Jay Carmel

Renaissance Strategic Advisors

CEO 

Jay Carmel is a Principal at Renaissance Strategic Advisors (RSA) and leads its Civil Aerospace consulting practice.

Jay helps aircraft technology providers and investors identify and execute on new growth opportunities across the aviation ecosystem. He has advised leading aircraft system OEMs and start-up companies on business strategy, market analysis, acquisition due-diligence and technology roadmaps. Jay focuses on aerospace domains most exposed to disruptive innovation, including advanced air mobility (AAM) and its enablers such as next-generation propulsion, autonomous flight, aviation connectivity, and advanced manufacturing.

Jay joined RSA in August 2023 having previously served as a commercial aerospace practice leader at Avascent and Oliver Wyman. Prior to these roles, he worked at Merrill Lynch and for the U.S. Department of Commerce. Jay holds a B.S. in International Political Economy with a certificate in International Business Diplomacy from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

Michael Cervenka

Vertical Aerospace

Chief Technology Officer

Bio coming soon…

Neil Cloughley

Faradair

Chief Executive Officer & Founder

Neil Cloughley is Chief Executive Officer and founder of Faradair® Aerospace Limited.

Formed in 2014, Faradair® was the UK’s first dedicated sustainable aviation new aircraft manufacturer, with a vision for increased regional air mobility via hybrid-electric flight.

One of the first to propose a Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) clean sheet designed aircraft, the BEHA has an innovative wing configuration and quiet, low-cost operational capability and no new infrastructure requirements needed. The BEHA is designed for commercial passenger and non-civilian/cargo applications in manned and unmanned configurations, following on from family led pioneering work within the Unmanned Air Vehicle sector 30 years ago.

Over the last 10 years Neil has spoken at every major sustainable aviation conference across the globe, including the first Revolution Aero in 2018, winning a number of pitching events and business awards whilst championing the opportunity for hybrid-electric flight and Regional Air Mobility. The company has a world-class team from across the aviation and military sectors and PwC listed Faradair as ‘One to watch’ in their NetZero Future Fifty report.

Dean Donovan

DiamondStream Partners

DiamondStream Partners has made a number of advanced aerial mobility investments including: Elroy Air, Ampaire, GPMS, Volantio, Verdego, Wingtra, SwissDrones, and Alaris Pro. Its partners were also co-founders of Volaris, Mexico’s largest airline, and Eos. Dean remains a Director of Volaris and is also a Director of Prophet. He also participates in Washington State’s Unmanned Systems Industry Counsel (USIC) and the University of California’s CITRIS Aviation Council. Dean previously worked at Bain & Company for 13 years where ran the Auto Practice and Aviation Practice at various times. He was also Managing Partner for Bain Africa. Dean has worked extensively in Mexico, Spain, the US and Africa.
Dean graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California Berkeley where he studied Economics and Rhetoric. He received an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1990.

James Dorris

Odys Aviation

Co-Founder & CEO

James is a Co-founder and CEO of Odys Aviation. He co-founded the company alongside Axel Radermacher in April 2019 with a mission to transform aviation from fuel guzzling aircraft at congested airports to quiet, sustainable aircraft accessible from every neighborhood. Prior to founding Odys Aviation, James held leadership roles at GoogleX, Virgin Hyperloop One, and Arrivo. He started his career in Fusion Energy Research at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center where he developed novel hardware to spatially localize plasma instabilities, and has long been passionate about improving sustainability and efficiency of transportation systems. James has over 15 years of experience building teams at startups, developing core technology, and building transportation systems.

