Jetrader - Spring 2015 - 36

Q&A

Marc S. Allinson
Executive Director - Capital Markets
Charlotte Parker Associates
Jetrader sits down with incoming ISTAT President Marc Allinson to
discuss his view of the society and his vision for the future.
Jetrader: Have you always been interested in aviation? What sparked your
interest in the field?
Marc S. Allinson: I really fell into aviation and aircraft finance when I was transitioning from CFO of Chase Investment
Bank to a position in corporate finance
in the mid 1980s. My first real product
job was working with Japanese non-bank
financial institutions that were opening up
in New York and they loved the portability
of aircraft collateral, so I started learning
how to finance airplanes. To get product,
I had to also call on airlines and OEMs. I
experienced a lot of cool stuff and made
a number of great friends in the industry
along the way.
Jetrader: Talk about your transition
from Rolls-Royce to Charlotte Parker
Associates. What inspired the move?
Marc S. Allinson: I parted ways with
Rolls-Royce in mid-2013, and my wife Claire
and I moved from Virginia to our vacation
home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado -
where we always said we'd go when I was
ready to "kick back." I wasn't ready to retire
full time, and thanks to several industry
relationships at Merrill Lynch, I was already
doing some outside board work for a Merrill
subsidiary in the aviation industry. This
kept me involved in the deal environment.
Then, a couple of ex-Rolls colleagues
founded Charlotte Parker Associates (CPA).
CPA is a project management company
involved in a number of aspects related
to aviation, not the least of which is a
heavy involvement in issues surrounding

engines. One of our old clients at RollsRoyce bought some airplanes and a project
was born involving assisting in contract
negotiation, aircraft placement, and
financing. The founders of CPA called me
to see if I would be interested in driving
the financing aspect of the project, so I
joined up. We're a small shop, but each of
us brings unique core competencies to the
table that gives the combined company a
lot of horsepower.
Jetrader: When did you first join ISTAT,
and what did you think of the organization at the time?
Marc S. Allinson: I became a member
and attended a number of ISTAT Americas
conferences going back to the 1990s, but
in the mid 2000s, I started attending ISTAT
Europe as well. For me, it was more than
just seeing ISTAT as an entity that ran
conferences; rather it was the sense of
belonging to an organization that brought
me in contact with hundreds of industry
participants that I would have never met
simply continuing to finance airplanes.
Additionally, you got exposure to some of
the pioneers of the industry - as well as
others who will forever be legends in their
own minds!
Jetrader: How have you seen ISTAT grow
and change during your tenure on the
board?
Marc S. Allinson: We've elevated our
game a lot since I first got on the board. Our
management company, SmithBucklin does a
great job on the day-to-day operations. Our

36 The official publication of the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading

board has been so fortunate to have had
so many great leaders that have upgraded
our governance and streamlined our structure to make our meetings so much more
efficient. Let's not forget, it's our members that put those leaders on the board,
so kudos to our members for constructing
and internationalizing a great board, but
also for supporting our events throughout
the year.
ISTAT is about networking to get business done, so among things that have
changed are more opportunities for doing
business through international conferences - ISTAT Europe and ISTAT Asia -
the must-attend Monday night cocktail at
the Farnborough and Paris Air Shows, the
ISTAT Chalet, and year-end "thank you"
holiday parties. (We're also getting a lot of

Jetrader - Spring 2015

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