Tony Diaz serves as Chairman of Zephyrus Aviation Capital. 

Mr. Diaz was previously President of CIT Aerospace. Also previously serving as an Executive Vice President of CIT Aerospace, Mr. Diaz was associated with subsidiaries and affiliates of CIT from 1987 through 2017. At CIT, he was responsible for running CIT Aerospace, which consisted of 467 commercial aircraft in total, valued at approximately $10 billion dollars of owned, managed and committed aircraft. From 1981 to 1987, he was employed by People Express Airlines (which was subsequently merged into Continental Airlines) in a variety of operational and financial capacities. Prior to 1981, he was employed by Cessna Finance Company, primarily involved in aircraft finance. He has also served as a Director of CIT Aerospace International Ltd.

Mr. Diaz holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and an Associate of Science degree from the State University of New York at Farmingdale.

Damon J. D’Agostino is the President & Chief Executive Officer of Zephyrus Aviation Capital.

Mr. D’Agostino is the former Chief Commercial Officer for CIT Aerospace, one of the world’s leading aircraft leasing companies. As Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. D'Agostino was responsible for all aspects of CIT’s commercial strategy and execution, including aircraft sale and lease transactions, airline relationship management, contract negotiation, restructurings, and new aircraft and engine acquisitions. Prior to that role, he served as Chief Sales Officer, with global responsibility for marketing CIT’s aircraft portfolio which, by 2017, exceeded 350 aircraft valued at eleven billion dollars.

Under his eleven years of leadership, the business grew by more than 45% while delivering consistent year-over-year profitability growth and maintaining a greater than 99% asset utilization rate through industry peaks and troughs. He has negotiated the purchase of eight separate new aircraft orders, totaling 120 aircraft, with a list price value of $20 billion dollars. In 2017, Mr. D’Agostino, along with select members of CIT’s senior management team, sold the Commercial Air business to Avolon for a 6.7% premium to book.

Starting his career in the early 1990s, Mr. D’Agostino held a succession of sales and marketing roles and responsibilities with his personal transaction success including the sale, lease and financing of over 170 aircraft.

With a passion and desire to give back to the community, Mr. D’Agostino has been an active member of the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (ISTAT) since 1996 and has served as a trustee of the ISTAT Foundation since 2012, where he has held the role of Chairman and currently serves as Vice-Chairman. In addition, he serves on a number of nonprofit and education boards and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and in university classrooms.

Mr. D'Agostino is a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aviation Business Administration, with a concentration in Finance. He also received an MBA in International Business from the University of Miami where he was summa cum laude and valedictorian of his graduating class.

Robert J. Meade is the Chief Commercial Officer of Zephyrus Aviation Capital.

Mr. Meade is the former Director of Marketing Strategy and Asset Sales for CIT Aerospace, with responsibilities for directing all activity for CIT’s new aircraft order book and existing portfolio which exceeded 350 commercial aircraft and managing a team responsible for marketing assets to worldwide buyers.

During his career at CIT, Mr. Meade had a variety of roles and responsibilities within the marketing team including US and European airline relationship management, mature and late life asset sales since 2008, transaction and deal team management, airline default and distressed asset resolution, portfolio management, fleet evaluation, and marketing strategy development. During his tenure at CIT Aerospace, Mr. Meade contributed to the successful remarketing of over 275 aircraft to nearly 140 customers in 49 countries while maintaining over 99% fleet utilization rate.

Mr. Meade served in the US Air Force as an Aircraft Armament System Specialist and a campaign badge veteran who earned the rank of Technical Sergeant. He is a graduate of Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation with a focus on Management and Marketing. Mr. Meade is a long-time member of the International Society of Aircraft Trading (ISTAT) and serves on education advisory and charitable boards.

Susan Geitzenauer is the Chief Operating Officer of Zephyrus Aviation Capital.

Ms. Geitzenauer previously served as Vice President - Commercial Transactions for Castlelake Aviation, where she managed lease, sale and finance transactions with respect to the firm’s commercial aviation portfolio.  Prior to Castlelake, Ms. Geitzenauer served as Director and Head of Contracts at CIT Aerospace (now Avolon) for ten years.  While at CIT, Ms. Geitzenauer helped to create and grow the Contracts team from a “party of one” to a team of seven professionals focused on drafting, negotiating and managing the commercial aviation transactions for CIT’s fleet of 350+ aircraft.  In addition, she played a key role in the development of processes and procedures related to transaction, contract and document management, including implementing procedures and efficiencies to minimize the time between LOI execution and closing.

