Jackson Square Aviation announced Osamu (Sam) Muramoto will become the next Chairman of the aircraft-leasing company, effective June 1.
Muramoto succeeds Naoki Sato, Managing Executive Officer of Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance Co. Ltd. (MUL), who has been Chairman of JSA since it was purchased by MUL in January 2013.
Muramoto, Managing Executive Officer of MUL, also succeeded Sato as Head of MUL’s Aviation Business Unit effective April 1, 2019.
A smooth transition is expected. Muramoto has been a member of MUL’s Aviation Business since 2013 and he has worked closely with Sato over the past six years. He has extensive knowledge of JSA’s business and strong relationships with JSA’s executive team.
"I am honored and excited to become the new Chairman of Jackson Square Aviation," said Muramoto. "I am grateful for the trust the board of directors has shown in me and I look forward to helping Jackson Square Aviation enhance its position as one of the world’s leading aircraft lessors."
"Working with Jackson Square Aviation over the past six years has been a highlight of my career," said Sato, who will transition to a new role within MUL Group. "I am very proud of the company’s performance and the professionalism of its people. While I am sad to leave Jackson Square Aviation, I am happy to know the company is in a strong financial position with a great team."
"On behalf of everyone at Jackson Square Aviation, I want to thank Naoki Sato for his outstanding leadership and partnership," said Kevin McDonald, Chief Executive Officer of Jackson Square Aviation. "We started working with Sato-san when he led MUL’s acquisition of JSA and his vision, experience and commitment to our business have made the JSA-MUL combination one of the industry’s great success stories. While we will miss him, we are thrilled to welcome Sam Muramoto as our next Chairman. Sam knows our business well and he will provide great stability and continuity."
The board of directors of Jackson Square Aviation unanimously approved Muramoto’s appointment on April 3, 2019.
Jackson Square Aviation is a full-service commercial aircraft lessor based in San Francisco, CA, and Dublin, Ireland. It provides a variety of fleet and financial solutions to airlines such as sale and leaseback financing, PDP financing, and leasing solutions from its existing fleet.