Boardroom guide 3 June12_FinanceSept 19/06/2012 14:42 Page 1
BUSINESS AVIATION AND THE BOARDROOM
Endowed Aviation Services: Managing Your Aviation Services As A Business Unit Aviation services are either endowed from on high or they are managed as a business unit. Which approach you are using may be the difference between the short- and long-term success of the department and its impact for the company, observes Pete Agur. Peter Agur Jr. is managing director and founder of The VanAllen Group, a business aviation consutancy with expertise in safety, aircraft acquisitions, and leader selection and development. A member of the Flight Safety Foundation’s Corporate Advisory Committee and the NBAA’s Corporate Aviation Managers Committee (emeritus), he is an NBAA Certified Aviation Manager. Contact him via www.VanAllen.com.
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n endowed Aviation Department performs at the pleasure of its master. I once asked the chairman of a company with an endowed Aviation Department if they were service-focused. He responded, “Indeed they are. And the higher I got within the company, the more focused they have been.” Endowed aviation services reflect the personality and vision of that master - royal barge or egalitarian.
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WORLD AIRCRAFT SALES MAGAZINE – July 2012
www.AvBuyer.com
As in the case above, the master of endowed aviation services is usually the CEO. Due to the time constraints experienced by most top executives, the daily administrative tasks of the department may be assigned to a mid-level manager, but there is no doubt to whom the department reports. For better or worse, that reporting point removes the department from many of the corporation's normal checks, balances and resources.
Aircraft Index see Page 4