Waypoint Leasing, a leading global helicopter leasing company, today announced the appointment of four industry veterans to its senior team:

• Ian Gurekian, Chief Risk Officer
• David Powell, Vice President Sales
• Thomas Kelly, Vice President Tax
• Shane Leonard, Technical Manager

Ed Washecka, CEO of Waypoint, said, “We continue to ramp up Waypoint’s management team with some of the industry’s most knowledgeable and seasoned professionals.  Each of these individuals brings key expertise that will support our growth and service to customers.  Mr. Gurekian’s financial and business acumen and deep industry knowledge will enhance our team’s ability to identify and mitigate potential risks.  Mr. Powell’s reputation in the marketplace and extensive sales experience will allow us to expand our global business operations and deepen our client relationships, especially amongst our key oil and gas customer base.  We are also excited to welcome Mr. Leonard and Mr. Kelly, who will be important additions to our operations and finance teams, respectively.”

Additional employment details and brief bios of Waypoint’s new executives are as follows:

• Ian Gurekian – Mr. Gurekian will join Waypoint to help identify, analyze and price asset and credit risk as well as evaluate both macro and industry variables to help structure and drive the company’s stated long-term investment plan and portfolio objectives.  Ian brings over 14 years of dedicated financial aviation experience to the company.  Prior to joining Waypoint, Ian served Brigade Capital Management as co-head of the firm’s aviation practice where he specialized in aircraft and aviation-related investment vehicles, underwriting and managing the acquisition and disposition of over 90 commercial aircraft and over 260 commercial engines. Previously, Mr. Gurekian worked at GE Capital Aviation Services for over seven years where he held the position of Vice President of Product Evaluation & Strategy and prior to that at SH&E as a privatization consultant.

• David Powell – Mr. Powell will join Waypoint to help manage all of the Company’s origination, sales and business development.  Previously, Dave completed a successful 25-year career at Sikorsky while holding various executive positions, including: Vice President Sales for the Americas and Global Oil, Regional Sales Executive for the European Market, Regional Vice President for International Business Development Asia and Vice President for Sikorsky International Business – Japan.  More recently, Dave worked at FlightSafety International, the world’s premier professional aviation training company, where he led a number of growth initiatives through the identification and development of new business opportunities around the world.

• Thomas Kelly – Mr. Kelly, who has over 20 years of broad financial experience across a number of industries, will join Waypoint to help manage the company’s tax position and analyze proposed tax code changes as they arise.  Tom was previously Vice President of Global Taxes at Shannon Engine Support Limited. Before that, Mr. Kelly served as Head of Tax at Genesis Lease Limited, where he remained through the company’s amalgamation with AerCap Holdings N.V.

• Shane Leonard – Mr. Leonard, who has over 30 years of helicopter and operational experience with CHC, Bond and Bristow as a licensed engineer, will join Waypoint and work alongside its technical team to help manage the company’s diverse fleet of aircraft.  Most recently, Mr. Leonard held senior management roles at CHC Helicopter, including various AOC Technical Postholder positions.  During his time with CHC, he led the technical management of the Irish SAR helicopter fleet on behalf of the Irish Coast Guard completing a fleet upgrade to S92A helicopters in 2013.

About Waypoint Leasing:

Waypoint Leasing is a global helicopter leasing company that provides operating lease and financing solutions to helicopter operators worldwide.  Headquartered in Limerick, Ireland, and with operations in Darien, CT, Waypoint Leasing differentiates itself with a senior management team that has direct helicopter operating and leasing experience in key helicopter markets around the world, having leased helicopters across Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North and South America.  Waypoint Leasing serves a wide range of sectors including oil and gas, emergency medical service, search and rescue, firefighting and governmental support.  Further information is available at www.waypointleasing.com.