Ms. Geitzenauer started her career in aviation at International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC) in Los Angeles in 1994 as a Contract Manager focused on managing transactions and relationships with airlines based in North and South America.  In 1999, she relocated to Minnesota with her family and assisted in the development and growth of the commercial aviation practice at the law firm of Fafinski Mark & Johnson, where she served as the Aviation Transaction Manager for over eight years.

Ms. Geitzenauer holds a B.A. in Spanish and sociology from Augustana University and is conversational in Spanish, having studied in Panama, Mexico, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Richard F. Genge is the Director of Fleet Strategy at Zephyrus Aviation Capital.

Mr. Genge is a former Assistant Vice President – Marketing & Asset Sales at CIT Aerospace where he was responsible for sourcing opportunities for new & used aircraft lease transactions along with uncovering trading opportunities in the Americas and Europe. Additionally, he was an integral part of a cross-functional team evaluating used aircraft and engines while presenting fleet optionality to maximize asset returns and improving bottom-line results. He has over fourteen years of aviation experience, including eight years of sales and marketing experience at CIT Aerospace.

Mr. Genge joined the Fort Lauderdale team at CIT Aerospace as a Marketing Analyst Intern in 2009 where he caught the aircraft leasing and financing “bug”. Over the next eight years as he advanced through the organization from Marketing Analyst to Assistant Vice President – Marketing & Asset Sales. Throughout the years, Mr. Genge’s responsibilities included airline & sales support for airlines located in North & South America, as well as Europe. While at CIT he was involved in the negotiation of ~100 aircraft lease & sales contracts while also administering aircraft leases in specific geographic areas managing up to 60 aircraft at the time. Furthermore, he managed the deal teams that oversaw lease and MOU negotiations, aircraft deliveries and redeliveries, bankruptcies, and lease restructurings for airlines in the Americas and Europe.

Mr. Genge graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, magna cum laude and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aviation Business Administration, with a concentration in Airline Management. He later received his MBA in Aviation Management, with distinction from Embry-Riddle. His native tongue is German, and he is fluent in English and speaks conversational Spanish.

David Gleeson is the Director of Technical & Asset Management at Zephyrus Aviation Capital.

Mr. Gleeson is a former Fleet Management Director at Dubai Aerospace Enterprises (DAE) where he was responsible for technical and asset management of multiple aircraft within Europe, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.  At DAE, Mr. Gleeson managed the technical aspects of aircraft and asset transactions, including LOI and lease negotiations, lease administration, aircraft delivery and redelivery processes, maintenance reserve analysis, aircraft sale processes, and default analysis and management. 

Prior to working with DAE, Mr. Gleeson worked in a similar capacity as Vice President Technical at CIT Aerospace (now Avolon) within the EMEA region.

Mr. Gleeson initially trained at Shannon Aerospace (now Lufthansa, Shannon) commencing in 1993 as an Aircraft Maintenance Technician, and subsequently moving to Team Aer Lingus (Dublin) working initially as an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer and later within the Planning Department. 

Mr. Gleeson is a graduate of T.U. Blanchardstown with a Bachelor of Business Studies degree (with Distinction) and also holds a Specialist Diploma in Aviation Leasing and Finance (with First Class Honours) from the University of Limerick.

Aileen McElroy is the Director of Structuring & Planning at Zephyrus Aviation Capital.

Ms. McElroy has over ten years' experience in the aircraft lease and finance sector. She previously served as Director of Financial Services with Canyon CTS where she was actively involved in establishing and managing a broad range of services to multiple aviation structures. Throughout her career, Ms. McElroy has worked closely with airlines, lessors, investment managers and private equity funds.

Ms. McElroy has developed a wide range of knowledge throughout her time in the changing environment of aviation financial services. She has been involved in the set-up of multi-jurisdictional ABS facilities, joint venture fund platforms, warehouse debt-financing facilities, and pre-delivery payment financing transactions to single entity asset owning vehicles. Within each of the structures, Ms. McElroy was involved in the establishment and full service of the platform in Ireland.

