AeroPodium

Philip Seymour, President and Chief Operating Officer, International Bureau of Aviation (IBA)
Phil is a skilled and practiced engineer with 30 years experience, having worked within airline, aircraft maintenance, aircraft and engine leasing and consultancy businesses. His expertise includes start-up airline and leasing business operations, airline management at board level, project management, aircraft and engine purchase and lease transactions.
Phil started his career with British Airways in 1976 completing UK CAA aircraft maintenance engineers courses, ONC, HND and Diploma in Management Studies, before moving to Saudi Arabian Airlines in Riyadh. Further moves to Dan-Air and Air Europe saw Phil moving from maintenance production to technical services. This included aircraft introductions and engine management. Phil was one of the management team that set up Ambassador Airways and Exxtor Group Aviation Services. Phil became an ISTAT Certified Appraiser in 1997 and became Senior Certified Appraiser in 2002. Phil was appointed Managing Director of the International Bureau of Aviation in September 2001, and has recently been promoted to the position of President and Chief Operating Officer for the Group. Phil has extensive lease management and advisory experience including the start up of Oasis Leasing and more recently the provision of high level advisory services to Terra Firma in their acquisition of the AWAS and Pegasus portfolios.

Aoife O’Sullivan, Partner, Gates and Partners
Aoife O’Sullivan is a partner with world renowned aviation law experts, Gates and Partners. Aoife advises clients on aircraft finance, commercial aviation and regulatory issues including aircraft and fleet acquisitions and disposals, financing, airline start-ups, licensing applications and ancillary issues. She has a particular expertise in the specialised private and corporate jet market. Aoife also sits on a number of Business Aviation industry committees in the UK.

Owen Geach, Commercial Director, IBA Group Limited
Owen has 28 years experience in aviation, travel and banking, and has worked in aviation asset management since 1994 when he joined the IBA Group as Corporate Manager. From 1997 through to 2001, Owen held the positions of Company Secretary, and then Marketing Manager, before being appointed as IBA’s Head of Sales and Contracts. Throughout this time, Owen specialised in global contracts and aircraft asset management, involving blue-chip clients from the airline, banking and leasing industries. His remit also included the sale and procurement of aircraft, and advisory services covering all aspects of aircraft operation and leasing.
In 2004, Owen was approached by Bureau Veritas, joining them to establish their UK Aviation Asset Management Division, before becoming their Director of International Business Development, for the Aeronautics & Space Division. Owen re-joined the IBA Group as Commercial Director in October 2007, he now manages all aspects of the Company’s commercial activities.

Mark Byrne, Director, ICM Aviation Limited
Mark was born in Douglas on the Isle of Man and graduated in Law from the University of Westminster. He has an MBA from Manchester Business School and a Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Mark previously worked for two engineering companies in Germany in the legal, budgeting and marketing departments and for a management consultancy company in London and Ireland. He went on to work for a trust company as a client administrator and business development manager before being appointed as a Director of the ICM Group in 1995. Mark specialises in corporate and fiduciary matters with a special interest in aviation.