Micheál Martin is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician serving as Taoiseach since January 2025, a role he previously held from 2020 to 2022. He has been the leader of Fianna Fáil since January 2011 and has served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for Cork South-Central since 1989. Known for his extensive cabinet experience, he has held numerous ministerial portfolios.
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Lynne took the helm at Aer Lingus as CEO and Chairman in April 2021, following four years as CEO of IAG Cargo, the group’s air freight business.
A maths graduate, Lynne’s career in aviation started in operational research at British Airways before moving to roles including fleet and network planning, strategy, and leading BA’s business at London Gatwick.
She was six years as Chairman of BA CityFlyer and was also Non Executive Director of Ofgem, the UK energy regulator
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Andy Cronin was appointed Avolon’s Chief Executive Officer in October 2022 and is a globally recognised leader within the aviation industry, having held a range of senior roles across the sector for more than 20 years.
As part of the founding team and serving as Avolon’s CFO from 2010 to 2022, Andy has played a central role in building the company to the industry-leading position it holds today. He has successfully led Finance and Capital Market teams through numerous capital raises, corporate acquisitions, and most notably Avolon’s listing on the NYSE.
Prior to joining Avolon, Andy served as SVP Investor Markets at RBS Aviation Capital with responsibility for disposal, financing and debt syndication of operating lease and structured debt products to a wide pool of investors and banking communities. Before working at RBS Aviation Capital, Andy worked in numerous commercial and operational roles at FLS Aerospace.
Andy has a Bachelor of Engineering degree and a Master of Industrial Engineering degree, both with First Class Honours from University College Dublin.
Danny McCoy is Chief Executive Officer of Ibec since 2009. Ibec is Ireland’s largest business representative organisation and the country’s largest lobbying group. It has over 330 staff in nine locations and has 39 sectoral brands with substantial presence within the European Union through Ibec’s Brussels office. He is a member of the Irish Tripartite Labour Employer Economic Forum (LEEF).
He is a Member of the Royal Irish Academy, a Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy, Honorary Fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineers, Adjunct Professor Trinity College Dublin Business School and Vice President of the Statistical & Social Inquiry Society of Ireland and Independent Non Executive Director of Iput Real Estate. He is also the recipient of the Trinity European Laureate Award in recognition of his contribution to business in Europe, to economic thought and to public life.
He has held lecturing posts at University College London, University of Oxford, Trinity College Dublin and Dublin City University. He has been senior economist at the Central Bank of Ireland and the Economic & Social Research Institute as well as being a consultant to the European Commission and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
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Risteard Sheridan was appointed AerCap’s Company Secretary in May 2020 and Chief Compliance Officer in 2019. He joined AerCap in April 2017 as Head of Internal Audit. Prior to joining AerCap, he gained extensive experience advising companies on governance, financial reporting and control/process matters while working with the professional services firms KPMG and EY.
Mr. Sheridan holds a Bachelor's degree in Business & Legal Studies and a Master's degree in Accounting from University College Dublin and is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland.
Risteard is also the senior independent director at daa plc, chairs its Audit & Risk Committee and is a member of its Finance Committee. He was previously a non-executive director of the Abbey Theatre.
Ms. Denise Mangan-Fahy was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Shannon Engine Support (SES) in September 2025. SES is a 50/50 joint-venture company between Safran Aircraft Engines (”Safran”) and AerCap. SES is the world’s largest CFM engine lessor. Prior to joining SES, Ms. Mangan-Fahy was Head of Engine Portfolio & Rental Operations at AerCap Engines – a role she assumed following the acquisition of GECAS by AerCap in 2021. She has more than 38 years’ experience in the aviation industry having worked in a variety of roles across the airline, maintenance and leasing industries at Aer Lingus and Shannon Aerospace. Ms. Mangan-Fahy holds a First-Class Honours MBA from the University of Limerick.
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Conor Stafford is Head of Airline Marketing at SMBC Aviation Capital, where he leads the company’s global airline marketing activities and customer relationship strategies. Since joining the business in 2023, he has been responsible for strengthening key airline partnerships, identifying commercial opportunities, and supporting the continued growth of the world’s leading aircraft leasing platform. Prior to joining SMBC Aviation Capital, Conor held senior commercial and leadership roles across the aircraft leasing industry, including positions with Aircastle, Goshawk and BOC Aviation. During this time, he was based and worked extensively across EMEA, Asia and North America.
