphine for several years, and is a regular contributor at some major asset finance and leasing events.

NOVA CAPITAL
Founded in 2002, Nova Capital is a privately owned leasing company with offices in Ireland, France and Portugal.
We are a specialist helicopter lessor with an asset portfolio approaching $400m between owned and managed assets. Our portfolio is largely focused on the on-shore mission critical space.

We are very proud of our long-standing relationships with the major OEMS and selected financiers, which in turn empowers our mission to continually support our own customers’ needs by providing efficient asset financing solutions and delivering real value to their businesses.

Ismael Rhissa Zakary is responsible for the development of long-range business objectives and strategic plans for Pratt and Whitney Canada. His role encompasses identifying and developing Pratt & Whitney Canada services in Europe, Africa and Middle-east as well as leading range of Aftermarket/ MRO support activities.
Ismael holds a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) in strategy from Queen’s University, a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from “Ecole des Hautes Etudes commercial” (HEC) and a Post Graduate degree in Finance and Treasury from McGill University.
About Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft and helicopter engines, and auxiliary power units. Follow Pratt & Whitney on social media. United Technologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut, provides high-technology systems and services to the building and aerospace industries.

Dan is Owner and Chief Executive Officer of Lobo Leasing.
Dan graduated from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and qualified as an English lawyer with the law firm Allen & Overy LLP. Subsequently, Dan worked with the commercial fixed-wing leasing company ILFC (now AerCap) and then joined Lobo Leasing in 2014.

Steve spent 17 years at an energy-sector research and consulting business in a number of roles including Director and Board member. He led the firm’s oilfield services (OFS) research business unit and initiated coverage in several key OFS areas including offshore helicopters. He also led and contributed to hundreds of bespoke consulting projects including commercial due diligence mandates relating to oilfield services and also helicopter companies such as CHC, NHV, Bond (now Babcock), Weststar and Pathfinder Aviation.

He participated in a management buy-in in 2009 and a subsequent sale of the business to a private equity firm in 2015. In 2019 he formed Air & Sea Analytics to focus solely on offshore aviation. He is a regular speaker at industry events worldwide including Helicopter Investor, Vertical Flight (previously Helitech) and private conferences held by OEMs. He has a degree in Computing and Economics and completed an MBA at Kent Business School.

Tim has had an exceptional 30-year career at Bristow Helicopters as a professional helicopter pilot in offshore, SAR, military support and VIP operations; and has extensive experience across the key disciplines of large helicopter operations, pilot training and safety management systems. He rose to Director Safety (EAMEA) and Global Safety Assurance and was a Board Member for six Bristow companies.

Tim was a core founder member of HeliOffshore in 2014, co-leads HeliOffshore’s operational effectiveness workstream and was commended for his ‘Outstanding Contribution to Offshore Helicopter Safety’ at HeliOffshore’s conference in 2018.

As Chief Executive Officer, Tim now leads HeliOffshore’s mission, strategy and delivery to ensure no lives are lost in offshore aviation.

Bio coming soon...

João Paulo Servera leads Veirano's Aviation & Aircraft Finance group and focus his
practice on corporate law, aircraft and engine financing and general aviation matters. JP
advises in a variety of matters, including foreign investment and crossborder
transactions, with significant experience in asset financing transactions, especially
in respect to commercial aircraft and engines, general aviation, offshore helicopters and
spare parts acquisition. JP assists ECAs, banks, financiers and lessors, as well as
borrowers, lessees and operators and holds extensive background in aircraft-related
commercial litigation, mostly involving aircraft repossession, insolvency procedures and
bankruptcy. Important clients also rely in JP for corporate, regulatory and customs matters
support.

Ms. Tomkiel has extensive experience in numerous business affairs and transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, cross-border joint ventures, aircraft and equipment leasing, purchasing and financing, public market transactions, government relations, Melissa Tomkiel is the President and General Counsel of Blade Urban Air Mobility, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLDE) (“Blade”), a technology-powered, global urban air mobility platform committed to reducing travel friction by enabling cost-effective air transportation alternatives to some of the most congested ground routes in the U.S. and abroad. Ms. Tomkiel began her career at Blade in 2015 as its President of Fixed Wing Operations and General Counsel. Prior to Blade, Ms. Tomkiel was President of LIMA NY Corp., a commuter air carrier operating amphibious seaplanes and rotorcraft. From 2006 to 2010, Ms. Tomkiel was a corporate attorney in the New York office of Pryor Cashman.

Ms. Tomkiel has extensive experience in numerous business affairs and transactions, including corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, cross-border joint ventures, aircraft and equipment leasing, purchasing and financing, public market transactions, government relations, corporate governance and securities compliance.

Ms. Tomkiel earned her Juris Doctor degree from St. John’s University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Robert Van de Vuurst has overseen and been directly responsible for more than $4 Billion in aircraft purchases and sales, both domestically and internationally, involving both original equipment manufacturers (OEM's) and private parties. Significantly, he has spent much of his professional career as outside general counsel for major aviation industry clients, including 12 years for Edwards and Associates, Inc., which at the time was the largest independent broker-dealer of used helicopters in the world. Robert currently serves as counsel for Dart Helicopter Services, the world's largest aftermarket helicopter accessory manufacturer; Eagle Copters, Ltd., Ozark Aeroworks, Wysong Enterprises, and PHI Group, Inc. From 2004 to 2010, Robert was outside general counsel for Era Group, Inc. (now a publicly traded company), and from 2010 to 2012 he served as the COO of the company and as President of Era Helicopters, LLC, one of the largest helicopter operators in the world. Robert was also one of the founders of, and General Counsel for, Waypoint Leasing (Ireland) Ltd., which was the largest independent helicopter leasing company in the world, with over $2 Billion in helicopter assets.

