SkyWorks Professionals

Tom is the Chairman of SkyWorks. Tom has played a leading role in many noteworthy M&A, corporate finance, aircraft acquisition/financing and strategic advisory transactions. He has more than 30 years of experience in airline management, investment banking and leasing, with a proven track record of developing successful business strategies and originating and executing transactions worldwide.

Over the course of his career, Tom has established a track record of leading the successful start-ups of several other notable companies, including The Seabury Group, for which he co-led development of its investment banking practice in the aviation sector. Before Seabury, Tom was a principal at Fieldstone Private Capital Group, which he joined in 1991, subsequently co-leading the turnaround and development of what became their highly regarded aviation practice. He was previously Vice President of Marketing at Chrysler Capital in the Leasing and Investment Services Group.

Prior to joining Chrysler Capital, Tom held a number of senior finance positions at Texas Air Corporation and its subsidiaries, including Continental Airlines, where he was involved in M&A activity, corporate finance, aircraft purchasing, aircraft finance, and financial planning and control. He was also a founder of Texas Air Leasing.

Tom has also served on the board of Echelon International (EIN), a NYSE company with large aircraft and real estate holdings.

Tom received his M.B.A. from American University and his B.A. from Ithaca College. He is also a private pilot.

Matt joined SkyWorks in 2008 with an extensive background in structuring and arranging billions of dollars in aircraft‐backed lease and loan transactions and leading successful airline restructuring transactions. He has 27+ years of experience advising and closing transactions with some of the world’s largest airlines and a host of regional carriers. At SkyWorks, Matt played a leadership role in sourcing and closing the aircraft fleet for Sierra Echo Aircraft Leasing, SkyWorks’ aircraft leasing joint venture. Matt has also played an integral role in multiple, successful out-of-court and U.S. airline bankruptcy restructurings, including leading the fleet restructuring for American Airlines in 2011 and Aeromexico in 2020.

Prior to SkyWorks, Matt worked at Babcock & Brown in the Aerospace group where he was a leader of Delta Air Lines’ 2005 bankruptcy and was also involved with American Airlines’ acquisition of TWA while in bankruptcy.

Matt earned his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Jeff is a co-founder of SkyWorks and is responsible for the firm’s equity and debt capital raising efforts as well as client development for the advisory business. Over his 27-year career, Jeff has raised over $25bn of financing, been involved in over $20bn of aircraft acquisitions and also managed many major restructuring projects, representing both airlines and airline creditors. Jeff has structured and managed many innovative aircraft financing transactions on behalf of clients. Prior to SkyWorks, Jeff was an executive at The Seabury Group, Greenwich NatWest and The Transportation Group. Jeff received his B.S. in Economics from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a dual concentration in Finance and Operations and Information Management.

Anders joined SkyWorks in 2005. He manages the day-to-day activities of SkyWorks’ asset management practice and broadly assists the SkyWorks team with aircraft-related advisory and management assignments. Anders has more than 30 years of experience dedicated to aircraft-related finance, leasing, investment, and asset management. During his career, Anders has originated more than $1bn in aircraft-backed loans and has been involved in investment decisions and placements of over 200 aircraft.

Prior to joining SkyWorks, Anders co-founded Sigma Aircraft Management, LLC, where he shared chief responsibility for customer interface, investment sourcing, and global remarketing for the Company's managed jet aircraft portfolio.

Previously, Anders was employed by PK AirFinance, initially concentrating on distribution of aircraft-related debt before becoming Head of Marketing at PK AirFinance's headquarters in Luxembourg where he was responsible for structuring loan transactions, aircraft remarketing, and transaction workouts in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. He later joined PK AirFinance's New York Branch as Vice President of Marketing for North America and the Caribbean.

Anders studied business administration and economics at the University of Lund, Sweden and Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh.

Nancy joined SkyWorks in 2008. She is an attorney and a member of the New York Bar since 1985.

At SkyWorks, Nancy is responsible for oversight of all corporate and transactional legal work, human resources, managing regulatory and jurisdictional risk, and corporate governance. She played a significant role in creating the legal, regulatory, and jurisdictional framework for SkyWorks Leasing (Ireland) Limited, SkyWorks Leasing (Singapore) Pte. Limited, and Sierra Echo Aircraft Leasing, and continues to oversee jurisdictional, legal, and regulatory work for these entities.

Prior to SkyWorks, Nancy was associated with Babcock & Brown, an international investment and advisory firm. Before joining Babcock, Nancy was a partner in Chadbourne & Parke LLP, an international law firm. Nancy has over 30 years of legal experience in a wide range of industries including aviation, infrastructure, and electronics.