In addition, Ms. McElroy has extensive experience as a director, having served on the board of the Irish operations for several international aviation entities. Her knowledge and experience span from corporate, legal, transaction and governance issues to management and employment matters.

Ms. McElroy is a graduate of the University of Wales and holds a Bachelor of Law Degree (LLB). She also received a Diploma in Aircraft Leasing and Financing from the Law Society of Ireland.

John Lenfestey is the Financial Controller at Zephyrus Aviation Capital.

Mr. Lenfestey is an associate of Chartered Accountants Ireland and has over eight years' experience in the aircraft leasing industry. 

Prior to joining the Zephyrus team, Mr. Lenfestey worked with Goshawk Aviation, where he had finance responsibilities for their managed assets portfolio. Prior to this, Mr. Lenfestey worked with Canyon CTS, where he gained a detailed understanding of ABS structures and provided management oversight in the provision of managing agent services across several transactions.

In addition, Mr. Lenfestey previously worked with Elix Aviation Capital, where he held a variety of finance roles focusing on reporting (investor, management & statutory), cashflow forecasting, budgeting and management of accounts payable function.

Mr. Lenfestey is a graduate of the National University of Ireland, Galway, and holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree, a Bachelor of Laws Degree (LLB) and a Higher Diploma in Business Studies.

Mikhail Baskov is a Senior Vice President of Zephyrus Aviation Capital.

Mr. Baskov is a former Vice President – Marketing at CIT Aerospace, then at Avolon, where he was responsible for sourcing opportunities for new & used aircraft lease transactions in Russia/CIS and North Africa. While at CIT he was leading negotiation of over 20 aircraft lease and sales contracts while also administering aircraft leases with 20 airlines in 10 countries. Furthermore, he managed the deal teams that oversaw lease and MOU negotiations, aircraft deliveries and redeliveries, bankruptcies and lease restructuring.

Prior to joining CIT in 2009, Mr. Baskov headed Business Planning Department at KD Avia airline in Russia from 2005. He was part of the successful start and growth of this first true hub-&-spoke operating model in the country. As part of his job at the airline he was negotiating aircraft lease and acquisition contracts with several leasing companies.

From 1998 to 2005 Mr. Baskov was employed by The Boeing Company in their Moscow office as Regional Director Marketing working as part of Boeing global Sales team to establish Boeing’s solid presence at the market of the former Soviet Union.

Mr. Baskov has graduated with the Russian equivalent of magna cum laude from Bauman Moscow State Technical University with Engineer degree in spacecraft design. He later received Professional Diploma in Airline Finance, with honors from University in Limerick in Ireland. His native tongue is Russian, and he is fluent in English. In his spare time he pursues a career in aerial video/photography and is a competitive skydiver.

Graham Niven is a Senior Vice President at Zephyrus Aviation Capital.

Mr. Niven has over 27 years of experience in aircraft leasing and finance and was most recently a Senior Vice President at Avolon, where he led and was responsible for the marketing operations team in Greater China, while based in Avolon's Hong Kong office. During his two years at Avolon, Mr. Niven's team signed MOUs and lease agreements for 12x 737MAX, 5x A330NEO, 3x B787-9 and 40x A320NEO aircraft.

Prior to Avolon, Mr. Niven worked as a Vice President of Marketing for CIT Aerospace, initially based in their Singapore office covering Asia (including the Indian sub-continent), and laterally in their Dublin office, covering Middle and Eastern European countries.  While at CIT, Mr. Niven was responsible for sourcing opportunities for new and used aircraft lease transactions, and for managing deal teams in connection with MOU and lease negotiations, aircraft deliveries and redeliveries, as well as bankruptcy and lease restructurings. During his CIT tenure, Mr. Niven was directly responsible for more than 65 new and used aircraft deliveries across 14 countries.

After graduating from the University of North Wales, Mr. Niven worked in the UK for Lombard North Central, an asset finance company, before moving to China, where he worked as a consultant to CIT, AJW Aviation, IBA, and Chapman Freeborn.

David Porter-Smith is a Senior Vice President of Zephyrus Aviation Capital.

Mr. Porter-Smith is a former Vice President-Technical at Avolon and CIT Aerospace, where he was responsible for Technical and Asset Management of multiple aircraft across various countries within Africa, Europe and the Indian subcontinent. 