Adam Forsyth

Longspur Capital Limited

Head of Research

Adam Forsyth is an equity analyst covering clean energy companies. A civil engineering graduate, Adam worked for an environmental charity before completing an MBA in 1991. After building a utilities research team for Robert Fleming he became joint head of pan-European utilities research at JPMorgan Chase. In 2002, Adam left to co-manage activist manager, Platinum Fund Managers. Returning to the sell side in 2008 to focus on clean energy, Adam formed Longspur Research in 2019. He has topped the Starmine, Extel and Institutional Investor Awards. He has Chaired the CFA UK Energy Finance Special Interest Group and the CFA Climate Change Disclosure Working Reporting Group and developed the Solactive Longspur Global Clean Energy Index. In 2023 Longspur Research was Institutional Investor’s highest ranked independent provider for UK Clean Energy & Utilities. Adam has written investment research on all areas of sustainable aviation including eVTOLS, SAF and hydrogen powered solutions. He is also joint holder of the 2022 Pooleys Flight Equipment Long Distance Medal for a flight part fuelled by a prototype SAF.

David Fowkes

FTI Capital Advisors

Senior Managing Director

David Fowkes is a member of FTI Capital Advisors (“FTICA”), FTI Consulting’s investment banking subsidiary. Mr. Fowkes has 25+ years of experience in the aviation, aerospace and advanced air mobility (“AAM”) industries, having helped clients execute assignments in 30 countries across six continents.
David focuses on investment banking assignments for clients across the aviation, aerospace and advanced air mobility spectrum, providing capital raising, M&A and restructuring services for clients including airlines (passenger, regional, cargo), maintenance organizations (MRO, parts and engine repair), private aviation clients (charter, fractional and FBO), leasing companies, training organizations (pilots and mechanics), helicopter operators and aviation and aerospace-related private equity investors.
Mr. Fowkes has recently added a focus on new technology advanced air mobility clients including electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL), drone and other new aviation technology passenger, cargo and services businesses.
Prior to joining FTICA, David was a Managing Director and Co-Head of Aviation, Aerospace and Advanced Air Mobility Banking at Raymond James. Prior to that, he was a Managing Director at Imperial Capital and has held senior roles at Seabury group, Salomon Brothers, Citibank, Lehman Brothers and Deutsche Bank, and ran M&A and integration for global helicopter operator Bristow Group.

Brian Flynn

DiamondStream Partners

Managing Director

Mr. Flynn is a Managing Director of DiamondStream Partners, a firm that invests inand helps build mobility transformation related companies. DiamondStream looks for the rough diamonds that we can help founders transform into fully cut gems primarily in three categories:

He co-founded Volaris (NYSE: VLRS), Mexico’s largest airline. He also co-founded DiamondStream Analytics, a travel analytics firm. He currently sits on the board of Sellar Labs and GPMS. Mr. Flynn helped form The Metropolitan Bank and build it to $1.3B in assets. Among other investments, Mr. Flynn led the acquisition and turnaround of Victory Refrigeration which led to a 13x return for investors.

He previously was a Managing Director at Bachow & Associates, the then largest private equity fund in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with investors such as CalPERS and the Ford Foundation. At Bachow, he identified, negotiated an investment in or acquisition of, built, grew, and sold companies in a variety of industries.

Mr. Flynn served as CEO of Innova Corporation (now Harris Corporation: HRS), a leading telecom equipment company that resulted in a 22x return for investors. Prior to Bachow, he was a consultant at Bain & Company where he met Mr. Donovan. Mr. Flynn also worked for DLJ in investment banking and GE Capital in finance. He is a Beta Gamma Sigma graduate of Columbia Business School and a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Williams College, and he also studied at the London School of Economics. He sits/sat on various public and private company boards of directors.

Nikhil Goel

Archer

Chief Commercial Officer

Nikhil Goel is the Chief Commercial Officer at Archer. After starting at Uber as a product leader on the emerging markets and rider experience teams, Goel co-founded Uber Elevate. Working alongside NASA and Uber executives, Goel helped spearhead the vision for Uber Elevate which has, in turn, inspired the approach to commercializing the industry. In 2020, Goel helped spin off the Uber Elevate business in a strategic sale to Joby Aviation. Goel has been a Senior Advisor to Archer since 2020 and prior to Uber held roles at McKinsey & Company, Google, Microsoft, and NASA. He attended Vanderbilt University and earned his Bachelor of Science in Engineering with a double major in computer engineering and economics.

