TEAM

Nicolas Finazzo has more than 30 years of experience in aircraft leasing, finance, maintenance, and airline operations.

Early in his career, Nicolas established a commercial aircraft leasing company, which eventually evolved into regional air carrier Air Florida Commuter. In 1992, he joined International Air Leases as Vice President and was promoted to Corporate General Counsel in 1994, overseeing a 200-strong commercial aircraft portfolio. He later went on to join aviation MRO services provider AeroThrust as its Vice President and General Counsel.

In 1997, he became cofounder and Chief Executive Officer of AeroTurbine, Inc., the first non-OEM-affiliated aftermarket start-up to combine aircraft and engine sales, leasing, parts sales, and aviation MRO into one integrated platform. After selling AeroTurbine in 2006, he and his business partner, Bob Nichols, founded AerSale in 2008.

Nicolas holds a J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law and a B.S. in political science from the University of Michigan. He is a member in good standing of the Florida Bar and also holds an FAA Airframe and Powerplant license.

Martin Garmendia has over 20 years of experience in accounting and finance.

Prior to joining AerSale, Martin was Senior Director of Corporate Accounting for Florida Power and Light, (FPL) Inc., the regulatory utility of NextEra Energy (NYSE: NEE). He was responsible for GAAP and internal financial reporting, as well as overall accounting for the company’s hedging program. He held various roles in accounting at FPL since he joined in 2006. Martin began his career as a Senior Auditor for Deloitte & Touche, LLP, and joined Bacardi in 2003 as an accounting manager overseeing financial responsibilities for the marketing functions and establishing the company’s first financial, planning, and analysis team. 
After obtaining undergraduate degrees in finance and accounting from Florida International University, Martin graduated from the University of Florida where he earned a master’s degree in accounting. He is also a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Florida.

Martin joined AerSale in 2015 as Vice President & Controller, with responsibilities for all of the company’s accounting, reporting, and tax functions. He last held the position of Senior Vice President of Finance & Corporate Controller, before being promoted in 2018 to Chief Financial Officer.

Enrique Pizzi brings over 29 years of experience in strategic management, strategy execution, information technology, and enterprise operations.

Most recently, Enrique was the Chief Technology Officer for Ilumno, the largest pan-regional higher education network of universities in the Latin America and Caribbean region. At Ilumno, he led the development and implementation of solutions for the digital transformation of higher education institutions.

Previously employed for 19 years at TradeStation Technologies, a financial industry firm, Enrique led and directed information technology, cybersecurity, software application development, and operations and infrastructure teams. His expertise includes strategic alignment, business process automation, acquisition due diligence, and enterprise risk management. At TradeStation, he served as an executive officer and a member of the Global Management Committee of the parent company, Monex Group Japan.

Enrique began his career in 1990 at IVAX Corporation, where he held several technical positions that supported the multinational subsidiaries of the firm, which developed, manufactured, and sold brand-equivalent pharmaceutical products. IVAX corporation was acquired by TEVA Pharmaceuticals.

Gary Jones has 37 years of entrepreneurial experience in the aviation field, having purchased and dismantled over 600 aircraft.

Gary launched his aviation career in 1983 in sales and business development for The Memphis Group. For 10 years, he served as Vice President of Acquisitions, where he was responsible for sourcing and buying over 200 aircraft for dismantling. In 1999, he went on to found Qwest Air Parts, a successful parts trading and dismantling company. For 20 years, Gary led Qwest to become one of the industry’s most solid performers, achieving uninterrupted profitability and growth. During that time, Gary also formed the Performance Repair Group and Q2 Aviation, both FAA 145 repair stations.

With the Qwest acquisition, Gary joined AerSale® in June 2019. He continues his role as President and CEO of Qwest and concurrently serves as Head of Material Sales for AerSale.

Paul Hechenberger has over 40 years of legal, leadership, and aerospace experience, with a focus on commercial transactions and corporate governance / compliance.

Paul Hechenberger  joined  AerSale in August, 2025. Prior to joining AerSale, Paul was a Partner with the law firm Shutts & Bowen based in Miami, FL. Previously, he served as General Counsel at iAero Group, Deputy General Counsel at Spirit AeroSystems, General Counsel at BBA Aviation (Aftermarket Services), Chief M&A Counsel at BBA Aviation, and Corporate Counsel at Tyco Fire & Security. In all of these roles he counseled companies and other clients on M&A, commercial and government contracting, joint ventures, and governance. Paul served as an EA-6B Naval Flight Officer, retiring as a Captain with a combined 30 years of active and reserve service. Paul holds a JD from the University of Florida, an MBA from the University of West Florida, a BSBA from the Villanova University, and is admitted to practice law in Florida.

Craig Wright has over 20 years of experience in technical data and financial analysis, including 15 years in commercial aircraft leasing and portfolio management.

Craig began his aviation career at GATX Capital where he was involved in pricing, deal structuring, and portfolio management and trading. Following the acquisition of GATX Air by Macquarie AirFinance, his primary roles included marketing, acquisitions/dispositions, and business development.

He joined AerSale in 2010.

Craig is a graduate of the University of Washington, where he earned a B.S. in civil and structural engineering. He also holds a Master of International Management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Ben Tschirhart has over 20 years of experience in aerospace program management and product development, including PMA, STC, and non-certificated products for some of the world’s premier airlines and operators.

Ben began his career as a co-op student with MTU Aero Engines in Munich, Germany. Following a brief stint outside of aerospace, he rejoined the industry to begin his career in program management at B/E Aerospace-Flight Structures supporting the development of the passenger and cargo doors on the Sukhoi Russian Regional Jet (Superjet 100) and eventually leading the successful completion of the first A300-600 passenger-to-freighter conversion program performed outside of Europe. His additional experience includes several complex STCs in crew rest compartments, interior reconfigurations, and other structural modifications, airframe heavy maintenance, test, and computation PMAs, and product development for GSE and other non-certificated aviation support products. He was most recently Vice President of Engineering Solutions for ATS, where he led the product development and repair engineering activities.

Ben joined AerSale in 2023. He is a graduate of the Berufsakademie Stuttgart, where he earned his Bachelor of Honors in industrial business administration. Ben also holds an executive MBA from the University of Washington Foster School of Business and a Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification from PMI.