During his tenure at CIT, Mr. Porter-Smith managed the technical aspects of numerous transactions, including lease negotiations, lease administration, aircraft delivery and redelivery process, contract restructuring, default management, and insurance claims.  Additionally, Mr. Porter-Smith was the CIT fleet focal point for airframe structural issues and developments; working closely with Airbus, Boeing, and airlines to advise and steer resolutions.

Prior to joining CIT, Mr. Porter-Smith worked in various areas of the aviation Industry including, Production, Maintenance, Planning, Project Management, Airline Fleet Projects.  Following completion of his apprenticeship at British Aerospace (BAe) he gained extensive knowledge and experience at maintenance facilities throughout Europe. He progressed to Engineering and Planning for both production and in-service Aircraft which led to various support and management roles within Avrotec, a maintenance division of BAe.  From 1997 to 2001 he was employed by Air 2000 (now Thomson Airlines) where he established and constructed the airlines’ Fleet Projects department; managing a fleet of over 35 narrow-body and wide-body Airbus and Boeing Aircraft with responsibilities including acquisitions and returns, new Aircraft programs, deliveries, interiors and modifications.

David H. Treitel is a Senior Vice President of Zephyrus Aviation Capital.

Mr. Treitel was formerly with Apollo Aviation Group (now Carlyle Aviation Partners) where he was responsible for capital raising and strategy serving as Managing Director, Senior Vice President, and Special Advisor.  He was also a member of the firm’s Investment Committee and was on the Company’s Board of Directors. 

Prior to joining Apollo Aviation Group, Mr. Treitel was Co-Chair of the Energy, Climate and Transportation Practice of ICF International, Inc., a NASDAQ listed consulting company.  He was also Chairman, CEO, and President of SH&E, Inc., one of the world’s largest aviation consultancies, which was acquired by ICF International.   While at SH&E and ICF, Mr. Treitel frequently spoke at industry conferences and testified as an industry expert on numerous occasions including in front of Congressional sub-Committees.

Mr. Treitel is also a Trustee of several aircraft leasing securitizations.  He was formerly a member of the Board of Directors of both TransDigm, Inc. and Midwest Express Holdings, Inc., the parent company of Midwest Express Airlines.

Mr. Treitel has always had an interest in giving back to the industry and community.  He was a long-standing member of ISTAT where he was also a Trustee of the ISTAT Foundation for many years.  He has been a governor of the Wing’s Club.  Recently, Mr. Treitel was Chairman of the Florida Grand Opera’s Board of Directors. 

Mr. Treitel holds an MBA from Columbia University.  He graduated with a BA with Honors from Middlebury College.

Sonya Aherne is Vice President, Powerplants at Zephyrus Aviation Capital.

Mrs. Aherne has over twenty years’ experience in the aircraft leasing and engine maintenance industry, having previously served as Powerplant and Maintenance Reserve Director at Dubai Aerospace Enterprises (DAE), where she was responsible for engine and APU technical support during aircraft transitions, lease negotiations and aircraft acquisitions. During her time with DAE, Mrs. Aherne was actively involved in DAE maintenance budget preparation and instrumental in developing the DAE customer portal.

Prior to working with DAE, Mrs. Aherne worked as an Assistant Vice President at CIT Aerospace and later Avolon, where she provided engine technical expertise for both the owned and managed fleets across various countries within the EMEA and APAC regions.  Mrs. Aherne was also a TAM focal at Avolon for engine trading and responsible for negotiating MRO GTAs and engine service agreements.

Mrs. Aherne worked for twelve years in Lufthansa Technik Airmotive Ireland (engine MRO), where she held a senior commercial role managing all aspects of engine shop visits. During her time at Lufthansa Technik Airmotive, Sonya was instrumental in setting up a leasing entity (LTAIL) to support the MRO business.

Mrs. Aherne graduated from the University of Wales with a BEng Honours Degree in Aeronautical & Mechanical Engineering.

Tim Brick is a Vice President at Zephyrus Aviation Capital.

