Our Team
Bradley E. Smith, Managing Director
Bradley E. Smith is a managing director and founding member of Kahala Aviation Ltd. He was also a founding member of our predecessor company, First Greenwich Kahala Ltd, and has been involved in the aircraft leasing sector since 2003. Prior to this Brad worked for 20 years on Wall Street, primarily with two firms: Bankers Trust and Bear Stearns. At Bear Stearns he was a Senior Managing Director in the Tokyo office having previously joined the firm in New York in 1995. Before Bear Stearns he worked 10 years at Bankers Trust- first in the airlines and aerospace group, and later in BT's loan syndications group where he was responsible for some of the largest leveraged airline financings ever completed, including the recapitalization of UAL and the buy-out of Northwest Airlines. In addition to long standing ties with Wall Street and Asian financial institutions, Brad has relationships with many Asian and US airlines.
Mike Garland, Managing Director
Michael Garland is a managing director and founding member of Kahala Aviation Ltd. He was also a founding member of our predecessor company, First Greenwich Kahala Ltd, and has been working in the aircraft leasing sector since the early 1980s. In 1990 Mike joined Electra Aviation Ltd as a director responsible for restructuring the then troubled company and exiting a 65 aircraft portfolio. Before Electra he worked at several established aviation banks. In 1995 Mike established Garland Aviation which provided aircraft lease consultancy to aircraft lessors and airlines including some of the most prominent names in the industry such as Aviation Capital Group, Mitsui Corporation, Air Europa, and Excel Airways. Mike is considered one of the leading aircraft leasing specialists in Europe with extensive relationships with airlines and other industry participants in the region. He also has substantial repossession experience as well having repossessed aircraft out of numerous difficult jurisdictions such as Mexico, Ukraine and Serbia (during the Yugoslav War).
Mark J. Thatcher, Chief Technical Officer
Mark J. Thatcher is chief technical officer and founding member or Kahala Aviation Ltd. He also worked with Messrs Garland and Smith at First Greenwich Kahala Ltd since 2004. Mark has over twenty three years' experience within the operating segment of the airline industry- with half this at the senior management or board level. Prior to FGK he established Trinity Aero Limited, a successful aviation technical and consultancy business. Before Trinity Mark was employed for eleven years at Air 2000- then one of the largest UK airlines, where he oversaw a mixed fleet of over 30 Boeing and Airbus aircraft. In his final position at Air 2000 he was a director with responsibility for all of the airline's maintenance and aircraft purchasing/leasing activities. Mark began his career at the age of 16 in British Airways' world renowned engineering apprenticeship program. Subsequently, he was employed at British Aerospace where he supported that company's activities in Thailand and China. Mark has a unique blend of a mechanic's intimate knowledge of aircraft and engines coupled with the asset trading savvy of a senior airline executive with substantial experience trading and leasing equipment.
Michael P. Howard, Chief Financial/Investment Officer
Michael Howard is chief financial/investment officer and founding member of Kahala Aviation Ltd. Michael has over 11 years top level CFO experience in a variety of organizations. From 2007 to 2009, Michael was the chief financial officer of AWAS Aviation Capital Ltd., one of the world's largest operating lessors of commercial aircraft. While here Michael was instrumental in originating and structuring over $1billion of debt financing for aircraft acquisitions. From 2005 to 2007, he was the chief financial officer of Statoil Ireland Ltd., Ireland's largest fuel company and forecourt convenience retailer. Prior to Statoil, Michael was with Irish Distillers Group, a subsidiary of Groupe Pernod Ricard, where he was chief financial officer from 2000 to 2005 and Finance & Treasury Manager from 1997 to 2000. He began his career with KPMG serving as manager in the Dublin and Milan offices.