Nick Gunady

Aerovy

CEO 

Nick Gunady is the Founder CEO of Aerovy. He was previously a PhD student & research assistant at Purdue University, where he worked on Advanced Air Mobility operational studies funded by NASA Langley Research Center. Nick has previous experience working across a variety of civil and military fleets at American Airlines Tech Ops and GE Aviation Systems.

Hamid Hamidi

Limosa

Founder & CEO

Dr. Hamid Hamidi is a distinguished figure in the aerospace sector, harnessing a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering to fuel innovation. With dynamic leadership, he has contributed significantly to renowned industry players such as Bell Helicopter and Bombardier Aerospace, honing his expertise. As an enterprising visionary for over 20 years, he founded Limosa in June 2021 and spearheads Limosa’s dedicated team, pioneering LimoConnect—an all-electric Vertical and Conventional Take-off and Landing (eVTOL+eCTOL) aircraft that prioritizes often-overlooked human factors and user experiences. Driven by a profound commitment to sustainability, he is poised to revolutionize aerial transportation, embodying the fusion of technical acumen, leadership, and a forward-looking perspective.

Fabrice Kunzi

SkyGrid

Chief Operating Officer

Bio coming soon…

Michael Lynch

Irelandia Investments

Partner

Bio coming soon…

Justin McClellan

BAE Systems

Aircraft Electrification Business Development and Strategy Director

Bio coming soon…

Alex McCord

Skyports

Vertiport Development Lead 

Bio coming soon…

John McKenna

Sees.ai

Chief Executive Officer

Previously, Managing Director, BeTomorrow UK; Investment Advisor to Makani Power (now inside Google X); Group Commercial Director, OC Sport (joined as 6th member of staff, acquired ten years later by Telegramme Group with 100+ staff); Consultant at Marakon Associates; and Structural Engineer at ARUP. John brings 18+ years of commercial expertise to the team working in high-growth start-ups and private companies.

Simon Newitt

Heart Aerospace

President & Chief Commercial Officer

As President of Heart Aerospace, Simon leads the internal running of the company and ensures a dynamic and effective organization as the company continue to scale. In his role as President, Simon is also responsible for Government and Industry Affairs.

As Chief Commercial Officer at Heart Aerospace, Simon is responsible for the commercialization of Heart’s electric aircraft, from marketing and sales through to aircraft delivery, as well as for customer support & services.

Simon has over 25 years of aerospace industry experience, a large part spent fulfilling a variety of senior leadership roles at Embraer. He was deeply involved in the commercial success of the Embraer E-Jets program having led various regional sales and support teams, as well as global contracts, commercial operations and asset management. During his time at the Brazilian manufacturer, he also led the Customer Training department, serving each of the Embraer business units. Prior to Embraer, Simon worked in the sales and marketing team at Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace

Simon has a B.Sc (ECON) in International Relations from the London School of Economics & Political Science, and an M.Sc in Air Transport Management from Cranfield University.

Blain Newton

Beta Technologies

Chief Operating Officer

Blain Newton is the Chief Operating Officer of BETA Technologies, a Vermont-based aerospace company developing all electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft with a focus on both passenger and cargo and logistics missions. BETA has already partnered with leading operators including UPS, the U.S. Air Force, United Therapeutics and Blade. At BETA, Blain is responsible for leading the company’s commercialization strategy and approach supporting the company’s pursuit of electric flight. BETA’s aircraft and integrated charging infrastructure will ultimately create an electric aviation solution to move people and cargo around the world safely, cost-effectively, and with minimal environmental impact. Mr. Newton was previously in executive leadership of several high growth, multinational healthcare software and analytics companies in the US and EMEA, including IDX Systems, Allscripts, and HIMSS Analytics. In these roles, he oversaw multiple global product launches, opened new operations on 4 continents, and led multiple M&A transactions valued collectively at more than $1bn. Prior to these leadership roles, Mr. Newton served in audit and consulting roles with more than 35 high growth technology companies while at Andersen in Washington, DC.

