Our Leadership


Stephen Murphy
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
[ AV AIRFINANCE LIMITED, IRELAND ]
Mr. Murphy, CEO of AV AirFinance brings 20 years of financial services experience. Prior to joining AV AirFinance, Stephen held a number of senior leadership roles at Goshawk Aviation Limited, a top 10 leasing platform prior to its sale to SMBC Aviation.
Mr. Murphy also worked at a number of other leading financial institutions such HSBC Bank plc, focusing on aircraft leasing investments. He holds a BA in Engineering and an MBS from University College Cork, Ireland.


Axel Hammar
Chief Investment Officer
[ AV AIRFINANCE LIMITED, IRELAND ]
Mr. Hammar is the Chief Investment Officer of AV AirFinance and has been with the platform since inception in 2021. Prior to AV AirFinance, he co-founded Volito Aviation Services, a debt origination platform. He began his career with a leading oil major, advancing into corporate M&A. Mr. Hammar holds an MSc in Industrial Engineering and Management from Lund University of Technology.


Ciara McGrath
Head of Operations
[ AV AIRFINANCE LIMITED, IRELAND ]
Ms. McGrath is responsible for the operations at AV AirFinance, including contract management, compliance, accounting, tax, and treasury functions. With over 20 years of experience in commercial aviation finance, she has held various senior roles at Babcock and Brown, BBAM, Hannover Aircraft Leasing and WNG Capital. Ms. McGrath is a Fellow of the ACCA and holds a BA in Accounting and Finance from Dublin Business School.
Our Team


Michael Rubinett
SVP – Loan Origination Americas
[ AV AIRFINANCE L.P., USA ]
Mr. Rubinett is responsible for loan origination in the Americas region, and has over a decade of experience in commercial aviation. Before joining AV AirFinance, he was Vice President at mba Asset Management, and also previously worked in capital markets at Aircastle, focusing on debt capital raising, debt origination, and aircraft trading. Mr. Rubinett holds a BBA from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin.


Edel Brennan
SVP – Loan Origination EMEA
[ AV AIRFINANCE LIMITED, IRELAND ]
Ms. Brennan is responsible for loan origination in the EMEA region, and has over 15 years of aviation industry experience. Before joining AV AirFinance, she spent seven years at Goshawk, where she held various executive roles, including in Corporate Finance, focusing on Investor Relations and debt capital sourcing. She was also Financial Controller Ireland at Intrepid Aviation and began her career in KPMG Audit. Ms. Brennan is a Fellow Chartered Accountant with a master’s in Accounting and a Business Degree.


Kiel Garcia
SVP – Loan Origination APAC
[ AV AIRFINANCE LIMITED, IRELAND ]
Mr. Garcia, is responsible for loan origination in the Asia Pacific region. Mr Garcia has over 18 years of asset finance experience most recently serving as Deputy Head of Aviation Finance, APAC at MUFG. Earlier, he was Vice President for Corporate Finance at Philippine Airlines, working with banks, lessors, and OEMs. Mr. Garcia holds a degree in Economics and Business Management from De La Salle University Manila.


Jack Dwan
VP Marketing
[ AV AIRFINANCE LIMITED, IRELAND ]
Mr. Dwan, is responsible for loan origination in the EMEA region and has been with AV AirFinance since 2021. Previously, he was a Pricing Analyst at ORIX Aviation, working with the Corporate Planning and Investment team. He holds a BSc in Economics and Finance from University College Dublin, an MSc in Finance from Imperial College London, and is a CFA charterholder.


Jonathan O’Dowd
SVP Investments
[ AV AIRFINANCE LIMITED, IRELAND ]
Mr. O’Dowd is responsible for credit underwriting and strategic airline relations globally. Prior to joining AV AirFinance, he served as Director of Aviation Risk at Castlelake, where he performed credit underwriting, portfolio management and participated in various strategic initiatives. Mr O’Dowd has also held various corporate finance positions in Goshawk and is a Fellow Chartered Accountant.


Kate Bell
VP FINANCE
[ AV AIRFINANCE LIMITED, IRELAND ]
Ms. Bell is responsible for overseeing the accounting and financial reporting functions. With over 15 years of experience, she began her career in KPMG’s financial services audit and has since worked across financial services, retail, and manufacturing. Ms. Bell is a Fellow of the ACCA and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from University College Dublin.


Gareth Rowe
SVP Transaction Management
[ AV AIRFINANCE LIMITED, IRELAND ]
Mr. Rowe is responsible for overseeing loan covenant compliance and managing transaction closings. With over 15 years in aviation and financial services, he previously worked in Goshawk’s Contract Management team and spent nine years at the Maples Group on the Director Services team. Mr. Rowe began his career at Citibank Europe and holds a Bachelor of Business Studies from Dublin City University.


Sarah Foy
AVP CONTRACT MANAGEMENT
[ AV AIRFINANCE LIMITED, IRELAND ]
Ms. Foy is responsible for overseeing loan covenant compliance across the book. She began her career at Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi and was almost 5 years with Goshawk in both operational and finance roles. Ms. Foy holds a BSc in Athletic Therapy from Dublin City University and Professional Diplomas in Accounting and Finance and Management from Dublin Business School.


Matthew Bourke
AVP PRICING
[ AV AIRFINANCE LIMITED, IRELAND ]
Mr. Bourke has responsibility for financial modelling, commercial analysis, and supporting marketing and loan origination teams. Prior to joining AV AirFinance, he was a quantitative analyst in Credit Risk at Bank of Ireland, managing and analysing corporate exposures. Mr. Bourke holds a BSc in Financial Mathematics and Economics from the University of Galway and is pursuing a Master’s in Quantitative Finance at UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.


Aideen Tivnan
SVP TREASURY
[ AV AIRFINANCE LIMITED, IRELAND ]
Ms. Tivnan is responsible for overseeing the portfolio reporting and treasury management. Before joining AV AirFinance, Ms. Tivnan held various senior finance roles in aviation leasing. She began her career in EY corporate tax and financial services departments. Ms. Tivnan holds a BComm from University of Galway, an MBS in Accounting from Dublin City University, a Diploma in Aviation Leasing and Finance from the Law Society of Ireland and is a Fellow Chartered Accountant.


Jubelle Arboleda
AVP TREASURY
[ AV AIRFINANCE LIMITED, IRELAND ]
Ms. Arboleda is responsible for the portfolio reporting and treasury management. Prior to joining AV AirFinance, she previously worked as a Client Manager at Vistra, handling transaction management and ABS investor reporting. She also spent over seven years in external audit at Ernst & Young. Ms. Arboleda holds a BS in Accountancy from the University of the Philippines and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).


Laura Lynch
AVP Operations
[ AV AIRFINANCE LIMITED, IRELAND ]
Ms Lynch is responsible for managing AV AirFinance’s Dublin office, assists on the finance side. She began her career at BBAM, where she spent over five years and held both Operational and Contract Management roles, before moving on to WNG Capital for a further three years, where she held the role of Senior Contracts Manager. Ms Lynch holds a Certificate in Aviation Leasing and Finance from the Law Society of Ireland and a BSc in Entrepreneurship from TUD.
With a group of experienced finance professionals and the support of KKR, we intend to become a global leader in commercial aviation lending, supporting the financing needs of airlines, lessors, manufacturers, and investors.
