WASHINGTON — Airlink is pleased to announce the addition of three new members of the Advisory Council – Toby Bright, Alan Cassels, and Philip Tozer-Pennington – and two new staff – Ian Rodgers and Dan Whitney – this year. These additions come as Airlink enters its eighth year in operation.
“We are honored to have these aviation and humanitarian professionals – recognized leaders in their respective disciplines – join our team. Last year was a transformative year for Airlink, and we are at an important juncture with respect to the organization’s growth. The expertise each of them bring to the table will be important as we look at how to bring more innovative solutions to disaster relief for airlines and NGOs alike,” said Steve Smith, Executive Director of Airlink.
Airlink Adds Two New Staff Positions
Ian Rodgers joins Airlink as its Director of Humanitarian Programs in April, following 20 years of experience in implementing programs in the disaster response and humanitarian development sectors. During the course of his career, he has worked with agencies such as Médecins Sans Frontières, Save the Children, and the Red Cross. Most recently, Ian served as Save the Children’s Country Director in Lebanon, and previously served as their Director of Humanitarian Response and Surge Staffing in Washington, DC. Ian has a strong logistical background in not only the humanitarian and development sectors, but also in the commercial sector, having worked for Hamburg Süd in maritime shipping as the logistics manager for the Asia-Pacific Region.
Dan Whitney joins Airlink as the organization’s Marketing and Communications Manager, following nearly 30 years in various communications roles at IBM and General Electric, including GE Capital Aviation and GE Real Estate. Most recently, Dan served as the Global Director for Marketing Communications at GE Capital. Dan’s expertise in leading communications across a broad range of sectors will be an asset to Airlink’s marketing capacity as the organization continues to grow.
Aviation Professionals Bring Their Expertise to Airlink’s Advisory Council
Joining Airlink’s Advisory Council this year are three industry leaders from varying backgrounds in the aviation industry, from leasing to communications.
Toby Bright of Jackson Square Aviation joined the Council in January, becoming one in a group of senior executives who play a leadership role at Airlink. Mr. Bright is currently President and CEO of Jackson Square, a San Francisco based aircraft leasing company he helped found in 2010. He was named to this position in April 2015 after serving as the Chief Marketing Officer for the company from the start. Mr. Bright was instrumental in growing JSA’s aircraft lease portfolio to 140 commercial aircraft valued at more than $7 billion. He helped position the company for sale to Mitsubishi UFJ Lease and Finance in January 2013. Prior to joining Jackson Square Aviation, Mr. Bright was Chief Marketing Officer for Sky Holding Company and before that, Pegasus Aviation. Before joining Pegasus in 2005, Mr. Bright was Executive Vice President of Sales at Boeing where he was responsible for the sales of all commercial aircraft and services worldwide. Mr. Bright also holds a commercial pilot certificate and is an avid general aviation pilot.
Coming from a logistics background, Alan Cassels also joined the Advisory Council in early 2017. Now retired, Mr. Cassels is a veteran of the airline and air express industries. His 45-year career took him from his native UK to stints in the US, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Angola and Kenya, where he was most recently the Managing Director for Equatorial Africa and Country Manager for DHL Express.
Philip Tozer-Pennington is the newest addition to Airlink’s Advisory Council. Mr. Tozer-Pennington has 20 years of aviation experience including over a decade in aviation publishing. Currently he serves as the Managing Director for Aviation News Limited, commanding the largest aviation finance and leasing conferences in the world, as well as the largest daily news service in the sector and the largest print publication in the aviation finance and leasing sector. Before this, he was Managing Director of UBM Aviation Publications, Managing Director of Aviation Industry Press, Publisher of Airline Fleet & Asset Management and sales director of Aircraft Economics. He has been credited with creating and then de-monetizing online daily news services for the aviation sector and lowering the cost of conferences and journal advertising for all. Philip has insured and traded aircraft and advised on aircraft purchases and other specialist aviation related investments, and has appeared on BBC World, Bloomberg TV, numerous radio stations and in the South China Morning Post, Wall Street Journal and Irish Times.
The Airlink Advisory Council is a select group of leaders in the aviation and humanitarian aid sectors who volunteer their time to guide, promote, and advance the Airlink program. Each member is dedicated to assisting Airlink in expanding its network of airline and NGO partners and providing industry insight and advice. The Council is maintained through the members’ shared dedication and desire to proactively contribute to Airlink’s positive impact on global humanitarian issues. The Airlink Advisory Council is now comprised of 21 members, including current and former airline CEOs, as well as seasoned professionals in the aviation leasing sector and the humanitarian sector.