Nancy received her J.D. from Seton Hall University where she was a managing editor of the Law Review and earned a B.A. with honors from Boston College.

Simon joined SkyWorks as a Vice President in 2003 and is responsible for leading transaction executions in SkyWorks’ advisory line of business as well as providing senior level financial analytics and modeling.

Prior to joining SkyWorks, Simon was employed at Mitsubishi Trust and Banking Corporation in the Aircraft Special Finance Group. At MTBC, Simon specialized in aircraft leverage lease financings and power plant project financings; preparing credit reviews and proposals; monitoring industry conditions and aircraft valuations; and assisting account officers in structuring transactions.

Simon has experience as a credit analyst with Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, where he prepared credit proposals on syndicated and original transactions and supported a group of Senior Account Officers in cultivating new business. Simon was also a Senior Research Assistant for Standard and Poor’s Corporation, where he provided analytical support within the transportation and telecommunications groups.

Simon received an M.B.A. in Finance and Accounting from Baruch College and graduated from Brooklyn College with a B.S. in Business Management and Finance.

Vanki joined SkyWorks in 2008 and is responsible for aircraft remarketing and sourcing, asset management services, and transaction execution. Vanki brings over 35 years of aviation experience in leading SkyWorks’ efforts to provide technical and commercial expertise to clients on new aircraft and engine orders, purchase agreement and lease negotiations, sale leaseback transactions, and after-market aircraft and engine maintenance repair and overhaul contracts.

Prior to joining SkyWorks, Vanki was with the CIT Group where he specialized in negotiating technical and operating provisions in operating lease agreements, lease restructurings, and MOUs/LOIs with operators, OEMs, and MROs. His responsibilities also included risk/cost analysis in relation to asset acquisitions and divestments.

Vanki has extensive experience with airframe and engine maintenance services. Prior to joining the CIT Group, Vanki held a number of positions at United Services, a maintenance-focused division of United Airlines. During his time at United Services, he directed and developed various airframe and engine maintenance service programs in addition to supporting a number of joint ventures as Head of the Engine/Component Customer Support Group. Prior to United Services, Vanki was at AlliedSignal Aerospace, where he managed sales relationships with airline customers and negotiated long-term MRO contracts for the company’s APU division. Vanki’s aviation career includes positions at Pan American World Airways, General Electric’s Aircraft Engine Group, and United Air Lines.

Vanki received an M.B.A from Bernard M. Baruch Graduate School of Business in New York City. He is a graduate of Parks Air College of Saint Louis University, where he received a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering. He is a FAA certified A&P and private pilot.

Michael joined SkyWorks in 2023 as a Managing Director to focus on coverage as well as the execution of complex lease and debt financings for the firm’s global client base. He joined from Seabury, where he led multiple financing programs for airlines and other clients worldwide. Over his 37-year career, which included 20 years as a partner at Babcock & Brown, Michael has advised airlines including Singapore Airlines, United Air Lines, Finnair, Delta Air Lines, Saudia, WestJet, Qantas, and numerous others on the strategy and execution of new and used aircraft financing and re-financing.

He received an M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College and a business degree from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.

Ian joined SkyWorks in 2006 and has worked on multiple airline and lessor OEM sourcing campaigns for all aircraft types, as well as airline fleet planning, fleet optimization, and leased aircraft sourcing projects. Ian brings over 35 years of international structured asset finance experience to the firm, having completed asset finance transactions for governments, airlines, shipping, and railway companies, as well as transactions for airports and real estate.

Prior to joining SkyWorks, Ian was a Managing Director of Citigroup’s Asset Finance Group and Head of Asia Pacific. Ian built the Citigroup Asset Finance Group Asia Pacific into a team of 10 professionals, after starting from scratch, and during that time, the team closed many structured finance firsts in Asia Pacific in, inter alia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, China, Japan, Australia, and Korea.

Before joining Citibank, Ian was Manager - Project Finance at Cathay Pacific Airways in Hong Kong, where he was responsible for all new aircraft financing. During that period, Ian’s team raised over $2.5bn for 25 new aircraft, including Airbus A330/A340s and Boeing 777 and 747-400 aircraft.

Before joining Cathay Pacific, Ian worked at S.G. Warburg & Co. in London, where he was Head of the European Asset Leasing Group with a special focus on cross-border leases into and between European countries.

Ian received his First Class Honours B.Sc. in Psychology from University of Exeter in England.