Joshua Ng

Alton Aviation Consultancy

Director

Joshua Ng leads Alton Aviation Consultancy’s technology and mobility practice from his base in Singapore. Joshua has significant experience working with OEMs, operators, investors, and infrastructure players in realizing the ambitions of the sector.

Joshua has significant expertise in business strategy development, market demand forecasting, supply chain management, operational performance improvement, transaction advisory, and financial modelling. Joshua advises clients across the aviation value chain, all of whom entrust Joshua to provide accurate and insightful analysis when developing and implementing their long term business plans.

Prior to joining Alton, Joshua began his career at ST Aerospace, and later joined the New York-based consulting team of ICF, where he was a key member in the aviation and aerospace practice.

Rani Plaut

AIR

Co-Founder & CEO

Rani Plaut is CEO and Co-Founder of AIR, the startup reimagining air mobility with eVTOLs for mass personal use. With a rich background in mathematics and physics, as well as automotive and aerospace technologies, Rani’s impressive experience has led him to work with several OEMs and serve on the boards of multiple tech companies and venture funds. Prior to co-founding AIR, he was CEO and Co-Founder of Bmax, a leading provider of advanced metal processing solutions.

Wouter du Preez

Greenstar Aviation Partners

Co-Founder

Wouter is an ex-Investment Banker with more than 25 years’ experience as aviation leasing and financing expert with a strong global track record in aerospace sector transactions across the capital structure including operating leases, debt, mezzanine and equity. He has a strong origination precept and has structured, closed and managed dealflow from cradle-to-grave across commercial, business jet and freighter aircraft, simulator funding, rail infrastructure etc.
Apart from his time as Head of Global Aviation at Rand Merchant Bank, Wouter also worked for investment holding companies, and an aircraft OEM as Structured Finance Director.
Today he is Co-Founder and Co-Managing Partner of Greenstar Aviation Partners, a US-based Private Equity firm that invests and channels private markets equity growth capital into mission-critical decarbonization and carbon removal solutions for the aerospace sector that enable their clients to build sustainable businesses and portfolios. Greenstar is active in projects as varied as electric GSE, AAM battery charging and storage, waste-to-energy etc.
Wouter holds various degrees including a Master’s Degree in Investment Management (Cum Laude) and is a CFA Charterholder.

Yesh Premkumar

Supernal

Senior Manager, Global Partnerships and Business Development

Yesh has always found himself as part of new markets and solutions for emerging markets. It’s perhaps because he thrives in challenging and undefined environments, and garners success by treading the gray and seeing the opportunity in every challenge. After 16 years at BAE Systems, he joined a new dynamic enterprise, Supernal Llc., part of Hyundai Motor Group, with focus on developing the groups aviation arm. At Supernal, he started with focus on developing and deploying blueprints for sustainable multi-modal mobility infrastructure and ecosystems. Yesh has recently taken on the responsibility of Head of Product to cover the business’ strategy across all its planned products and services and to drive their commercialization pathway. Yesh has had the opportunity to be part of a variety of markets and acquire a large spectrum of skills and experience. He has been in leadership roles in Engineering, Program Management, BD and strategy. His market experiences include military and commercial ground transport, maritime covering military and commercial in surface and under water vessels and now aviation.

David Stepanek

Bristow Group

Chief Transformation Officer

David F. Stepanek serves as Bristow Group’s Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation Officer since April 2021. In this role, he is responsible for the transformation of the Company’s business mix through strategic diversification into new markets. David served as Bristow’s Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer from June 2020 until April 2021 during the integration of Bristow and Era. From 2010 through 2019, he held positions within PHI, Inc., most recently having served as President, PHI Americas, responsible for the overall performance and direction of PHI’s U.S. and international operations in the Western Hemisphere. Before becoming President PHI Americas, he served as PHI, Inc. Chief Commercial Officer and led PHI’s growth in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and global expansion including the acquisition of HNZ Group’s offshore helicopter business. David held a variety of leadership positions at Era, Sikorsky Aircraft, (20 years) and served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a heavy lift helicopter avionics technician.

Alexandre Zaramela

Moya Aero

CEO

Bio coming soon…