10 CFOs in Aviation
Air India Express, ASL Airlines, NAS Holding, Hong Kong Airlines and Avelo Airlines supply half of these CFOs in aviation, and the other half sit at Macquarie AirFinance, SMBC Aviation Capital, Titan Aviation Leasing, CDB Aviation and Avolon; nine hold a CFO title today. They suit an airline, lessor or investor weighing fleet financing, sale-and-leaseback, capital markets funding or an airline cost program.
Professionals to explore
Aisling Kenny
LinkedInExperience: Chief Financial Officer · SMBC Aviation Capital
SMBC Aviation Capital has been Aisling Kenny's employer since 2012, with titles of Business Analyst (2012-2022), Senior Vice President Finance (2012-2022), Head Of Finance (2014-2022) and, since 2022, Chief Financial Officer. Aisling was an Audit Manager at EY (2009-2011), and a decade of finance titles at one company makes Aisling a fit for questions on reporting and finance operations at SMBC Aviation Capital.
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Brendan O'Neill
LinkedInExperience: Chief Financial Officer · CDB Aviation
Brendan O'Neill was Chief Financial Officer at CDB Aviation from 2020 to 2024 and has been Chief Financial Officer since 2025 at AviLease, a global aircraft lessor offering sale-and-leaseback financing and aircraft trading. Brendan O'Neill was also SVP (2019-2020) and VP (2018-2019) Financial Reporting & FP&A at Dubai Aerospace Enterprise and a consultant and executive coach at Caha Consulting (2024-2025).
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Dean Zeng
LinkedInExperience: Former Chief Financial Officer · Hong Kong Airlines
Former Chief Financial Officer at Hong Kong Airlines (2021-2025), Dean Zeng was Director, Finance Department (2018-2021) and General Manager, MAD (2013-2016) there, and Senior Manager, Global Internal Audit Centre (2017-2018) and Finance Manager (2012-2013) at HNA Group (International) Company Limited. Dean Zeng describes cost-saving initiatives of HKD 160M annually and securing financing, a fit for airline cost and restructuring questions.
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Deepak Rajawat
LinkedInExperience: Chief Financial Officer · Air India Express
Chief Financial Officer at Air India Express since 2024, Deepak Rajawat was Chief Commercial Officer at Vistara - TATA SIA Airlines Ltd. (2022-2024) and held Head Corporate Planning and Finance (2019-2021), VP Corporate Planning & Finance (2016-2019) and GM Corporate Planning & Finance (2014-2016) titles there. A Chartered Accountant with 20+ years, Deepak Rajawat fits questions where airline finance and commercial planning meet.
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Hunter Keay
LinkedInExperience: Former Chief Financial Officer · Avelo Airlines
Hunter Keay became Chief Financial Officer at Avelo Airlines in 2022, after more than a decade as Managing Director at Wolfe Research, LLC (2011-2022). Hunter Keay was also a Senior Analyst at Stifel Financial Corp. (2005-2011) and Associate Analyst at Legg Mason Wood Walker, Incorporated (2004-2005), a fit for questions on how equity analysts judge an airline and what changes on the CFO side.
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Mark O'Kelly
LinkedInExperience: Group CFO · ASL Airlines
Group CFO at ASL Airlines since 2013, Mark O'Kelly was Group Financial Controller at ASL Aviation Group Limited (2011-2013), Divisional Finance Director at Speedy Hire PLC (2008-2011) and a Tax Consultant at PwC (2004-2008). ASL is described as an aviation services provider serving more than 150 airports, so Mark O'Kelly fits questions on group finance for a multi-airport aviation services business.
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Michael Sims
LinkedInExperience: Chief Financial Officer · Macquarie AirFinance
Funding and corporate finance for an aircraft portfolio at Macquarie AirFinance are good topics for Michael Sims, Chief Financial Officer there since 2022, after Head Of Corporate Finance (2019-2021). Michael was an Associate Director at Macquarie Group from 2008 to 2019, and the step from corporate finance to CFO came within the same aviation business.
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Ramzi Zaroubi
LinkedInExperience: Group Chief Financial Officer · NAS Holding
For group CFO questions, Ramzi Zaroubi is the fit: Group Chief Financial Officer at NAS Holding since 2009, a group whose four businesses include the low cost carrier flynas and the business jet operator NASJET. Ramzi was VP Finance and Strategic Planning at RoyalJet (2004-2009), Director Finance at Presidential Flight Authority (1994-2004) and Senior Management Accountant at Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA) (1986-1993).
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Ross O'Connor
LinkedInExperience: Chief Financial Officer · Avolon
All fundraising activities and investor and lender management were Ross O'Connor's responsibility as Head of Capital Markets at Avolon (2020-2022), before the move to Chief Financial Officer there in 2022. Other Avolon titles are Head Of Investor Relations (2017-2020), Senior Vice President Capital Markets (2016-2017) and Vice President Aircraft Trading (2012-2016), a fit for questions on raising capital for an aircraft business.
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Vamshi Rokkam
LinkedInExperience: Chief Financial Officer · Titan Aviation Leasing
Over $2.5 billion in aircraft investments sits in the portfolio Vamshi Rokkam oversees as Chief Financial Officer at Titan Aviation Leasing since 2020, for a company backed by Bain Capital Credit and Atlas Air Worldwide; Vamshi has sat on its board since 2015. At Atlas Air, Vamshi was Vice President - Strategic Development (2015-2020), Sr. Director - Finance (2009-2014) and Director - Financial Planning & Analysis (2003-2008).
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Choose the right perspective
For fleet funding, capital markets and lender relationships, Ross O'Connor, Vamshi Rokkam, Michael Sims and Brendan O'Neill are the closest fit, and Aisling Kenny suits finance and reporting at SMBC Aviation Capital. On the airline side, Dean Zeng fits cost programs and restructuring, Deepak Rajawat commercial and planning questions, Ramzi Zaroubi and Mark O'Kelly group finance across several aviation businesses, and Hunter Keay how equity investors look at an airline.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01When should an airline choose sale-and-leaseback over owning aircraft or signing new operating leases?
- 02How do airline CFOs and aircraft lessors negotiate lease terms when demand for aircraft swings?
- 03How should an aviation CFO balance bank lenders and capital markets when funding an aircraft portfolio?
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.