CFO Podcast Banner

CFO Outlook: When the sky is the limit with Andy Cronin, Avolon

In this episode of the EY CFO Outlook podcast, Andy Cronin tells host Vincent Wall the story of a Avolon’s remarkable growth from Dublin start-up to a world leader in aircraft leasing in just a few short years.

Related topics

Apple | Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Andy Cronin is an engineer by training, not an accountant. Yet he is the co-founder and CFO of one of the world’s biggest aircraft leasing companies. Avolon’s take off and rise to such heights has been enabled by an astute ability to raise capital, a strong founding team, and a vision for the future of transport.

Avolon was founded in 2010, right in the middle of the financial crisis, when capital was scarce but opportunities abundant. Following a complicated funding process, Avolon finally launched with $1.2 billion in capital, making it the largest private equity-backed start-up, anywhere in the world, in any sector at the time.

Since then, the company has grown “beyond [Andy’s] wildest dreams”. Avolon is now the second largest aircraft leasing company in the world, with a balance sheet of $30 billion, 500 aircraft in operation all over the world, and a team of 300 people.

  • How Andy, an engineer, became the co-founder and CFO of an aircraft leasing company
  • The story of Avolon’s IPO and his experience of running the finance function of a public company versus a private one.
  • Raising capital and how Avolon has achieved a credit rating on a par with major banks
  • Environmental sustainability and why Avolon is investing heavily in electric ‘flying taxis’ 
  • Why Ireland enjoys a ‘monopoly position’ in the aircraft leasing sector
  • Why data pays a critical role in Avolon’s success.

21

Oct 2021

Podcast

Duration

1h 0m 27s

See the full CFO agenda

Explore further actionable insights on the unique challenges of the CFO role.

 


You are visiting EY ie (en)
ie en