Geoff joined SkyWorks in 2007 and is responsible for transaction execution and marketing. In recent years, Geoff has helped lead multiple aircraft order advisory engagements and has gained extensive experience in executing a broad range of aircraft financings, from sale-and-leasebacks to debt to JOLCO financings.

Geoff began his career with SkyWorks as an Analyst, honing his skills in financial analysis and modeling and working on projects such as portfolio and individual aircraft valuation, maintenance cost projections, and lease-versus-own analyses.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Geoff received his M.B.A. from the University of Connecticut and was awarded the Hartford Society of Financial Analysts’ Award as the top finance student in his program. While in graduate school, he served as a fund manager for the University of Connecticut Foundation’s Student Managed Fund program and interned with GE in a market research position.

Prior to joining SkyWorks, Geoff was a product development manager for a large consumer goods company. He is the product of an airline family, as his father was a pilot and then flight engineer for United Airlines from 1952 until 2001.

Jon joined SkyWorks in 2010 and is responsible for aircraft investment origination and transaction execution. He has 11+ years of industry experience.

Prior to his current role, Jon worked in SkyWorks’ advisory group and was responsible for financial analysis and modeling as well as assisting senior professionals in marketing, with a focus on corporate finance, corporate strategy, and aircraft financing. Jon assisted in the development of Sierra Echo, SkyWorks’ aircraft leasing joint venture, has supported investors in bids for over $30bn of aircraft, and advised many investors on aircraft leasing strategy.

Jon graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was enrolled in the school’s dual degree program. He received a B.A.S. in Economics and a B.S.E. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering with a minor in Mathematics.

Johan joined SkyWorks in 2014 and focuses on aircraft remarketing and sourcing, as well as assisting with transaction execution. Johan has over 35 years of experience in the airline industry in operational management, managing outsourced production, aircraft acquisitions, aircraft remarketing, lease negotiations, and sale-leasebacks.

Before SkyWorks, Johan was employed by Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) as Head of External Production with the responsibility to contract and manage the airline’s outsourced fleet of jet and turboprop production. Prior to that, as Director Aircraft Acquisition & Trading, Johan was responsible for SAS’s widebody campaign, which resulted in an order of 4 A330s and 8 A350s, including engine support contracts. The responsibilities also included aircraft acquisition, aircraft remarketing, lease negotiations, and sale leasebacks.

Johan also had extensive senior management experience in technical and operational functions at several airlines: Head Technical Operations at SAS, Senior Vice President Quality and Safety at Spanair SA, Vice President Technical Operations at Novair, and Vice President Quality and Safety at Braathens Sverige, among others.

Karen joined SkyWorks in 2013 and is an attorney with an extensive background in aviation and other asset-based financial transactions. At SkyWorks, she provides legal counsel on sale, sale-leaseback, and JOLCO transactions for major U.S. and international airlines and transactional work for SkyWorks’ advisory clients. She provided legal support for the purchase of each aircraft in the Sierra Echo fleet. She is also responsible for ongoing legal and jurisdictional work for Sierra Echo, including existing and prospective aircraft.

Prior to SkyWorks, Karen worked for 14 years at Babcock & Brown, an international investment and advisory firm, initially as a transaction counsel and later as Babcock & Brown’s U.S. General Counsel and CEO of its registered broker-dealer. As a transaction counsel, Karen was a member of deal teams focused on aviation finance and cross-border leasing transactions aggregating more than $20bn in asset value and averaging 28 transactions per year.

Karen began her legal career at White & Case in New York, with several years spent abroad in White & Case’s London, Prague, and Istanbul offices. Karen’s practice included financial transactions with emphasis on leveraged lease transactions (aircraft, powerplants, and other equipment), asset-based and other lending transactions, capital markets, and acquisitions.

Karen has a J.D. from the University of Michigan and received her B.A. from Dartmouth College, cum laude with High Distinction in Mathematics and Social Sciences.

Karen is a member of the New York Bar.

Arif has over 20 years of aviation-related experience and has advised senior management of airlines and leasing and aerospace companies on a variety of assignments including aircraft remarketing, new commercial aircraft orders, M&A transactions, and business plan development.

He has led several new strategic aircraft campaigns for high-profile aviation clients, including extensive analysis of engine and airframe choices, and conducted complex negotiations with engine and airframe manufacturers. He has advised senior management of various airlines, leasing companies, and other aviation companies on aircraft and engine purchases valued in excess of $30bn at list prices.

