CIT Business Aircraft Finance released several key announcements regarding new and existing team members who are assuming new roles in the organization.

• Ron Walls joined as Vice President, Equipment Management. In this role, he is responsible for valuations and management of CIT’s business aircraft portfolio. Walls has been involved in equipment management within the finance industry for almost 30 years, and has worked for a number of top equipment finance institutions across the country, including Wachovia/Wells Fargo Equipment Finance, Banc One Leasing Co., Fleet Capital Leasing, Transamerica Equipment Leasing and GE Capital. Walls is a member of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) as well as the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and the National Aircraft Finance Association (NAFA). He also served on the Jet Aviation Customer Advisory Board from April 2011 to April 2014.

• Jose Luis Muñoz joined as Vice President, Sales, Latin America. He will be responsible for sales initiatives and strategy for the region and will be based in Mexico City. Prior to CIT, Muñoz spent the last four years in GE Capital’s Corporate Aircraft Finance group, where he originated and structured leases and loans for corporate accounts in Mexico.

• Nicole Halverson was appointed as Vice President, Aircraft Trading & Syndications. She will be responsible for optimizing the business aircraft portfolio through acquisitions, syndications and divestments. Halverson began her career at CIT Aerospace in 2004, holding positions within CIT Commercial Air and CIT Business Aircraft Finance. Most recently, she was Vice President, Sales, Americas, where she managed CIT’s originations of business aircraft financings throughout Latin America.

• Michael Francis, Vice President, Sales, North America - East, will be responsible for new business development in the U.S. east of the Mississippi River as well as in the Caribbean. Francis has been with CIT since 2012. Prior to CIT, he managed private aviation for a family office and was a sales manager for a fractional aircraft ownership company.

• Craig Roy, Assistant Vice President, Sales, North America - West, will be responsible for originations in the U.S. west of the Mississippi River. Roy joined CIT in 2007, and has held several roles in CIT Business Aircraft Finance and CIT Commercial Air. Most recently, he managed indirect originations and syndications for CIT Business Aircraft Finance.

“Companies around the world continue to recognize that business aircraft drive growth, save time and facilitate quality face-to-face interaction,” said Mike Kahmann, Group Head and Managing Director, CIT Business Aircraft Finance. “These announcements about our quality team demonstrate our commitment to this crucial sector of the aerospace industry and to delivering the highest level of service to our customers.”