Executive Team

The senior management team at Southern Air has on average over 30 years of aviation experience.

	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 Bachelor 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 of Systems Operations, Senior Vice President of 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 attended Florida State University with a major in Finance. He holds an aircraft dispatcher's license and multi-engine, commercial and instrument ratings.
	Thomas R. Pilholski Chief Financial Officer Thomas R. Pilholski was named Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company June 2012. Prior to joining the Company Mr. Pilholski served as 1) Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of American Commercial Lines, then a NASDAQ listed public company in the transportation sector, 2) Chief Executive Officer of S3I, LLC , where he successfully developed and sold this technology company to a large public company, 3) Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Eagle Picher Corporation (a diversified industrial company)), 4) Chief Financial Officer of Honeywell Consumer Products Group and other executive positions at Honeywell 5),Chief Financial Officer of Inamed Corporation, then the largest global breast implant and cosmetic surgery medical device company, 6)Chief Financial Officer of Zimmer Orthopaedic Division, formerly a subsidiary of Bristol Myers Squibb and the largest global hip and knee medical device business, and Director of Internal Audit for Bristol Myers Squibb and 7)Senior Audit Manager and Manager of Mergers and Acquisitions with Price Waterhouse . Mr. Pilholski earned his B.S. and Masters in Accounting Degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton and is a Certified Public Accountant.
	James Walsh Executive Vice President - Fleet Development and Strategic Procurement 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.
	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 University 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.