MEET THE TEAM

As the son of a pilot, Chris Leach has always had aviation in his blood. Starting out with Saturn Airways in the 1970s, Chris has experience of almost every aspect of the aviation business, from dealing with passenger flights all over Europe, to his role in Sudan in the early 80s with Transamerica Airlines, where he coordinated aircraft during the great famine transporting personnel and aid. He founded ACS in 1990 from the basement of his home in Kingston, and his knowledge of the aviation market won him several key contracts for passenger and cargo flights with organisations such as the United Nations. Deciding never to take a bank loan, but instead to grow the business organically, Chris re-invested heavily in the business and grew it from its humble beginnings to the leading global company that it is today. His key beliefs have always remained that personal service is what the airline industry is all about and that if you go the extra mile for the customer, they will always come back and, as a result, the business will grow. Chris has been honoured in recent years for his work in aviation, with two lifetime achievement awards, as well as being invited to become a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and been inducted into the TIACA Hall of Fame, alongside such luminaries as Fred Smith, the Founder Chairman of Federal Express.

Christine has worked in all administrative areas of ACS and has served as a Director and Company Secretary since the beginning. At one time or another, she has headed up the company’s Finance and Legal teams, but now concentrates on her role as Non-Executive Director. She also chairs the charity committee and plays a key role in developing the company’s CSR activity.

Justin is renowned in the charter industry for his encyclopaedic knowledge of all things aviation. This, combined with his enthusiasm on the subject, has made him one of the most trusted and successful aircraft charter experts in Europe over the past three decades. Starting his tenure with ACS in 1992, Justin rose through the ranks to the position of Group CEO in 2013. He is a key member of the ACS & Mountfitchet Group (Holding Company) boards and was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Aeronautical Society in 2016. In his spare time he enjoys following his football team, Brighton & Hove Albion, and is a keen golfer. Justin lives with his wife and their three children in Surrey.

Ruan has been with ACS for more than 15 years and has held a number of key management roles. Initially in the London Cargo department, he then diversified his knowledge and worked on the executive jets side of the business. In 2004, Ruan became President of North American operations before moving back to the UK and taking on the role of International Development Director, later becoming Group Director of Executive Jets. Having developed an impressive and diverse range of knowledge across global markets and a wide range of departments, Ruan was appointed COO of ACS in 2013.

Justin is a highly experienced charter expert who counts some of the biggest names in the industry amongst his clients. He started out in the charter world in the former ACS operations base in Ostend, where he became an expert in the ground operations essential to running a successful charter. He then moved to the sales side of the business where this experience was used to great effect and his practical knowledge has proved extremely valuable to the ACS board. Justin was appointed Group Commercial Director in 2013.

Andrew has been instrumental in the growth of both the Private Charter division and the North American offices. Originally working in the London office, Andrew moved to New York in 2008, eventually being promoted to President, North America. In 2014 he returned to ACS headquarters in London to take charge of all private aircraft operations worldwide.

Stewart Pitt is another hugely experienced member of the ACS management team. Stewart trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG in 1997 and then spent six years at British Airways. Stewart initially joined BA as an Internal Audit Manager and later became the Financial Controller for the airline’s catering operations worldwide. He then spent two years at the London Stock Exchange managing the company’s financial planning and forecasting processes as well as being involved in several M&A projects. Stewart joined ACS in 2006 and has overseen the financial aspects of the group’s globalisation, implementing financial processes and controls in all ACS offices. Stewart’s knowledge and experience has proved invaluable since his arrival and has resulted in ACS being one of the most financially secure charter companies in the world.

Charles was a Managing Director at Fitch Ratings, where he worked for 30 years, prior to retiring in August 2013; he now has a consulting role with Fitch. He was Managing Director responsible for the management and operations of Fitch’s credit ratings of global Financial Institutions. Charles played an important role in the international development of the company and was responsible for Fitch’s analytical and business activities in Latin America for 25 years. Charles is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (FCA), having qualified with Champness, Corderoy, Beesley & Co. before becoming an Audit Manager at Coopers & Lybrand.