Avolon Aerospace

Paul Geaney is the founder of Avolon Aerospace, the world’s second-largest aircraft leasing company. The company now has $31 billion in assets and 1,137 aircraft in its fleet or on order. As President and Chief Commercial Officer, Paul guides the company’s commercial strategy and leads the teams that manage its global customer and manufacturer relationships.

Paul was born in Blanchardstown in Dublin, and went to school at St Declan’s College in Cabra before completing a BA in Economics and Politics at Trinity College, Dublin.

His career started in investment banking at Merrill Lynch in New York before returning to Dublin to join the fledgling aircraft leasing company RBS Aviation Capital. Following periods running private jet and yacht finance businesses for RBS and as a partner in private equity firm Claret Capital, Paul returned to his real love – aviation – and worked as part of a small team to start Avolon. Launched in 2010, the business was listed on the NYSE in 2014, in what was then the largest IPO of an Irish company on the exchange. The business was brought private again in 2016.

Earlier this year, Paul received the Irish American Partnership’s Business Leadership Award in recognition of his contributions to Irish American business and the global aircraft leasing industry.

Paul was on the Board of the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (ISTAT) from 2019 to 2023 and led initiatives to create a global Rising Executives network and the Women@ISTAT programme to support women in gaining senior leadership roles in the industry.

His philanthropic work includes serving as a trustee of his beloved Celtic FC’s charitable foundation and remaining involved in various initiatives with Trintiy College. He has also played an active role in promoting Avolon’s CARE philosophy, which involves providing substantial support each year to a wide range of charities in communities where Avolon and its customers operate, particularly in the developing world.