Meet the Board

Mr. Safwan Kuzbari is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Novus Aviation Capital, a leading aircraft leasing, financing and asset management company. Novus’ aircraft portfolio is currently valued at around $4 billion. Mr.Kuzbari has always pursued business opportunities in new and growing industries. In addition to serving as a director for several global investment funds and establishing Novus Aviation Capital. Safwan in 2010, launched Dubai-based energy platform solutions with a focus on solar markets in Europe, Middle East and Japan.

Mr. Chafik Kuzbari has been a Director of Novus Aviation Capital since its inception. He previously served as Novus Aviation Capital’s Chief Financial Officer before stepping down in 2018.

In 1994, he co-founded Novus Aviation Capital S.A. (formerly Novus Management & Consulting S.A. and Novus Aviation Services S.A.) in Geneva, Switzerland and acted as its General Manager until 2016.

Mr. Kuzbari participated in developing various Sharia’s compliant structures covering aircraft Islamic financing and leasing with various prominent scholars, and was instrumental in establishing and launching the first Sharia compliant aircraft leasing fund.

Mr. Kuzbari also serves as a director for several global investment companies and funds.

Prior to founding Novus, Mr. Kuzbari co-founded United Aviation Service (UAS) in 1973 with Mr. Safwan Kuzbari. Under the direction and leadership of the Kuzbari family, UAS evolved into an international group with 128 employees, over 100 aircraft in a portfolio with an asset value in excess of US$745 million in 1990. Through its subsidiaries in Paris, New York and Geneva, UAS provided a broad range of services to the aircraft leasing industry. Mr. Kuzbari served as Director and Chief Financial Officer of UAS and spent 20 years with UAS from 1973 to 1993.

Hani Kuzbari, CFA, is the Managing Director, Member of the Board and Shareholder at Novus Aviation Capital, a resilient, reliable, and growing aviation financing platform and a pioneer in aircraft leasing for the last two decades. Besides leading the company’s equity capital raising and investment related activities globally, Hani is also responsible for strategic planning and upholding the group’s proven track-record as well as managing its strong portfolio of aircraft-related investments (valued in excess of 3 billion US dollars). He also heads Novus Aviation Capital’s Asia-Pacific activities and directs operations of the company’s Hong Kong office, which today acts as the company’s footprint in core markets such as China, Japan, and South Korea.

Mr. Kuzbari is a specialist in originating, structuring, and developing a range of aircraft leasing investment and financing vehicles and global joint ventures with investors, banks, lessors and manufacturers. More particularly, Hani has been very active in the EMEA region – with over USD 3 billion worth of aircraft leased to GCC airlines in the last decade – but also in the setting up of the first GCC syndicated retail fund for aircraft operating leases and the first Sharia’a-compliant structure for aircraft operating leases. Mr. Kuzbari has been instrumental in the design, launching and operations of Tamweel Aviation Finance (Novus’s mezzanine debt platform) as well as the award-winning Ortus Aircraft Leasing Fund, an innovative aircraft operating lease vehicle structured in partnership with a leading Japanese financial institution.

Hani has originated and completed a variety of aircraft leasing deals with prominent airlines across the globe under a variety of structures valued in excess of USD 5 billion. During his career and across cycles, Hani has also remarketed and transitioned a number of single and twin aisle aircraft with leases attached, following lease expiries but also as a result of distressed situations.

With his wealth of experience and expertise in various segments of the aviation industry, Mr. Kuzbari serves as board member of various investment companies specializing in transport related projects. Mr. Kuzbari is also a regular speaker and panelist at leading air finance conferences in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Hani is a CFA charterholder and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration obtained with honors from the American University of Beirut (AUB), an MBA from the University Of Chicago Booth School Of Business, and has completed an Executive Education Program at Harvard Business School. Hani is also a member of YPO, the CFA institute, as well as the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading. Hani speaks French, English and Arabic.

Master of Business Administration – University Of Chicago Booth School Of Business, USA

Bachelor of Business Administration and Marketing – American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Mounir Kuzbari is the Managing Director, Member of the Board and Shareholder of Novus Aviation Capital, a resilient and growing aviation financing platform and a pioneer in aircraft leasing. In his current role, he heads the group’s Dubai operations and overseeing its financing and debt capital activities including Novus’ mezzanine debt platforms. As part of the Novus senior executive team, Mr. Kuzbari is also responsible for the group’s strategy in building a robust structure, which has generated sustained success over two decades and established a strong foundation for future growth.

Mounir brings to his role a wealth of experience and expertise in originating and arranging structured finance solutions for the aviation industry and in advising airlines and aircraft owners on the selection, purchase, financing, leasing and management of aircraft investments.

