ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 10

PERSPECTIVES
Mahoko Hara
Executive Chair, Aviation Capital Group
Jetrader spoke to Mahoko Hara about being one
of the most senior women in the aircraft leasing
industry, her view on the recovery of the sector
and Tokyo Century's acquisition of Aviation
Capital Group.
Jetrader: Can you tell me a little
about your background?
Mahoko Hara (MH): I was born on the
outskirts of Tokyo. I spent a portion
of my childhood in London/the United
Kingdom and graduated from a high
school in Los Angeles. My father
worked for Japan Airlines, and the
family went with him on his overseas
postings. After high school, I went back
to Japan to complete my studies and
started my career in banking. I spent
most of my career before joining Tokyo
Century (TC) in fields unrelated to
aviation. I never would have imagined
back then that I would end up working
in the same industry as my father and
moving back to Southern California.
Jetrader: Where did you begin your
career, and how did you get started
at Aviation Capital Group?
MH: I started my career in a Japanese
bank and worked in different areas
of corporate and investment banking,
including a few years in the London
and New York offices. In 2000, when
Japanese banks were going through
a consolidation phase, I moved to a
U.S. bank to broaden my experience
and vision. I worked in structured/
asset finance and provided Japanese
corporations solutions to strengthen
10 * THE OF F I C I AL PUBL I CAT I ON OF ISTAT
their balance sheets. I then moved
to another bank and focused on
developing structured credit products
for the Japanese investor base.
In 2011, I was invited to join TC,
which was gearing up from being a
domestic leasing company to becoming
a global financial services company.
My mandate was to strengthen our
specialty finance business through
strategic alliances and cross-border
mergers and acquisitions. Although I
worked on a few M&A deals outside
of aviation, my focus from the early
days had been on the aviation sector,
where we saw the greatest potential for
growth. We made an investment in GA
Telesis, a leading aftermarket solutions
provider, and became a shareholder
in Jetstar Japan. In 2014, we formed
a joint venture with CIT and jointly
acquired 50+ aircraft, which TC now
fully owns.
In 2017, an opportunity arose
to become a minority shareholder
in Aviation Capital Group (ACG),
which was then owned by Pacific
Life. We liked the solid foundation of
the company and its well-managed
portfolio, and the culture was a good
match. In 2019, when Pacific Life
decided to exit from the business, we
took a big step in acquiring the entire

ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021

ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021
From the President
ISTAT News & Events
Perspectives: Q&A With Mahoko Hara
Reconnecting in Edinburgh
Back to ‘Live’ in the City of Palaces
The Road to Recovery
Appraisal: Airbus A319neo and Boeing 777-300ER
ISTAT Foundation: Advancing Aviation Through Internships
Advertiser Index
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - Cover2
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 1
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - From the President
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 3
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 4
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 5
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 6
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 7
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - ISTAT News & Events
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 9
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - Perspectives: Q&A With Mahoko Hara
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 11
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 12
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 13
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - Reconnecting in Edinburgh
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 15
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 16
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 17
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 18
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 19
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 20
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 21
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 22
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 23
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 24
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 25
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - Back to ‘Live’ in the City of Palaces
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 27
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 28
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 29
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 30
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 31
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - The Road to Recovery
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 33
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 34
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 35
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 36
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 37
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ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 40
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 41
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 42
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 43
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - Appraisal: Airbus A319neo and Boeing 777-300ER
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 45
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 46
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 47
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 48
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 49
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - ISTAT Foundation: Advancing Aviation Through Internships
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - 51
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - Advertiser Index
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - Cover3
ISTAT Jetrader - Winter 2021 - Cover4
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