Meet the Team

Hani Kuzbari is the Co- Chief Executive Officer, Member of the Board and Shareholder of Novus Aviation Capital, a resilient and growing aviation financing platform, and a pioneer in aircraft leasing. Hani is 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.

Hani 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. He has been instrumental in the design, launching and operations of Tamweel Aviation Finance and Cedar Aviation Finance (Novus’s mezzanine debt platforms) 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. 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.

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 Co-CEO, Member of the Board and Shareholder of Novus Aviation Capital, a resilient and growing aviation financing platform and a pioneer in aircraft leasing.

Mounir is 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.

With extensive experience in championing sustainable initiatives, Mounir is the co-founder and board member of SAF One, a newly established platform focused on the development of pathway agnostic sustainable aviation fuel solutions for the global aviation industry. He also a co-founded Yellow DoorEnergy, a solar and energy efficiency solution provider. Previously, Mounir served as a Board Member of the Clean Energy Business Council.

Prior to joining Novus, Mounir served as SVP at 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.

Mounir is an active member of the Young President’s Organization (YPO) and the International Society of TransportAircraft Trading (ISTAT). He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and Economics from the American University of Beirut (AUB) andcompleted an Executive Education Program in 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 Chief Operating Officer and Member of the Board of Novus Aviation Capital. He is responsible for Novus’ portfolio management and trading activities and heads the Novus Group’s operation in Europe out of London. He also manages the aircraft remarketing, transitions and disposal having completed over $2 billion asset sale and transition.

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 a Director of the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (ISTAT) and an active member of the Aviation Club of the UK.

Mamoun speaks English, French and Arabic.

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

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

Simon has spent the last 18 years working in the aviation industry. Simon joined the Novus London team from FPG Amentum where he was a part of the management team and participated in the MBO from HSH Nordbank and the subsequent sale of Amentum to FPG, Tokyo. Prior to Amentum, he has held positions in Airbus as a sales director within the Leasing Markets team and then as the Director of Business Development at A J Walter Aviation.

Simon is a graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and holds an MBA from Henley Management College.

George leads Novus’s business development and capital raising globally. George has over 28 years of experience in the financial industry in major Asian cities for multinational financial institutions including Morgan Stanley (HK), Merrill Lynch Japan, Nikko Securities (Seoul) and Mitsubishi UFJ Securities (HK). He is fluent in English, Korean and Japanese.

Motonari has over 30 years experience in the aviation leasing and financing industry. Motonari started his career at ORIX where he contributed to its aircraft/engine operating leasing business, financing, and the specific aircraft investment products in Japan, namely JLL (Japanese Leveraged Lease), JOL (Japanese Operating Lease), and JOLCO (Japanese Operating Lease with Call Option) for more than a decade.

He then moved to Credit Agricole Tokyo aviation team to enhance their financing and deal arranging capabilities. After more than a decade at Credit Agricole, Motonari spent over 6 years at Societe General Tokyo aviation team leading the aircraft financing business and the JOLCO equity business.

Motonari is a graduate of Waseda University, Political Science

Yuana is responsible for Asian investor/airline relationship and transaction management. She also assists in Hong Kong office operation, including accounting and audit support. Prior to joining Novus in 2014, Yuana worked at Citigroup as an investment banker and she was involved in several global M&A and underwriting transactions. She is fluent in Korean and English.

Bachelor of Arts – Seoul National University, Korea

With over 20 years of legal experience, Matthew has acted for numerous banks, financial institutions, lessors, operators and manufacturers in a wide range of jurisdictions.  Prior to joining Novus, Matthew was a partner at two leading international law firms in Singapore and London respectively.  Matthew was previously recognised by Airline Economics as one of the top 40 leading aviation professionals under 40 years.

Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales

Lune brings over 10 years of leadership experience in the international aircraft leasing sector. She has cultivated a vast network both in China and around the world. Her expertise spans business development, marketing, fundraising, and transaction management. Lune holds a CFA charter and has earned MBAs from both Peking University’s Guanghua School and New York University’s Stern School. Proficient in both Chinese and English, she spearheads Novus’s business development efforts in China and the broader Asia Pacific Region.

Master of Business Administration – New York University

With two decades of experience in the aviation sector, Cyrille joined the Novus team in Dubai after a significant tenure with Airbus. He served as the Sales Director for the Middle East and Africa, spearheading commercial aircraft campaigns for six years. Earlier, Cyrille contributed as the Marketing Director for Airbus’s widebody and cargo aircraft, in addition to his role as an aircraft customer support engineer.

Cyrille holds a Master of Science in Aeronautics and Space – ISAE-ENSMA

With more than 10 years of experience in financial analysis and accounting, Hussam leads the accounting and pricing department.

Bachelor of Business Administration, Accounting – Beirut Arab University, Lebanon

Program Certificate, Information Management – CNAM

Alkis is a specialist airline/aircraft leasing company credit risk analyst. He has considerable experience in international and global business, having worked for the corporate and investment banking arms of NatWest and National Australia Bank (London). He has specialist experience in credit risk analysis, corporate lending and securitization, in a variety of industry sectors including automotive, oil & gas and aviation.

Alkis has previously worked for BAE Systems Asset Management with responsibility for the risk management of the aircraft portfolio, at UK Export Finance/ECGD (the UK’s Export Credit Agency) as Senior Airlines Analyst and most recently for Falko Regional Aircraft with responsibility for credit risk management. He currently holds the position of Vice President at Novus, covering all areas of credit risk.