Prior to joining Novus, Mr. Kuzbari served as Senior Vice-President with DVB Bank in New York, managing part of the bank’s portfolio of aviation clients in the Americas. He also worked at DVB’s Frankfurt and London offices in various groups including the bank’s risk department and the investment management group. While at DVB he led a team advising a group of Middle Eastern investors on developing a business plan, building a capital raising strategy and implementing an aircraft leasing platform. He also served on the Investment Committee of Aviateur Capital, a mezzanine debt vehicle partially backed by Airbus.

Mounir is also a  Director of Yellow Door Energy, a startup providing solar leasing solution and a former Board Member of the Clean Energy Business Council.

Mounir is an active member of the Young President’s Organization (YPO) and the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (ISTAT). He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and Economics from the American University of Beirut (AUB) and completed an Executive Education Program on Family Business from the Harvard Business School.

Mounir speaks English, French and Arabic.

Bachelor of Finance and Economics – American University of Beirut, Lebanon

Mamoun Kuzbari is the Managing Director and Member of the Board of Novus Aviation Capital. He heads the Novus Group’s operation in Europe out of London and is responsible for Novus’ portfolio management and trading activities. He manages the aircraft remarketing, transitions and disposal having completed over $1 billion asset sale and transition between 2014 and 2016. He oversees the active management of Novus aircraft portfolio including the relations with the Lessees as well as the IT infrastructure supporting this. Mamoun also manages the relationship with its trading partners and Lessors and manages asset sales and acquisition.

Prior to joining Novus, Mamoun worked for six years in the software consulting industry. At Oracle Software, he participated in several important Oracle e-business software implementations, such ILO and Dubai Government. He then joined Kynergy Sàrl, where he, as well as being a consultant on several projects, he managed CRM implementations.

Mamoun holds an MSc in Management in Information Systems obtained from the University of Geneva and has obtained Post-Graduate Diploma in Air Transport Management MSc from Cranfield University.

Mamoun is an active member of the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (ISTAT), the Aviation Club of the UK, Wings Club and the Association of the United States and European Aerospace Industry Representatives (USAIRE).

Mamoun speaks English, French and Arabic.

Master of Science, Information Systems – University of Geneva, Switzerland

Post-Graduate Diploma, Air Transport Management – Cranfield University, UK

Charles Graham joined Novus in October 2017 as Advisor to the Board of Directors, bringing over 30 years of Board and CEO experience in airlines, aircraft leasing and international logistics and was later appointed as Non-Executive Director in July 2018.

He began his career in transportation as Global CFO of TNT Express, leading the acquisition of road and air transport companies around the world to form one of the leading international integrators.

In 1997 Charles entered the world of aircraft leasing as CEO of Ansett Worldwide Aviation Services (AWAS), an aircraft leasing business then owned by TNT and News Corporation. Growing AWAS substantially in its formative years, Charles led the sale of the company to Morgan Stanley in 2000. Joining Morgan Stanley as a Managing Director, Charles went on to integrate AWAS with Morgan Stanley’s Aircraft Finance business to form one of the world’s largest aircraft lessors. In 2006, Charles led the sale of AWAS for a second time, to private equity investors.

In 2007, Charles joined DHL as CEO Global Aviation and a Member of the DHL Board. Under his leadership, a new global aviation strategy emerged, integrating the management of DHL’s fourteen regional airlines with two new intercontinental partnerships to form one virtual global airline – the second largest cargo airline in the world.

Charles now works on strategic growth and investment projects in the aviation and logistics sectors. He holds a Degree in Law (LL.B.) from The University of Glasgow and is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors in both the UK and Australia.

Nils Hallerstrom was appointed to Novus’s Board of Directors in January 2019. Prior to joining Novus, he was the President of PK Finans from 1991. In 2000, PK was acquired by General Electric Capital Corporation and changed its name to PK AirFinance, which he held the position of President for GE Capital Aviation Services/PK AirFinance till the end of 2018, he helped grow PK’s aircraft backed debt portfolio to over $6bn.

He has also, in co-operation with a vendor in Sweden, developed Monte Carlo simulation software used across PK AirFinance for pricing, structuring and underwriting new loans, managing portfolios, valuing loans, and data mining and analytics. Licences for this digital tool has been sold to Boeing Capital Corporation and Nomura Babcock, Brown.

Previously, Nils has also been a Director of International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (ISTAT) and on the Board of Governors of their appraisal programme as well as  a regular lecturer on Aircraft Financing at the Air Business Academy in Toulouse.

He holds an MSc in Aeronautical Engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and a MSc in Accounting & Finance from the London School of Economics.