He began his aviation career with The Canaan Group, a Honeywell Company, and has worked for Continental Data Graphics, a Boeing Company, and The Seabury Group in various positions of increasing responsibility. He also has experience in FBO and airport operations and was one of the founding members of Sport Aviation, a U.S.-based general aviation company.

He has an M.B.A. with honors from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and graduated summa cum laude from Gettysburg College with a B.A. in Economics, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Arif is an active general aviation pilot (1,250+ hours) with single-engine, multi-engine, and glider ratings. He is a certified flight, glider, and instrument instructor. He is a former athlete who competed in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games in the 100- and 200-meter races.

Sinead joined SkyWorks Leasing (Ireland) Limited in 2020. She is a member of Chartered Accountants Ireland and a Chartered Tax Consultant. She has over 15 years of experience in finance and tax, specifically in the aviation sector.

Before SkyWorks, Sinead worked at the Norwegian Air Group, where she was responsible for the finance function of the Irish arm of the group and was appointed to the board of Norwegian’s asset management group, Arctic Aviation Assets. Within her role at AAA, she gained extensive experience in asset management and aircraft transactions. She built a fully functioning team in Dublin and was responsible for the management of over 150 aircraft, leased both internally and externally.

Before Norwegian, Sinead was employed by Aer Lingus, working in internal audit where she was responsible for developing and implementing the (non-safety) risk register for the group. While at Aer Lingus, she gained experience in the Revenue Accounting and Finance departments. She then worked as direct tax manager for the group and completed the CTC qualification. Within this role, she gained extensive experience in tax structuring, planning, reporting, compliance, and accounting.

Sinead has a Master’s Degree in Accounting from Dublin City University. She commenced her career at PwC, training as an auditor.

Sheila joined SkyWorks in 2019 and focuses on corporate tax, accounting, and audit matters; partner corporate governance; information technology; human resources and benefits; and global policies and procedures. 

Sheila brings over 20 years of experience to SkyWorks. Previously, she was Senior Managing Director and Head of Structured Finance at PPM America and served in multiple roles at TIAA in private structured finance, public market securities, financial and strategic planning, and portfolio analytics.

Sheila earned an M.B.A. from The Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University and a B.S. in Finance from the University of Connecticut.

Ronan joined SkyWorks Leasing (Ireland) Limited in 2018 and is responsible for the technical function within the asset management and advisory groups.

Prior to joining SkyWorks, he worked as Vice President of Technical at Industrial Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), managing its fleet of 300+ aircraft and advising marketing and commercial teams regarding technical processes and the negotiation of leases, LOIs, and GTA agreements. Ronan also held the position of Engine Technical Manager at Engine Lease Finance Corporation (ELFC), overseeing engine work scope and claims processes. Previously, he was a Senior Consultant with International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), responsible for transitioning, repossessing, and delivering 100+ aircraft over 10 years. He has over 20 years of industry experience.

Ronan started his career as a B1 licensed EASA Engineer attending Dublin Institute of Technology in association with Team Aer Lingus and FLS Aerospace.

Claire joined SkyWorks Leasing (Ireland) Limited in 2018, concentrating on the development of the Dublin office operations and Asset Management function. Having worked in the aviation industry for over 13 years, Claire has extensive transactional and asset management experience within the aircraft leasing sector.

Prior to her role at SkyWorks, Claire was responsible for the management of contracts set-up within the ORIX contract management system and the development of new systems to maximize efficiency and compliance. Having established the Irish office of Starlite Aviation Group in 2008, Claire was responsible for business development, project management of the Group tender process, and oversight of marketing, public relations, and information management during a period of significant growth. She was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Irish Starlite companies in 2012.

Claire holds an M.B.A. from UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School and graduated from Trinity College Dublin with a B.A. Mod Joint Honours degree in Economics and Politics. She began her career as a political advisor in Leinster House.

Andrew joined SkyWorks in 2012 and is based in Singapore, having previously worked in the firm’s U.S. and Hong Kong offices. He is responsible for coverage of airline and investor clients throughout Asia-Pacific, including managing SkyWorks’ lessee relationships in the region and working with new aviation investors. At SkyWorks, Andrew has led or participated in numerous engagements relating to aircraft acquisition and financing, fleet strategy, and corporate restructuring. He has also been involved as an advisor in the creation and growth of several aircraft leasing platforms in Asia.

Andrew graduated from Duke University with a B.S.in Economics.

Christian joined SkyWorks in 2018 and focuses on analytics, general marketing, and financial modeling. Since joining Skyworks, Christian has supported a broad range of client projects, including M&A due-diligence advisory, drafting market intelligence reports for institutional investors, and airline lease restructuring.

