Flightpath with Alok | feat. Arthur Kushner | Chief Financial Officer and Principal | Jetstream Aviation Capital

In episode 8 of Flightpath with Alok, Alok travels to Miami to sit with Arthur Kushner, Chief Financial Officer and Principal of Jetstream Aviation Capital, which is the largest global aircraft lessor of commercially operated regional turboprop aircraft, with a fleet of 125 aircraft.  Jetstream is also the largest single owner of Saab 340 and Saab 2000 aircraft and associated spares and engines, worldwide. Arthur is responsible for the day-to-day administration of Jetstream’s financial and commercial operations; his career spans more than forty years, thirty-five of which has been invested in working at a senior and financial management level and for a diverse range of entities including private equity-owned portfolio companies, publicly-traded businesses, banks, consulting and public accounting firms.  Prior to joining Jetstream, Arthur was CEO of Apex Reporting Group a professional services company, part of Sunbelt Diversified Enterprises, LLC, a Coral Gables, Florida-based private equity firm.  Arthur holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Florida; he is a certified public accountant and also holds a private pilot license. 

Arthur talks with Alok about how, as a small boy growing up in Miami, his mother was a primary positive influencer in his life; how a high learning work ethic combined with exposure to small aircraft from an early age helped shape him and set him on an aviation trajectory. Arthur speaks about the opportunities and challenges faced in the regional 9 to 70-seat aircraft leasing space and discusses ways to attract young talent to join and grow as part of the team.

If you are wondering whether a career in aviation is for you, and in particular if India will provide you with the opportunities you seek, then this episode is certainly worth a listen.

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Transcript:

Alok: Today I have the pleasure of meeting another esteemed guest in person, Mr. Arthur Kushner, who is the CFO and principal of Jetstream Aviation Capital. Welcoming Mr. Arthur Kushner in his offices in Miami, USA. Arthur, welcome to the show.

Arthur Kushner: Thanks very much, Alok. A pleasure to be invited.

Alok: Thank you. So, it's good to be in your offices, in your beautiful offices, I must say. And getting your valuable time. So let's get straight into this, you know, and start with knowing a little bit about you. First of all, I think my favorite question to start with my podcast is your career journey. If you can tell us a little bit about yourself and your career journey, that will be great to begin with.

Arthur Kushner: You know what, I grew up here in Miami. I studied actually accounting and finance in high school. My mother had an MBA, came from that side of the world, and pursued an accounting degree, started in public accounting. But what really got me then wasn't banking, private equity, a number of different things. But aviation was a key factor early on. My mother, who I just mentioned, actually had a private pilot's license. So my brother and I were exposed to private aviation as little kids. And I got a pilots license in high school probably would have pursued a military career or not for these bad eyes as you can tell from these giant glasses and always had an interest in the industry. So Stuart and I met in the early 90s. Stewart's one of our co-founders and our CEO. And he and I Consulted together the two of us for quite a number of years, predominantly in aviation, and we went off and did different things for a period of time. He was building a medical diagnostic business. I was working in private equity. And that was around the time where he started Jetstream with Conrad Tree and Bill Jones. And I was an early investor in the company and showing somewhat later on after they had already got their first capital commitments in 2010.

Alok: Right, right, right. So that's how you then came on board and now you are in this role in the business. That's great. So I would like to just do a little back and forth on your career journey as such, given whatever little I am awa