Mr. Brick previously served as Vice President – Corporate Finance at Avolon, where his work focused on strategic initiatives and corporate activity, including the sale of a 30% shareholding of Avolon to ORIX in 2018, and where he managed relationships with rating agencies as Avolon achieved its primary corporate objective of obtaining investment grade ratings in 2019. Having joined Avolon in 2015, Mr. Brick initially worked on their Pricing team in roles based in Dublin and New York, contributing to the development of financial models and methodologies, as well as the hiring and development of new members of the team, which grew significantly during this time. He also worked as Avolon’s lead analyst on over $35B of contracted and executed transactions, including the 2017 $10B acquisition of CIT Group's aircraft leasing platform, as well as several large-scale OEM, placement, SLB, financing and hedging transactions.

Prior to joining Avolon, Mr. Brick worked at KPMG for four years, gaining extensive experience in the preparation of accounts and audit and controls testing for clients in the aircraft leasing industry. He also worked on a major IFRS to US GAAP conversion project and senior unsecured notes offerings and completed a secondment to KPMG’s Information Risk Management team, which focused on IT controls testing and the use of data analytics to increase the efficiency of audit procedures.

Mr. Brick holds Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Science in Architecture degrees from University College Dublin. He is a member of Chartered Accountants Ireland and is currently a candidate for CFA certification.

John O’Hara is the Assistant Vice President Technical at Zephyrus Aviation Capital.

Mr. O’Hara has over 16 years’ experience in the aviation industry spanning both technical and operational roles. Prior to joining Zephyrus, Mr. O’Hara was a Technical Consultant with CAE Parc Aviation, where he was responsible for conducting records technical due diligence and project management at redelivery on behalf of operators and lessors, as well as providing technical input for powerplant shop visits and acting as a subject matter expert for powerplant technical issues.

Prior to working with CAE Parc Aviation, Mr. O’Hara was a pilot for Aer Lingus (Dublin). He holds an EASA ATP Licence with over four thousand hours flying the Avro RJ-85, Airbus A320 and Airbus A330.

Mr. O’Hara also previously worked with Santos Dumont as a Technical Project Manager, and began his professional career with Rolls-Royce plc., holding roles across the civil aerospace business.

Mr. O’Hara graduated from University College Dublin with a First-Class Honours degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is currently studying for a Specialist Diploma in Aviation Leasing and Finance from the University of Limerick.

Charlotte Pinna is the Assistant Vice President of Contracts at Zephyrus Aviation Capital.

Ms. Pinna has over ten years' experience in the aircraft leasing sector. She previously served as Director of Business Development and Contracts with Regional One in Miami, FL, where she was actively involved in establishing and managing the contracts department and developing processes and procedures related to transaction, contract and document management. Throughout her career, Ms. Pinna has worked on an extensive number of transactions, including aircraft sales, purchases, finance arrangements, and leases, and has developed and maintains close relationships with many airlines, lessors, investment banks, counsels and regulatory bodies.

Ms. Pinna started her career in aviation at Jetscape, Inc. in Fort Lauderdale, FL in 2007 as a Contract Manager, and later as Assistant Vice President of Contracts, where she focused on managing transactions and relationships with airlines on a worldwide basis. In 2016, Jetscape was acquired by Nordic Aviation Capital, where she continued as a Senior Manager until 2019 and assisted in the development and growth of the transaction legal group.

Ms. Pinna holds an Associate Degree in Business Administration from Broward College, as well as a Certificate in Contracts Law from Harvard Law School. Ms. Pinna is fluent in French (native).  

Sinead Theisen is the Assistant Vice President of Technical at Zephyrus Aviation Capital.

Ms. Theisen has over fifteen years’ experience in the aircraft leasing industry.  Prior to joining Zephyrus, Ms. Theisen was the Assistant Vice President of Technical Data Management with Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC) for four years where she established and lead the Technical Data Team, introducing quality assurance procedures and audits to ensure data integrity across the fleet.  While at NAC, she developed and implemented the first NAC Global Portfolio Inspection Program and was the project development lead for the implementation of NAC’s digital records platform, overseeing the migration of technical records for a fleet of 500 aircraft and developing training and workflow procedures for end users .

Ms. Theisen started her career in aviation at Jetscape, Inc. in Fort Lauderdale, FL, in 2004 as a Technical Operations Manager, gaining extensive experience while working closely with the CTO and senior management providing asset transition support, aircraft records management, procurement, claims reviews and mid-lease inspection management.

Sinead holds an Associate Degree in Business from Broward College and (Level 7) Certificates in Aircraft Technical Records and Continued Airworthiness Management (CAMO) from Limerick IT.