Christian has extensively supported multiple facets of SkyWorks’ asset management function, including evaluating and modeling potential investments, lessee credit analysis, and aircraft remarketing campaigns on behalf of institutional investors.

Christian graduated with Honors from Lehigh University, having earned a B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering.

Connor joined SkyWorks in 2016 and has been involved in the execution of a broad range of projects, including an aircraft order campaign, aircraft financing, the development of a bespoke aircraft leasing strategy, and advisory on a potential investment in a low-cost carrier.

Connor also supports SkyWorks' leasing arm in evaluating prospective portfolio acquisitions, including maintenance fly-forward analysis and credit risk analysis.

Connor graduated with Distinction from Purdue University, having earned a B.S. in Finance and a B.S. in Aviation Technology.

Brian joined SkyWorks in 2015. He is focused on deal execution and marketing responsibilities, including managing modeling and analytics efforts. Since joining SkyWorks, Brian has contributed to a wide spectrum of aviation-related projects. His transactional experience includes work on aircraft order campaign advisory; aircraft sourcing and acquisition; aircraft remarketing; bankruptcy and restructuring advisory; and aircraft-backed financing projects. He also assists with SkyWorks’ ongoing asset management activities.

Brian earned a B.B.A. with majors in Finance and Economics from Villanova University's School of Business.

Ryan joined SkyWorks in 2023 to focus on transaction execution and marketing in the firm’s advisory practice. Based in Texas, Ryan previously spent 16 years at American Airlines in several commercial and finance functions, including nine years in Fleet Planning. As the Managing Director of Fleet Planning and Analysis, he was responsible for the company’s fleet strategy, including aircraft acquisitions and other fleet-related investments. In this role, he gained extensive experience in leading acquisition campaigns, aircraft configuration and onboarding programs, and post-merger fleet integration activities. 

Ryan earned his Master of Business Administration from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Jamie joined SkyWorks Leasing (Ireland) Limited in 2022 and focuses on aircraft origination, remarketing, and supporting transaction execution. He began his career with CIT Aerospace and has worked for CDB Aviation and BoComm Leasing in both Ireland and Hong Kong, where his responsibilities included commercial negotiations, aircraft trading, and airline lease restructuring. Jamie holds a Bachelor of Law and History from the University of Galway.

Paul joined SkyWorks Leasing (Ireland) Limited in 2021 and is primarily focused on pricing, transaction support, and analytics. Paul conducts financial analysis, models portfolio/asset specific investment opportunities, and provides maintenance forecast modelling to assist in scenario and sensitivity analysis.

Before SkyWorks, Paul was a member of EY’s Valuations Team specialising in business and asset valuations within the aviation sector. Beforehand, he trained as an accountant with EY in their Aviation Finance Assurance Department becoming ACA qualified with the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ireland in 2019. Paul is a graduate of UCD where he holds a M.A. in American History and a B.A. in History & Economics. Paul also holds a Post Graduate Diploma in public relations from the Public Relations Institute of Ireland.

Zach joined SkyWorks in May 2021 following full-time and part-time internships starting in May 2020. Since joining, he has been involved in many aviation-related projects, including an aircraft sourcing campaign involving multiple OEMs and lessors, a fleet strategy assignment focused on the induction of additional widebody aircraft, and the development of an aircraft market report on behalf of an institutional investor. Zach has also supported SkyWorks’ leasing platform through his work on aircraft remarketing campaigns and maintenance fly-forward modelling. Zach graduated with Honors from New York University in 2021, having earned a B.S. in Business and Political Economy.

Jason joined SkyWorks Leasing (Ireland) Limited in 2022 and is primarily focused on the firm’s technical functions, including managing the transition of aircraft, analysis and management of maintenance reserves, and oversight of current aircraft specification and lease data for SkyWorks’ owned and managed aircraft.

Before Skyworks Jason worked for AMES, an EASA Approved Part 21 Design Organisation, for over three years where he gained valuable experience in exterior and interior cabin modifications and was responsible for project management of various modifications from conception to delivery.

Jason is a graduate of the University of Limerick and holds a B.A. in Aeronautical Engineering.

Katie joined SkyWorks in 2023 with prior experience at AVITAS, where she specialized in aircraft, engine, and spare part inventory valuations and TrueAero, where she gained aftermarket product line management experience. Since joining SkyWorks, she has been involved in evaluating potential investments, pricing assets for remarketing, and supporting SkyWorks’ leasing arm. 

Katie graduated from Purdue University with a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering Technology and an M.S. in Aviation and Aerospace Management.