Master of Business Administration – Henley Business School, UK

Jude is responsible for coordinating the executive team’s activities, ensuring seamless communication and efficient management of the Executive Teams agenda, while also overseeing strategic project implementation.

Prior to joining Novus, Jude worked for the Jumeirah Group, where he managed and supported various HR tasks for all the hotels based in the Middle East and Asia regions.

Bachelor of Business Administration – G.I.H.E Bulle, Switzerland

Balbhadra Shukla is an accomplished finance leader with over a decade of experience in financial strategy, corporate finance and performance management across diverse industries, including manufacturing, oil & gas and professional services. He possesses deep expertise in financial planning & analysis (FP&A), regulatory compliance and efficiency optimization. His skill set extends to stakeholder management, tax, audits & assurance and strategic financial planning.

Before joining Novus, Balbhadra held key roles at Liberty Steel Group, Joulon, PKF and Deloitte. He is a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and holds a commerce degree from Mumbai University. Additionally, he holds the Financial Modelling & Valuation Analyst (FMVA) designation from the Corporate Finance Institute

Ziad is actively involved in the financial modeling, debt to equity structure, investment relations, and asset pricing. Prior to joining Novus, he has worked in assurance & advisory at Deloitte & Touche (M.E) for over 5 years. He has led large complex organizations and managed junior peers in multiple sectors including renewable energy, construction, oil & gas, real estate, hotels and manufacturing. Through his past experiences, he has developed his analytical abilities & acquired a valuable set of tools used in finance.

Master in Business Administration (MBA), with an emphasis in Finance – IE Business School, Spain

Prabhjeet joined Novus Aviation Capital in Dubai with over 6 years of experience in Aviation Finance. Prior to joining the Novus team in 2018, she has worked in the aircraft acquisition and financing team at IndiGo Airlines, where she was responsible for handling financing, leasing, project and contract management, financial modelling, delivery/redelivery of the aircraft. She also possess extensive experience of working on the complex engine and APU related maintenance contracts and dealing with the MROs.

Chartered Accountant (C.A.) – The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India

Eleanor is a specialist airline/aircraft leasing company credit risk analyst.  She has public sector experience as the Senior Airlines Analyst for UK Export Finance/ECGD (the UK’s Export Credit Agency) where she worked for over 10 years producing independent credit ratings for a diverse range of airlines and aircraft leasing companies.  Eleanor currently holds the position of Assistant Vice President at Novus, covering all areas of credit risk.

Master of Science, Operational Research  –  University of Southampton, UK

Certificate in International Treasury Management, The Association of Corporate Treasurers, UK

As Vice President at Novus Aviation Capital, Micha is responsible for financial modelling, asset pricing and providing credit assessments of counterparties, assets, and transactions for Risk and Research Department. Additionally, Micha assists with debt structuring and banking institutions relationships management.

Prior to joining Novus, Micha worked at Deucalion Aviation Limited, where she developed financial models and supported debt structuring and transaction negotiations. Micha’s earlier experience also includes working at Falko, specializing in asset pricing and cash flow forecasting, and as a Valuations Analyst at Ascend by Cirium, focusing on aircraft appraisals and market analysis.

Micha holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Accounting from SGH Warsaw School of Economics.

Miki brings to us a wealth of Japan experience including credit monitoring at Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ Limited (Hong Kong), 8 years at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank as a member of their private equity investment team and financial institution sales team; marketing funds and structured products to regional banks, corporate pensions and other financial institutions. Miki is a native Japanese speaker and is fluent in English.

Bachelor Of Arts, International Economics & International Cultural Studies – Tsuda University, Japan  

Sana is a Vice President at Novus Aviation, responsible for pricing related results, and coordinating information requirements for management.

Bachelor of Business Administration, Finance – American University of Science & Technology, Lebanon

Junior Financial Analyst (JFA Certificate) from IFA – Schewezer institute (2013)

A multi-skilled professional administrator, Merrian Raths brings over 20 years of experience in international firms and multinational corporations, specialising in operations management, customer service and bookkeeping. Her dedication, efficiency and problem solving skills have earned her a rapport with colleagues and clients alike.

Passionate to make a difference, Merrian spends her spare time mentoring the next generations, with a heart to bring positive influence to their lives and raise future leaders. She has also founded NeXTGen Agape Academy, a non-profit organisation offering quality education to the underprivileged children in rural Cebu in the Philippines. A native from the Philippines , Merrian also speaks fluent English and Cantonese 

Email: nancy.helou@novus.aero

Johan Visser acts as an advisor to Novus through the consultancy firm JLV Advisory. Previously, he worked with J.P.Morgan since 2000 and worked in the global asset-backed securities department in New York in excess of 13 years covering transportation issuers globally. His recent transaction experience comprises a variety of asset classes including roles on warehouse loans for aircraft and container lessors, secured bond transactions for airlines and railcar issuers globally (ETCs and EETCs), aircraft lease portfolio securitization, term loans guaranteed by export credit agencies and U.S. guaranteed transactions through the maritime administration, US AID and U.S. Eximbank.

Mr. Visser graduated from ESCP — Europe Business School in 2000 and holds a Diplôme Grande Ecole and a Diplom Kaufmann (MSc). He also holds an undergraduate from the Escuela Superior de Gestión Commercial y Marketing (Diplomatura).