Women in Aviation Leadership: Executives, Brokers, and Founders

Who are the women running private aviation companies today?

Private aviation's senior ranks now include women at the top of operators, brokerages, OEMs, MROs, and trade associations — though the C-suite still skews heavily male relative to a client base that is roughly 30% female by NBAA passenger surveys. The most visible names include Kriya Shortt, who spent two decades at Textron Aviation before becoming CEO of Signature Aviation's parent operations; Colleen Costello, co-founder and CEO of Vital Vio and a board presence in aviation tech; and Cinnamon Stillwell and Jenny Showalter on the operator side. At Bombardier, Éric Martel's leadership team includes multiple women in VP roles across customer experience and aftermarket. Gulfstream's senior staff includes Heidi Fedak running communications and a number of women heading engineering programs on the G700 and G800.

The shift is most visible in three places: charter brokerage, aircraft sales, and association leadership. Each has gone from token representation a decade ago to a meaningful share of principals and partners today.

Which women lead the major charter and jet card operators?

Operator leadership remains the hardest ceiling, but several women hold P&L authority over significant fleets. Megan Wolf serves as Chief Operating Officer of Flexjet, overseeing day-to-day operations of one of the largest fractional fleets in the world — roughly 260 aircraft. At NetJets, Pat Gallagher led sales for years before retiring; the company's current leadership bench includes women in finance, legal, and owner services VP roles, though Adam Johnson holds the CEO seat. Wheels Up's restructuring under Delta brought new leadership; Stevens Sainte-Rose runs strategy and corporate development.

On the Part 135 charter side, Cindy Halsey founded and runs Halsey Aviation. Jenny Showalter is President of Showalter Flying Service, the Orlando-based FBO and charter operation her family has run for three generations. Tracey Cheek spent years building marketing leadership at NAFA before moving into operator roles. Sheryl Barden is CEO of Aviation Personnel International, the dominant executive search firm for corporate flight departments — meaning she effectively curates the talent pipeline for every major operator in North America.

Who are the leading women in aircraft brokerage and sales?

Aircraft brokerage has produced more female principals than any other corner of private aviation, partly because the business rewards relationship capital over capital expenditure. Janine Iannarelli founded Par Avion Ltd. in 1997 and has brokered transactions across more than 40 countries; she sits on multiple industry boards and is one of the longest-tenured independent brokers in the business. Emily Deaton runs sales at Jetcraft, one of the top three pre-owned brokerages globally by transaction volume. Jahid Fazal-Karim's leadership team at Jetcraft includes several women in regional sales director roles across Asia and Europe.

Anita Cusick built a long career at Bombardier and Gulfstream sales before moving to advisory work. Heidi Williams serves as Senior Director at NBAA, having previously held safety and operations leadership at AOPA. Within the National Aircraft Finance Association, women now hold roughly a third of board seats — up from under 10% a decade ago.

Which women lead the OEMs and MROs?

The OEMs have been slower to elevate women to the top operating roles, but the trend line is improving. At Textron Aviation, Lannie O'Bannion runs sales and flight operations as Senior Vice President — a P&L role covering the Citation and King Air lines. Bombardier's senior leadership includes Marie-Noëlle Cano in customer experience and several women heading engineering disciplines on the Global 7500 and Global 8000 programs. Embraer Executive Jets elevated Marsha Woelber to head worldwide customer support, and the Praetor program team includes multiple women in chief engineer roles.

On the MRO side, Duncan Aviation — the largest privately-held business aviation MRO in the U.S. — has women in senior roles across Lincoln, Battle Creek, and Provo facilities, including Jeannine Falter in airframe services leadership. StandardAero and West Star have similar bench depth in technical management, though the CEO seats remain held by men.

Rolls-Royce's business aviation engines team includes Andy Robinson's leadership group, with women in customer service VP roles covering the BR725 and Pearl engine families. Pratt & Whitney Canada — which powers most of the light and midsize jet market — has women running PT6 and PW300 program management.

Who leads the major women-in-aviation organizations?

The advocacy and pipeline organizations are almost entirely women-led, by design. Allison McKay serves as CEO of Women in Aviation International, which now counts more than 18,000 members across 130+ chapters and awards roughly $750,000 in scholarships annually at its March conference. The Ninety-Nines, founded by Amelia Earhart and 98 other women pilots in 1929, is led by an elected International President — currently rotating through a slate of regional governors. The organization's Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarship fund has awarded more than $11 million in flight training grants since inception.

Sisters of the Skies, focused on Black women pilots, was founded by Captain Theresa Claiborne and now provides type rating scholarships and mentorship specifically aimed at moving women from regional carriers into corporate and major-airline left seats. ISA+21 — the International Society of Women Airline Pilots — was founded in 1978 when there were only 21 women flying for U.S. airlines; membership now exceeds 1,000 and includes a growing corporate aviation contingent.

Where does the leadership gap remain widest?

The gap is widest at operator CEO, OEM CEO, and FBO chain CEO levels, where women hold roughly 5-8% of seats depending on how the universe is defined. Of the top 25 Part 135 operators by fleet size, fewer than three are led by women. None of the major airframe OEMs — Gulfstream, Bombardier, Dassault, Embraer Executive, Textron Aviation, Pilatus, Honda Aircraft — currently has a female CEO. The major FBO chains (Signature, Atlantic, Million Air, Jet Aviation) are similarly male-led at the top, though Million Air has women in senior network development roles.

The pipeline below the C-suite has changed faster than the C-suite itself, which suggests the next decade will produce a different chart. The women now running sales at Jetcraft, operations at Flexjet, customer support at Embraer Executive, and engineering programs at Bombardier are the natural successor pool. Whether boards promote from within or continue recruiting externally from outside aviation will determine how quickly the top-of-house numbers move.