Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

The latest personal scandal to shake the aerospace industry saw former Boeing International president Laurette Koellner unseat Henri Courpron as the seniormost executive officer at International Lease Finance Corp., parent company American International Group (AIG) announced Thursday evening. Koellner’s appointment to the newly created position of executive chairman of ILFC follows AIG’s review of an anonymous complaint alleging the existence of a personal relationship between Courpron and an ILFC employee under his supervision. Courpron and the employee each have acknowledged that they had engaged in a voluntary relationship that had ended.


AIG has agreed to retain Courpron as CEO, reporting directly to Koellner, after it failed to substantiate another allegation that the relationship resulted in improper use of company assets and “inappropriate” personnel decisions. However, AIG cut Courpron’s annual compensation by $1 million.


“I apologize for my mistake and the time-consuming distractions it created,” Courpron said in a written statement. “I am committed to keep moving forward with the ILFC team and Laurette.”


An independent director of AIG since 2009, Koellner now reports directly to AIG president and CEO Robert Benmosche. Because Koellner no longer meets an AIG board requirement for independence, she must step down as a member.


“We have taken the right steps to affirm AIG’s and ILFC’s commitment to sound conduct in the workplace,” Koellner said. “The board, Bob and I are confident in Henri’s leadership at ILFC, and we will work together to assure that ILFC continues to build on its momentum as the largest independent aircraft lessor in the industry.”

Courpron Loses Top Slot at ILFC to Koellner

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN