News
Helicopter Leasing - 'War for Talent'
Thursday 10th July 2014
Helicopter Leasing - 'War for Talent'
The recent growth in the helicopter leasing industry has sparked a ‘War for Talent’!
Over the past 12 months, at least 6 new lessors have entered this market causing many ‘fixed wing’ aircraft lessors to take time to study the market to see if it is a viable new revenue stream. Added to this there are a number of new entrants to the mature ‘fixed wing’ leasing market as well as new growth for the existing players.
So what does this mean?
Essentially, a growing number of organisations are positioning themselves to attract people from a limited talent pool.
Certain skills are transferable e.g. legal, structured finance, credit, contracts and pricing, however, there are a limited number of experienced people who can hit the ground running.
Though there are sales and technical people with rotor craft experience, the helicopter leasing industry is young and there is a relatively small number who have the expertise to originate and negotiate aircraft lease agreements and ensure that the company’s interests are sufficiently protected. Helicopter leasing companies are naturally tentative about taking people from their customer base who have this experience from the other side.
Leasing platforms do not generally have high staff numbers, however do manage large fleets of aircraft. It is, therefore, imperative that helicopter lessors hire professional staff who understand the industry, how it operates and can move quickly to secure transactions and structure credible long term leases. It is natural that helicopter lessors are turning to the ‘fixed wing’ market to source staff who have been trained in a market which is very similar to their own and have the ability to pretty much hit the ground running.
Sourcing capable technical staff can be challenging as a sound commercial understanding and acumen is as important as a technical mind-set. Sales people need to understand the long term effects of lease terms and how they are negotiated - it being generally much easier to sell an asset than to arrange a lease.
How can we help?
Peak Performance have been servicing the recruitment needs of the global aircraft leasing industry for five years and more recently the helicopter leasing industry. We have an understanding of the structures and complexities of the leasing platform. We have played an integral role in the development of many leasing platforms for both start-up and established top tier companies.
Based in Ireland, the global hub of aircraft leasing, we operate internationally and have successfully sourced key personnel for organisations across Asia, the Americas and EMEA. Our proven track record of success in commercial aircraft leasing and recent results in the helicopter sector demonstrates that we have the resources and network to effect successful talent searches for the helicopter leasing and finance industry on a global basis.
For more information contact:
Keith Garry
Mobile: +353 86 8233084
Office Tel: +353 42 9419 660
Email: keith@aircraftleasing.ie