Ms. Tomkiel has extensive experience in numerous business affairs and transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, cross-border joint ventures, aircraft and equipment leasing, purchasing and financing, public market transactions, government relations, Melissa Tomkiel is the President and General Counsel of Blade Urban Air Mobility, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLDE) (“Blade”), a technology-powered, global urban air mobility platform committed to reducing travel friction by enabling cost-effective air transportation alternatives to some of the most congested ground routes in the U.S. and abroad. Ms. Tomkiel began her career at Blade in 2015 as its President of Fixed Wing Operations and General Counsel. Prior to Blade, Ms. Tomkiel was President of LIMA NY Corp., a commuter air carrier operating amphibious seaplanes and rotorcraft. From 2006 to 2010, Ms. Tomkiel was a corporate attorney in the New York office of Pryor Cashman.

Ms. Tomkiel has extensive experience in numerous business affairs and transactions, including corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, cross-border joint ventures, aircraft and equipment leasing, purchasing and financing, public market transactions, government relations, corporate governance and securities compliance.

Ms. Tomkiel earned her Juris Doctor degree from St. John’s University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Ed Washecka has more than 20 years of experience in the helicopter operating and leasing industries. At RACE Aviation Partners, Mr. Washecka is focused on the leasing, repurposing and part out of distressed value helicopter assets.
Mr. Washecka founded Waypoint Leasing and built the company into the 2nd largest helicopter lessor with more than 155 helicopters worth $1.6 billion. Prior to founding Waypoint with more than $400 million in equity commitments, Mr. Washecka was CEO of Era Group Inc. (NYSE: ERA), formerly the helicopter subsidiary of SEACOR Holdings (NYSE: CKH). Over the course of a decade, Mr. Washecka built SEACOR's small seed investment of $50,000 in a struggling helicopter operator to more than US$700 million in helicopter assets through organic growth and acquisition. Era's 800+ employees operated and supported more than 175 helicopters in the US, China, Australia, Brazil, India and other major markets. While leading Era's helicopter operating business, Mr. Washecka pioneered Era Leasing, which grew to encompass 45 medium and heavy helicopters leased to operators in more than a dozen countries worldwide. Era's leasing operations led other investors into the space and helped develop the sector as a source of equipment for operators.
Mr. Washecka is a graduate of Yale University and Columbia Business School.

I am Jean-Marc Youkhana, owner of Uplifting aviation. I started my journey in the aviation industry in 1991 with a 6 year apprenticeship working with Air Provence international and Aerotech, based at Marseille Provence airport.

Air Provence international is one of the largest French air taxi and business jet operators and Aerotech is part 145 of the approved maintenance service centre, also based in Marseille Provence airport.
Within my apprenticeship, I attended the school in Annecy (IPAC) where I graduated with a business degree in sales engineering in 1997. Back then I was the youngest sales engineer in France to market airframes, engines, equipment and maintenance and overall services.

In 1997, I made the decision to move to the UK to learn English so as to further my career and create opportunities. I began working with Pratt and Whitney Canada, CSG GMBH, located in Farnborough, working as their customer support engineer looking after the French market. In 1998, I was offered an opportunity to join the Rolls Royce model 250 programme with H&S aviation in Portsmouth. I oversaw the business development and account management of all French speaking aircrafts and operators around the world.

As a primarily self-taught professional, my key drive has always been to put into practice the extensive knowledge I have gained from industry experts through a wide spectrum of activities such as maintenance and engineering, manufacturing, operations, export regulations, legalities, fiscal, investment, leasing, and many more.

Pursuing my long-held passion for selling helicopters and other aircraft, I launched Uplifting Aviation in 2002.

For the past 18 years, the company has grown steadily and has allowed me to develop an important network of the most respected, highly experienced and most reliable aviation specialists across the industry.

Since its inception Uplifting Aviation has managed just under $1.5 billion of transactions covering:
Helicopter brokerage and trading activities
Commercial aircraft deals
Business jets sales and acquisitions
Aircraft, helicopters, engines and components MRO services and trading
Aviation business sales and acquisition
Consulting services
Having invested the best part of the last 30 years and 60,000 hours in the Aviation industry, I am confident I am now in a position to undertake any missions that encompasses our field of knowledge and expertise.

Mr. York was appointed to the position of Head of Emerging Markets in May 2019, following his appointment as Vice President Commercial - Turkey, India, Middle East & Africa in June 2015. In this role, he has responsibility for jointly leading the Milestone’s global Commercial team as well as driving, developing and managing the Company’s overall Commercial strategy, global business development, initiatives, origination and growth. He has 30 years of industry experience in military, business, entrepreneurial & commercial leadership roles in Australia and Internationally. He graduated as a military officer with a Bachelor of Science degree from the Australian Defence Force Academy, he then went on to serve as a military leader, Helicopter pilot and Fighter pilot, flying and instructing on the F/A-18 Hornet, including three years serving on exchange with the US Navy. Mr. York graduated with an MBA (with distinction) from the University of Newcastle, and holds an Advanced Diploma in Personnel and Operations Management, as well as an Advanced Diploma of Government (Management).