Jackson Square Aviation President and Chief Executive Officer Toby Bright announced today that he will step down as leader of the aircraft-leasing company at the end of the year. Bright will transition leadership of the company to Kevin McDonald as Chief Executive Officer and Chris Dailey as President and Chief Commercial Officer effective January 1, 2019.
McDonald and Dailey have been with JSA since the company began in 2010. They helped develop and implement the strategy that has transformed JSA into one of the world’s leading lessors of new technology Airbus and Boeing aircraft, with a fleet of more than 200 planes placed with 49 customers in 27 countries. Currently, McDonald serves as JSA’s Chief Investment Officer and Dailey is JSA’s Chief Marketing Officer.
“I have worked alongside Kevin and Chris for eight years and I am thrilled that they will assume joint leadership of Jackson Square Aviation,” said Bright. “Kevin has done a masterful job guiding the investment side of our company and Chris has built strong relationships with our airline customers while managing JSA’s worldwide sales team.”
In transitioning to these new roles, McDonald will oversee JSA’s day-to-day operations, including the company’s finance, capital markets, legal, technical and risk divisions. Dailey will manage JSA’s global customer relationships, aircraft trading business and its manufacturer activities. The company operates from two primary locations, with McDonald based in San Francisco and Dailey based in Dublin.
Bright will stay on as a senior advisor to JSA after he steps down from his current position. Prior to joining JSA, Bright was Chief Marketing Officer of Sky Holding Company and before that, Pegasus Aviation. Earlier in his career Bright spent 28 years at Boeing, where he held various sales and technical positions and oversaw the launch of the 787 program as Head of Sales.
“I want to thank Toby for the outstanding leadership he has provided to Jackson Square Aviation,” said Naoki Sato, the Managing Executive Officer of Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance Company (MUL) and the Chairman of Jackson Square Aviation. “Toby has been a great partner to all of us at MUL and to me, personally, as we have expanded our involvement in aircraft leasing.
“I am also excited that Kevin and Chris will take on new positions of leadership at JSA,” Sato continued. “We have worked closely with Kevin and Chris since MUL’s purchase of JSA, and we know how much they have contributed to JSA’s success. We are confident they will keep JSA growing in a strong, sustainable way for many years to come.”
McDonald helped launch Jackson Square Aviation and has been involved in the purchase, financing and sale of over $14 billion in commercial aircraft since its inception. He has overseen numerous areas of the company’s development including its sale to MUL in 2013, the establishment of its trading platform and its entry into the bond market in 2017. His prior experience includes leadership roles at Pegasus Aviation and Sky Holding Company. McDonald began his career as an investment banker covering lessors and other financial institutions at the New York offices of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette and Credit Suisse.
“It has been a great experience working with Toby and the rest of the team as we have built JSA into one of the world’s leading aircraft lessors,” said McDonald. “Chris and I are humbled by the opportunity to lead the next phase of JSA’s evolution and we’re excited to get started.”
Bright hired Chris Dailey into JSA’s marketing team in 2010. He spent four years developing the company’s aircraft leasing business across Europe, the Middle East and India before relocating to Singapore for two years to elevate JSA’s presence across the Asia Pacific region. He returned to Dublin in 2016.
“JSA has succeeded because of our long-standing commitment to be responsive, trusted partners to our customers,” Dailey said. “I certainly look forward to carrying on Toby’s legacy in this respect as we continue to grow our business.”