BOC Aviation CEO Robert Martin Named CAPA Asia Pacific Chief Executive Of The Year

This award is given to the executive who has had the greatest individual influence on the aviation industry, demonstrating outstanding strategic thinking and innovative direction for the growth of their business and the industry. Mr Martin accepted the award from Mr Harbison. Mr Martin was selected for leading BOC Aviation through a successful expansion programme which culminated in its public listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on 1 Jun-2016. “Under Robert Martin, BOC Aviation has emerged as one of the world’s largest and most successful leasing companies”, Mr Harbison said. “BOC’s portfolio has grown over the remarkable nearly 20-year tenure of Robert Martin from 10 aircraft to more than 270 aircraft, and BOC now has another 200-plus aircraft on order. Perhaps even more impressively Robert Martin has been a key player in the emergence of Singapore as an aircraft leasing and financing hub.” CAPA noted that BOC Aviation’s IPO was a major accomplishment, given the company’s highly regulated parent company Bank of China, requiring several years of work. BOC Aviation raised over USD1 billion from the listing, which will be used to fund further expansion. Mr Martin first joined BOC Aviation, then known as Singapore Airline Leasing Enterprise (SALE), in 1998. Mr Martin is now one of the longest-serving CEOs of the same company in the aircraft leasing industry. This is the first time a non-airline CEO has been the recipient of the CAPA executive of the year award – a testament to Mr Martin’s accomplishments in the aircraft leasing sector and the wider aviation industry.