Chris Leeds has been appointed Director – Debt & Capital Markets at ABL Aviation. With a particular focus on the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions, he brings his combined years as a senior executive in the sector as well as his extensive banking experience to both ABL Aviation and its leasing customers.
Joining this week, Leeds will be based in the firm’s London office with a remit to cover both marketing and business development. Chris’s unique experience as an aviation financier with one of the largest and most diverse financial institutions in the world will bring particular value to ABL Aviation’s customers.
Chris is responsible for customer relationships in EMEA and for debt placement. He has been involved in aviation finance for nearly 20 years. He was the Director responsible for all aviation business at ECGD (UK Export Finance). He then moved to the Bank of Tokyo--‐Mitsubishi UFJ where he was responsible for a large expansion in both the type of aviation business and the profitability of that business. He is CEO of Aviation Finance Solutions Limited and has now joined the ABL Aviation team.
James Beamish, ABL Aviation’s Structured Finance Director, says: “Chris brings a wealth of expertise to ABL Aviation and will be a huge asset to our team. It is always good to have someone with such an impressive experience on the team and Chris Leeds is particularly distinguished in that regard.”
Chris Leeds says: “This is a very exciting time for me to be joining ABL Aviation. I am very impressed by the ABL Aviation team, both in terms of their quality and their experience. Taken together, they have aviation market knowledge covering a wide spread of customer requirements. I am looking forward to bringing my particular expertise to the company”