Throughout his career, Conor has led complex lease transactions, developed long-term airline partnerships and supported airlines through evolving market conditions. His global industry experience provides valuable insight into the opportunities and challenges shaping the aviation sector, including airline growth, fleet renewal and sustainability. Conor qualified as a solicitor and holds a Bachelor of Law degree from University College Dublin.
Yvonne Devereux is a senior tax executive with over 25 years of experience specialising in international taxation, tax policy, and the aviation leasing sector. As head of AerCap's tax policy strategy, she advises on global and domestic tax developments and their impact on the leasing industry. Prior to joining AerCap, Yvonne served as Senior Vice President, International Tax at GECAS, following 17 years with KPMG where she advised multinational businesses on tax matters and cross-border transactions.
Yvonne has been actively involved with the Aviation Leasing Ireland (ALI) Tax Committee since 2019 and was appointed Chair in 2024. In this role, she works closely with industry stakeholders, Government departments, and policymakers on legislative and regulatory developments affecting Ireland's aviation leasing industry. She also represents Ibec on the Business Tax Stakeholder Forum with the Department of Finance.
In addition, Yvonne serves on Business Europe's Tax Policy Working Group and the OECD’s BIAC Tax Committee, contributing to business engagement with European Union institutions and the OECD on international tax policy matters.
Mr. Hoesley joined Altavair in 2005 and is responsible for all investment and marketing activities along with aircraft financing, bank relationships, and leading the Marketing and Investment Groups. Before taking on his current role in the Seattle office, he started his career with Altavair as an Investment Associate and has also held roles in the London office as Marketing Director for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and Head of Finance and Portfolio Management where he was responsible for aircraft financing and bank relationships along with leading the analyst team supporting purchase and sale underwritings, assisting with portfolio management initiatives, and the preparation of various investment and investor reports. Mr. Hoesley graduated from Georgetown University in 2005.
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Shane Wilson is EVP Innovation at SMBC Aviation Capital and leads The Nest, the company's innovation hub. Having joined The Nest when it was established in 2018, he is responsible for identifying, validating and developing new opportunities for the business, while helping to foster a culture of innovation across the organisation. Prior to his current role, Shane held a number of positions within SMBC Aviation Capital, including SVP Innovation and roles within the Transaction Management and Transaction Execution functions, giving him a unique perspective across both operational and strategic areas of the aircraft leasing industry.
During his career, Shane has led or contributed to a range of transformative initiatives, including the launch of the company's first ESG Strategy, the development of internal innovation programmes, the creation of a cross-shareholder Sustainable Aviation Fuel Working Group, and the establishment of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Research Facility in partnership with Trinity College Dublin. He has also played a key role in major corporate projects, including the development of SMBC Aviation Capital's flagship headquarters in Dublin. Shane combines deep industry experience with a passion for innovation, sustainability and creative problem-solving. He holds a First Class Honours Degree in Industrial Design from the National College of Art & Design in Dublin.
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Allison Melia is Vice President of Global Enterprise Sustainability for The Boeing Company.
She leads a global team responsible for advancing the company’s sustainability priorities, including through stakeholder engagement, global partnerships, policy advocacy, reporting, remediation, and risk management.
Since joining Boeing in 2017, Ms. Melia has held roles in Government Operations, Business Development, and Strategy spanning the company’s defense, commercial, and services
businesses in the United States and around the world.
Prior to Boeing, Ms. Melia spent 10 years as an intelligence officer at the Central Intelligence Agency, receiving numerous citations for her contributions to U.S. national security.
She served on the White House National Security Council and began her career at the Defense Intelligence Agency.
After leaving Government service, Ms. Melia was Director of Analysis at Crumpton Group, a strategic advisory firm in Washington, D.C.
Ms. Melia holds a bachelor’s degree in economics cum laude from Harvard University, a master’s degree in economics from George Mason University and an executive leadership
certificate from the London School of Economics.
