Dan McHugh

Chief Executive Officer
Daniel McHugh is the Chief Executive Officer of Southern Air Inc. He is also a member of the Southern Air Board. Prior to his appointment as C.E.O., Mr. McHugh was the C.E.O. of DHL Express Asia. Mr. McHugh has spent the majority of his 30-year career in the transportation, supply chain and investment banking sectors. Prior to joining DHL Express, he was a senior executive with Vietnam Partners, a New York-based investment bank. He also worked with APL Ltd, a subsidiary of Neptune Orient Lines Ltd, as President of Asia and Middle East. Mr. McHugh has served on various US and International Board of Directors, including GT Nexus in Alameda, CA; Vostochny International Container Services in Vostochny, Russia and Blue Dart Express Ltd. in Mumbai India. He is the past Chairman of Vietnam-based Asia Injury Prevention Foundation. He has also served as Vice Chairman of the Singapore Sports Council for the Disabled. Mr. McHugh graduated from Loras College with a degree in Business Administration and Literature. He also holds an M.B.A from the Fuqua School of Management at Duke University.

David Soaper

Chief Operating Officer
David Soaper is a highly successful executive with more than 28 years of experience in aviation operations. Prior to joining Southern Air, David was with Comair Inc., A Delta Connection Carrier and wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Airlines. During his distinguished career at Comair, Mr. Soaper held a variety of operational roles including Vice President Safety, Security and System Operations, and most recently Senior Vice President of Aircraft Operations and a member of the Board. As a senior executive, his responsibilities incorporated Corporate Safety and Security, Security Operations, Flight Operations, Flight Training, Inflight Resources, Crew Member Resources, Customer Service and Planning and Performance. Mr. Soaper holds a Bachelors in Business Administration from Wilmington College in Ohio and holds a aircraft multi-engines, commercial and instrument rating.

Tom Gillies

Chief Commercial Officer
Thomas A. Gillies is Southern Air Inc.'s Chief Commercial Officer.   His responsibilities include all Sales, Marketing, and Customer Relationships for the airline.  He previously served as President and COO and had oversight of all company departments including Administration, Operations, Maintenance, Quality Control, Sales, Cargo Services and Safety and Security.  Prior to joining Southern Air, Mr. Gillies was employed with Southern Air Transport between 1984 and 1999.  During this time, he held several senior management positions including Vice President  Systems Operations, Senior Vice President Operations and Executive Vice President of Operations.  In 1999, he formed Southern Air Inc. with an investment group, where he served as both President and COO.  Mr Gillies graduated from Miami Dade Community College with a degree in Business and attedned Florida State University with a major in Finance. He holds an aircraft dispatchers license and multi-engine, commercial and instrument ratings.

James Walsh

EVP & CFO
James Walsh joined Southern Air Inc. as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in 2008. Prior to that, he served as Executive Vice President and C.F.O of Interpool, Inc., a publicly traded lessor of shipping containers and intermodal chassis. He also served as Senior Vice President, C.F.O. and President of C-S Aviation Services, an aircraft operating lease company. Mr. Walsh also held various executive financial positions during a 25-year career with GE and GE Capital, including Senior Vice President and C.F.O. of Polaris Aircraft Leasing Corporation and GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS). He holds a B.A. in Economics from Rutgers College and an M.B.A with a specialization in Finance from the University of Bridgeport.

Roy Linkner

SVP Sales and Marketing
Roy Linkner is Southern Air Inc.’s Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing since 2007. Mr. Linkner is a cargo industry veteran with 25 years of aviation experience. Prior to joining Southern Air, Mr. Linkner lead the Americas region as Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Martinair Holland. A past Manager of Strategic Partnerships of Delta Air Logistics, Mr. Linkner also served as British Airways’ Vice President of Cargo Sales for regions including the central U.S., Mexico and Canada. Mr. Linkner also served as a board member of Tampa Cargo S.A. He attended the Chartered Institute of Marketing in London.

Daniel Perez

SVP Technical Services

Daniel Perez has been part of the Southern Air Inc. team since 2003, and was appointed Senior Vice President of Technical Services in 2010. Mr. Perez has served in various roles within the organization, including Manager of Technical Support, Director of Technical Services and Vice President of Quality Control, holding the post of FAR 119.65 Chief Inspector. He has worked in the Technical Operations department at United Airlines, and was Line Maintenance Manager for America West Airlines. He holds a B.S. in Aviation Administration from Farmingdale University.

Jon E. Olin

SVP & General Counsel
Jon E. Olin is Southern Air Inc.’s Senior Vice President & General Counsel. Prior to joining Southern Air, he was the Senior Vice President & General Counsel of DHL Airways and Deutsche Post-DHL Americas region for fifteen years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa and is a graduate of the Santa Clara University School of Law. Mr. Olin also holds an LL.M degree in Transnational Business Transactions from the University of the Pacific. He was a Fulbright Scholar to Spain in 1990.

 Oliver Gritz

Managing Director Europe
Oliver Gritz is a highly successful executive with more than 25 years of experience in the transportation and logistics business.  Prior to joining Southern Air, he was with DHL Express where he held various senior management positions.  From 2004 to 2009, Mr. Gritz was Executive Vice President, Board Member and CFO of DHL Express.  He also served as an executive of the Swiss based logistics group Danzas, which was acquired by Deutsche Post  in 1998.  He began his career with Schenkers in 1985.  He holds degrees in transport and Logistics from Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University in Loerrach, Germany and in Business Economics from the Univerisity of Passau in Germany.  He has also earned an MBA from the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland. 

Laura Brown

VP of Human Resources
Laura Brown is Southern Air's Vice President of Human Resources. She is a highly seasoned HR professional with 25 years experience in business transformation, organizational development and leadership experience. Prior to joining Southern Air, Ms. Brown was the Director of Human Resources for the Supply Chain organization at the Pepperidge Farm and a member of the Campbell Soup Company's Global Leadership Team. She has also held various HR senior leadership positions at Coca-Cola Enterprises and Sara Lee. Ms. Brown was born in Pisa, Italy, and was raised abroad. She holds a B.S. in Accounting and Business Administration from A. Fusinieri in Vicenza, Italy.