ISTAT Jetrader - Summer 2021 - 12

PERSPECTIVES
DG: As anyone who knows me can
attest, I can rarely go a day without
uttering something about the Cape
Town Convention. My interest in this
treaty stems from my involvement
with the Aviation Working Group
(AWG) dating back to the mid1990s.
AWG was a major proponent
of the Cape Town Convention and
substantially drove its development
and implementation over the course
of many years, and I formed part of
the legal advisory panel providing
guidance and support to AWG,
including chairing the committee
for three years. The actual text of
the treaty (including the aircraft
protocol) was signed in 2001, but
as many of its terms were wholly
inconsistent with existing national
laws in many countries; the panel
support was necessary to facilitate an
understanding of the treaty to ensure
consistent global application.
Working with the incomparable
Jeffrey Wool, I spent countless hours
with the panel and the broader AWG
constituency seeking advancement
in these areas. That work has
been extraordinarily fulfilling to
me. Professionally, my clients have
benefited from the depth of my
in multiple workouts, restructurings
and repossessions, providing ample
evidence of the great advancements
made in the legal underpinnings that
are an essential element to the growth
of aircraft finance. I remain involved
in AWG today with its many projects,
which include the Global Aircraft
Trading System (GATS), sustainability,
cross-border transferability of aircraft,
and other matters that are critically
important to our industry.
Jetrader: When and how did your
involvement with ISTAT start?
DG: I've been a longtime member
of ISTAT and have frequented ISTAT
conferences for many years. To this
day, ISTAT provides by far the best
networking events in the industry and
has offered me terrific opportunities
not only to visit with a vast number
of clients and contacts on a regular
basis but also allowed me to put my
finger on the pulse of aviation to better
inform me and the advice I was giving.
My involvement at an organizational
level started with committee work I
did for the ISTAT Foundation back in
2009. I assisted with the development
committee, trying to find donors to the
Foundation's Roundtable. Through that
Return to business as usual also means that ISTAT
will pick up where we left off in terms of our goals of
increasing our member offerings in Asia in the hopes of
continued growth in that region.
knowledge and understanding of the
treaty. On a more personal level, I
have developed longtime friendships
from like-minded attorneys across
the globe, which has truly enriched
my life. The past 12 months are a
testament to the work we did, as we
have seen the convention applied
12 * THE OF F I C I AL PUBL I CAT I ON OF ISTAT
work, I was subsequently appointed
to the ISTAT Foundation Board in 2011
where I served for several years. I
was brought onto the ISTAT Board in
2013 and have been serving on that
board since. Prior to my election as
ISTAT president, I served in two other
officer positions, most recently as
treasurer. My work for ISTAT has
been immensely rewarding to me,
not just because of the good things
that ISTAT does and its commitment
to the industry I have spent a career
working in, but also because of the
many friendships I have developed
and nurtured through this work.
The aviation industry is a family,
and ISTAT provides an unrivaled
platform to stay in touch with friends
and colleagues.
Jetrader: What are you most
excited about as you transition into
your role as ISTAT president? What
are your main goals for the next
two years?
DG: With the year we've just had, I'd
say my primary goal for the coming
year is getting back to business
as usual. We have backloaded our
conferences in 2021 to allow for
greater vaccine rollout and a rollback
of some of the COVID-19 limitations
that have largely shut down in-person
networking events. It is a crowded
schedule, but given the regional
nature of many of our events, we felt
this would give most of our members
an opportunity to experience some
level of networking this calendar
year. My aim is to be back to our
normal calendar next year, starting
with an expansion of ISTAT's initiative
in January of 2022 during Dublin
Aviation Week.
Return to business as usual also
means that ISTAT will pick up where
we left off in terms of our goals of
increasing our member offerings in
Asia in the hopes of continued growth
in that region. Asia has been a growth
target for ISTAT for many years
now, and I am hoping to dedicate
further resources and efforts to aid in
that effort.
ISTAT will also continue its
diversity and inclusion initiatives, as
it is critical that we set an example
of best practices for a society of our
size and scope. One look at the recent
ISTAT Board elections shows that
ISTAT Jetrader - Summer 2021

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