Karl Griffin

Karl Griffin is Chief Executive Officer of Genesis Aircraft Services Limited, a full-service commercial aircraft lessor based in Dublin owned by institutional investors advised by Barings LLC. Griffin has led Genesis since 2019, when the role was created. In July 2024, Griffin was appointed Chairperson of Aircraft Leasing Ireland, the trade group representing the aircraft leasing industry in Ireland.

Karl has over 34 years of aviation experience spanning aircraft leasing, airline management and maintenance and repair organisations. Prior to joining Genesis, Karl was the Chief Operating Officer at AWAS, where he spent 11 years building AWAS into a $15bn global aircraft leasing business. Before that, Karl started his aviation career in 1990 as an apprentice in the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul sector with GPA Joint Venture company, Shannon Aerospace.

Career History

• In 1998, Karl became a founding member of the low-cost airline, Virgin Express with a fleet of 25 aircraft at the time, serving major European cities
• In 2002 he joined the newly formed RBS Aviation Capital, where he held various technical, pricing and marketing roles, including the formation of its engine leasing and finance business
• Chief Technical Officer at AWAS Aviation Capital DAC from 2007 to 2013
• Chief Operating Officer & VP-Technical Services at DAE Aviation Services, Inc. from 2007 to 2017
• Chief Commercial & Investment Officer at Genesis from May 2018 to 2019

Mr. Griffin holds an MBA from the University of Limerick and an undergraduate degree from Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology. Karl also holds an ICAO & EASA aircraft maintenance engineers licence.

What Karl Griffin could bring to his role as CEO at Genesis: Griffin's career trajectory demonstrates mastery in transforming aviation businesses—from building Shannon Aerospace's MRO capabilities in the 1990s to co-founding Virgin Express, scaling RBS Aviation Capital's engine financing division, and most notably building AWAS into a top-five global aircraft lessor worth $15 billion before its 2017 sale. His technical engineering background combined with deep expertise in aircraft leasing, finance, and commercial operations positions him to continue advancing Genesis's full-service aircraft leasing platform and market position as the company expands its portfolio and customer base globally.