Doire Shiels is the Investor Relations and Finance Manager at Zephyrus Aviation Capital.

Prior to joining the Zephyrus team Mr. Shiels worked in PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dublin. Here Mr. Shiels was responsible for providing tax and accountancy advice to a wide range of financial services clients ranging from Private Equity clients to commercial aircraft lessors.  

Mr. Shiels worked as a Tax Consultant in AWAS where he was involved in several aircraft sales and leasing transactions mainly focused in the EMEA region. After taking a career break to do some travel Mr. Shiels took a role with the Dublin Airport Authority which has responsibility over Dublin and Cork airports. At the DAA, Mr. Shiels advised the business on wide ranging taxation areas that impact two of Irelands largest airports.

Mr. Shiels holds a bachelor’s degree in Business and Law from University College Dublin and a master’s degree in Accountancy from Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School Dublin. Mr. Shiels is an Associate of both Chartered Accountants of Ireland and the Irish Tax Institute. Mr. Shiels is currently completing a Diploma in Aviation Leasing and Finance with the Law Society of Ireland.

Leandro Montilla is the HR Administrator & Office Manager at Zephyrus Aviation Capital.

Prior to joining the Zephyrus team, Mr. Montilla worked as an Account Manager & Sales Coordinator at LEKI Aviation, where he was responsible for maintaining and expanding the aircraft component sales market by originating, negotiating and executing transactions, implementing and executing marketing campaigns for market penetration, and providing full exposure of the product lines.

Prior to LEKI, Mr. Montilla worked as an Administrative Assistant & Travel Coordinator for AerCap Aviation, where he provided high level administrative support to the Vice Presidents of Marketing, Legal, and Technical, as well as the Global Director of Human Resources and Travel Manager. He was also responsible for ensuring employee compliance with company policies and procedures, as well as other aspects related to human resources and travel management.  In addition, Mr. Montilla worked as an Administrative and Program Coordinator at Miami Dade College, where he led the creation and implementation of internal policies and procedures, training and seminars for the overall improvement of operations.

Mr. Montilla holds an Associate of Arts Degree in Business Administration from Miami Dade College, and is expected to receive his Bachelor of Science Degree in Aerospace Sciences with a focus in Management from the Aviation Institute of Broward College in December 2019. He also holds a Technical Certificate in Aviation Safety from the Institute of Aeronautical Studies IDEA.

Mr. Montilla is an Associate Member of the Society for Human Resources Manager (SHRM), Human Resources Association of Broward County (HRABC), and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP). He is fluent in both English and Spanish and also speaks conversational Italian and French.

Yuxuan Zhang is an Analyst at Zephyrus Aviation Capital.

Prior to joining Zephyrus Ms. Zhang was a student at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University completing her Master of Science in Aviation Finance. Ms. Zhang was an intern at Zephyrus where she assisted in database development and creating visualizations.

Ms. Zhang holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA) in China. As a CSC Scholar, Ms. Zhang completed her Master of Science Degree in Aviation Finance from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU), graduating with distinction. Ms. Zhang also completed the ISTAT University program and was involved with the ISTAT Foundation.

While at Embry-Riddle, Ms. Zhang participated in the Air Transport Research Society to publish the Airport Benchmarking Report for 2019. This is a global report of airports standards of excellence.

Dawei Yu is an Analyst at Zephyrus Aviation Capital.

Mr. Yu holds a Bachelor's Degree in Transportation and Traffic Management from the Civil Aviation University of China (CAUC) and a Master of Science Degree in Aviation Finance from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU), graduating with distinction. Additionally, Mr. Yu completed the ISTAT University program and was awarded the highest ISTAT Foundation scholarship in 2018.

During his time at ERAU, Mr. Yu served as a research assistant for the College of Business and as an assistant for the ERAU-Sino Program Office (Chinese University Program). Mr. Yu also re-launched and served as president to the Chinese Student and Scholars Association.

Prior to studying at ERAU, Mr. Yu worked as a flight dispatcher and station controller at Hainan Airlines, and in September 2020, he completed an internship with Zephyrus, during which he assisted in the development of an internal workflow management system.

Mr. Yu holds a CAAC Flight Dispatcher Licence and is currently a candidate for CFA III certification, as well as ASA aircraft appraisal certification.