Denis Kalscheur Named Chief Executive Officer of Aviation Capital Group

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Aviation Capital Group’s Chairman Khanh T. Tran announced today that Denis P. Kalscheur has been named chief executive officer of Aviation Capital Group (ACG), effective January 1, 2013. ACG is a wholly owned subsidiary of Pacific Life Insurance Company and is engaged in the acquisition and leasing of new commercial jet aircraft to the world’s airlines. Mr. Kalscheur will succeed R. Stephen Hannahs, who will retire at the end of the year. Mr. Hannahs is one of the founders of ACG and has overseen its growth as group managing director and CEO since ACG’s founding in 1989. Mr. Hannahs will continue to serve on the board of ACG, in the new position of vice-chairman, and provide advice to the chairman and CEO regarding strategic direction and other matters.

Mr. Kalscheur joined Pacific Life in 2007 where he currently serves as senior vice president and treasurer. He is responsible for the company’s corporate finance and treasury operations, its institutional investment products business, financial planning and budgeting, as well as other strategic initiatives. Mr. Kalscheur also served as chairman of College Savings Bank prior to its sale by Pacific LifeCorp earlier this year. Mr. Kalscheur’s previous experience in the airline industry includes having served as CEO of Elsinore Aerospace, a global aviation engineering and certification, maintenance, modification, and quality management company. In addition, he served as CFO of AirCal/ACI Holdings, Inc., a U.S. passenger airline acquired by American Airlines and he served as vice president and treasurer of both Tiger International, Inc. and The Flying Tiger Line Inc., a global diversified transportation company and global scheduled cargo airline acquired by FedEx. Mr. Kalscheur received his bachelor’s in business administration and MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he is an emeritus director on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Wisconsin School of Business. Mr. Kalscheur also is a member of World Presidents’ Organization.

“Denis has extensive executive leadership experience from treasurer and CFO to CEO across multiple industries in airlines/aviation/aerospace, banking, insurance and other financial services, and product marketing and distribution,” said Mr. Tran. “Denis’s strong leadership abilities and his breadth and depth of experience make him ideally suited to this role.”

Mr. Tran continued, “Under Steve’s stewardship, ACG has grown from 12 aircraft into a leading global aircraft operating leasing enterprise with a portfolio of 260 aircraft. Steve’s passion for the aviation industry, along with his extensive knowledge and relationships in were major contributors to the success of ACG. Steve has worked hard during his career and has earned the opportunity to enjoy more time with his family and outside interests. We wish Steve the very best.”