She has lectured on national security at Georgetown University and the University of Pittsburgh. Passionate about the arts, Ms. Melia serves on the Board of Directors of The Washington Ballet.
Nathalie Stubler is Chief Sustainability Officer at Safran and a member of the Group Executive Committee. Before joining Safran in September 2023, she has been working for 30 years in the airline industry. She began her career at Air Inter in 1992 as an engineer in the Network and Strategy Department. From 1997, she held several positions within Air France, first in Network, then in the Sales Department. In 2007, she was appointed as Air France's Delegate for Sustainable Development, and in 2010 became VP of Revenue Management and Pricing. She joined the Air France Executive Committee in 2013 and became Director of Strategy and Network for the Air France KLM Group. From 2014 to 2015, she served as Chief of Staff to the CEO of the Group. In 2016, she was appointed CEO of Transavia France, and in 2023, carried out a mission for the Group CEO on Air France KLM’s decarbonization strategy
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Tim O'Connell is a Partner and Head of Aviation at Grant Thornton Ireland, where he leads the firm's aviation advisory practice. Based in Dublin, he advises aircraft lessors, airlines, investors, asset managers and aviation service providers on a broad range of strategic, financial and operational matters.
With extensive experience across the global aviation sector, Tim works closely with many of the world's leading aircraft leasing platforms, supporting portfolio transactions, asset management initiatives, capital raising activities and corporate growth strategies. He has advised clients throughout Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia, helping organisations navigate an increasingly dynamic aviation market.
Shaun Pickering is an aviation finance specialist with 20 years’ experience in structured and asset finance. He leads the strategic development and growth of NatWest’s aviation finance business, working with leading airlines, aircraft lessors and other aviation businesses providing client-led financing solutions. His experience spans origination, structuring, syndication and distribution, credit and capital management, as well as aviation restructuring and Chapter 11 situations.
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Pat O’Brien specialised in advising aircraft leasing clients during his 32-year career in KPMG. He represented the Irish practice on the KPMG Leasing Tax Partners' Network and wrote a major work on Ireland’s Double Taxation Agreements which was published by the Irish Taxation Institute. Given his specialisation in the aircraft leasing sector, he worked with the Department of Finance on many legislative amendments to support Ireland’s pre-eminent position in that sector.
From 2005 to 2008 Pat worked at the Irish Tax Centre in the New York office of KPMG. During that period he advised a number of US aircraft lessors on the migration of their portfolios to Ireland following the changes to US tax law brought about by the Jobs Creation Act, 2004.
As lead tax adviser to GPA Group plc he wrote the tax opinions on the earliest aircraft lease securitisation deals – ALPS 92-1, ALPS 94-1 and the 229-aircraft $4.8 billion Airplanes Limited transaction. He was also the lead tax adviser on the Genesis and BBAir (later re-named Fly Leasing) transactions originated by GECAS and Babcock & Brown, respectively, which combined ABS for the debt financing and public listings of the equity on the NYSE.
Since retiring from KPMG Pat has served as a non-executive director for several companies in the aircraft leasing sector. He is currently a director of Carlyle Aviation Management Limited, Dynam Aviation Ireland Limited, FPG Amentum Limited and SDH Wings International Leasing Limited. He is also a non-executive director of volofin Finance (Ireland) DAC, the aviation lender.
Sarah Carey is a popular columnist for The Irish Independent and frequent contributor to Irish and International broadcast media. She has previously written for The Irish Times and The Sunday Times on everything from economics to politics, technology and media.
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Prof. Marina Efthymiou is Professor of Aviation Management at Dublin City University Business School, where she leads the Sustainable Aviation Hub of the Institute of Business and Society. She has published over 60 academic papers and advised bodies including the Department of Transport (Ireland), OECD ITF, European Commission, and European Parliament, and she comments regularly for Bloomberg, BBC, CNN, RTE and Politico. An IATA instructor and Principal Investigator on the EC-funded MSCA project AZER02050, she has held visiting professorships in Beijing, Singapore, and Riyadh. Her accolades include the aviation industry's "Women in Aviation" award (2025), the DCU Business School Young Research Award (2023), and the DCU President's Award for Distinctive Approach to Innovation in Teaching (2022).
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