Management
Our senior management team is highly experienced, with Mr. Robert Martin (our Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer) and Mr. Steven Townend (our Deputy Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer) having worked together at BOC Aviation since 2001. This team has successfully managed BOC Aviation through multiple industry cycles. They are key to our historical performance in executing successfully our business strategy and, in particular, in overseeing and leading our active approach to risk management and governance. In addition, many of our senior management have extensive experience working in the aviation industry across multiple jurisdictions.
Profiles
Robert James Martin
Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer, Executive Director and a member of the Strategy and Budget Committee.
Mr. Martin was appointed as a Director and Managing Director in 1998. Mr. Martin joined the Company in 1998 and has 35 years of experience in the aircraft and leasing business, with Bank of America, The Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan and HSBC Investment Bank (Asia) Ltd.
Mr. Martin graduated from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom with a Master of Arts degree in Economics.
Mdm. Zhang Xiaolu
Deputy Managing Director, Vice Chairman, Executive Director and a member of the Strategy and Budget Committee.
Mdm. Zhang was appointed as Deputy Managing Director, Vice Chairman, Executive Director and a member of the Strategy and Budget Committee in January 2020. She currently oversees the Risk Management, Market Research, Corporate Affairs and Board Secretariat departments.
Mdm. Zhang joined Bank of China in July 1990. She held various positions, including serving as Deputy CEO and COO at Bank of China (Suisse) S.A. from November 2008 to September 2012. From October 2012 to April 2014, she was the Executive Director and Special Advisor of Bank Julius Baer Head Office in Zurich. Prior to joining the Company, Mdm. Zhang was the Deputy General Manager of BOC Luxembourg Branch and Bank of China (Luxembourg) S.A. from April 2014 to December 2019.
Mdm. Zhang graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in International Leasing and Foreign Trade Accounting from Beijing Union University in 1990, a Bachelor’s degree in English Language from Beijing Foreign Studies University in 2006 and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in 2000.
Steven Townend
Deputy Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer.
Mr. Townend joined the Company in January 2001 and was appointed as Chief Commercial Officer in July 2004. Mr. Townend assumed the role of Chief Financial Officer in October 2020. He currently oversees the Accounting and Reporting, Financial Control, Financial Planning and Analysis, Treasury, Tax, Settlement and Investor Relations and Corporate Communications departments. Mr. Townend has 31 years of banking and leasing experience. He graduated from Loughborough University in the United Kingdom with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Banking and Finance.
Thomas Chandler
Chief Operating Officer.
Mr. Chandler joined the Company in January 2023 and was appointed Chief Operating Officer in July 2023. He currently oversees the Legal and Transaction Management, Compliance and Insurance, Technical, Procurement and Information Technology departments. Mr. Chandler has more than 25 years of experience in aircraft leasing, financing and procurement and has worked in the legal, banking and aviation sectors. Prior to joining the Company, he was Managing Director Fleet & Asset Management of TUI Group. Mr. Chandler graduated from Swansea University in the United Kingdom with a Bachelor of Art (Honours) degree in History. He also received Post Graduate Diplomas in Law and in Legal Practice from the University of the West of England in the United Kingdom.
Deng Lei
Chief Commercial Officer (Asia Pacific and the Middle East).
Mr. Deng joined the Company as Chief Commercial Officer (Asia Pacific and the Middle East) in November 2019. He is responsible for overseeing all revenue activities within the Asia Pacific and the Middle East. He joined Bank of China in July 1998 and held various positions, including serving as the General Manager of the Global Markets department at the Shanghai Branch and as a Director in the Investment Banking and Asset Management department at the Head Office. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Deng was the Assistant General Manager of Bank of China, Singapore Branch. Mr. Deng graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in International Finance from Shanghai University in 1998 and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from The University of Hong Kong in 2005.
Paul Kent
Chief Commercial Officer (Europe, Americas and Africa).
Mr. Kent joined the Company as Chief Commercial Officer (Europe, Americas and Africa) in June 2020. He is based in London and responsible for overseeing all revenue activities in Europe, Americas and Africa. Mr. Kent has 26 years of finance and leasing experience, having started his career with nine years at Citibank, before becoming one of the leadership team that launched Doric as a new asset management platform in the aviation industry. He subsequently co-led the set-up of Amedeo where, as a principal shareholder, he managed all commercial activities of the company including aircraft leasing and sales, capital raising and investments, OEM relationships and the company’s principal aircraft order positions. Mr. Kent graduated from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom with a Master of Arts (Honours) degree in Management Studies.