Ares Management Corporation and Aviation Industry Veterans Announce Launch of Vmo Aircraft Leasing
January 12, 2021 at 06:00 am EST
Share
Ares Management Corporation and aviation industry veterans, including Bob Brown, Sean Sullivan and Will Hudson, announced the launch of Vmo Aircraft Leasing L.P. (“Vmo”), a newly-formed company to acquire and lease commercial aircraft. Funds managed by Ares’ Private Equity Group and Vmo management have committed approximately $500 million in initial equity capital to support Vmo, which will target a global and diversified portfolio of modern, next-generation and efficient commercial aircraft. Vmo will be led by seasoned industry executives, including Bob Brown, Sean Sullivan and Will Hudson, and will be supported by a team of 11 other professionals. Mr. Brown will initially serve as the company’s Chief Executive Officer, transitioning to Executive Chairman over the next 12 months, and brings over 30 years of experience in all facets of the aircraft leasing industry. Most recently, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Vx Capital Partners, where he was responsible for transaction origination, capital sourcing and asset management. Prior to co-founding Vx Capital Partners, Mr. Brown was an Executive Vice President at Pegasus Aviation, where he was responsible for aircraft financings.
Ares Management Corporation is a global alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across various asset classes. The Company's segments include Credit Group, Private Equity Group, Real Assets Group, Secondaries Group and Other. The Credit Group segment manages credit strategies across the liquid and illiquid spectrum, including liquid credit, alternative credit, direct lending and APAC credit. The Private Equity Group segment categorizes its investment strategies as corporate private equity, special opportunities and APAC private equity. The Real Assets Group segment manages comprehensive equity and debt strategies across real estate and infrastructure investments. The Secondaries Group segment invests in secondary markets across a range of alternative asset class strategies, including private equity, real estate, infrastructure and credit. Its global platform has approximately $419 billion of assets under management.