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Patrick brings nearly three decades of experience at the highest levels of the global helicopter industry. As Executive Vice President of International Sales at Bell Flight and member of the Executive Leadership Team, he led global sales and marketing strategy across military, government, and commercial markets, managing an international P&L exceeding $1B. After decades shaping how the world's leading helicopter manufacturer approached global markets, he saw the same structural problem everywhere: operators who needed capable aircraft could not access them quickly, affordably, or on terms that matched how missions actually work. Co-founding SkyConnect was his answer to that.

Emilio brings over 29 years of senior executive experience. He began at Arthur Andersen, qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with a strong foundation in audit, M&A, and financial structuring. At Babcock International Group, as Head of Structured Finance, he led asset finance across a fleet of 400+ aircraft in 18+ countries across 5 continents. Before that, as Group Finance Director at Inaer, he secured over €2B in funding and played a key role in transforming the company into a multinational ready for a London Stock Exchange IPO. At SkyConnect, he brings the financial architecture needed to scale helicopter leasing across markets.

A helicopter on paper and a helicopter ready to fly are two very different things. Manuel has spent nearly 20 years closing that gap. With 18 years at a leading European mission-critical helicopter operator, he rose to Fleet, Maintenance and Engineering Director, running 500+ staff, 140+ aircraft, and an annual budget exceeding €80M. As Technical Director at HeliService International, he led operations across international bases. At SkyConnect, he ensures every asset in the fleet is mission-ready from day one.

Ignacio brings 20 years of experience, including 15 in leadership roles focused on digital transformation and IT strategy in aviation. He began his career at PwC in Performance Improvement Consulting. He later joined Inaer, Avincis and Babcock International, where as Head of Transformation he led operations and finance transformation programmes across the aviation division. As Group IT Director at Avincis and member of the Executive Committee, he built a 43-person IT function within 12 months for a €500 million revenue business. Ignacio brings to SkyConnect his strong technical expertise and deep aviation and business insight.

Ondřej leads strategic communications at SkyConnect, shaping the company's public narrative across media, partners, and industry stakeholders. He brings experience in communications for industrial groups, technology companies, and startups navigating growth and transformation, including his role at S-Tech Ventures, where he drives public affairs strategy across the accelerator's deep-tech portfolio. His background spans media, politics, and agency work, with a focus on public positioning and crisis communications.