December 18, 2024
Mike Guina is back as President of FlyExclusive while Matthew Lesmeister joins as EVP and Chief of Staff.
FlyExclusive has made two moves to its leadership team.
Mike Guina moves from Chief Operating Officer to President.
Matthew Lesmeister will serve as Executive Vice President & Chief of Staff.
Guina takes the spot left open when Tommy Sowers resigned earlier this year due to family health issues.
Guina was part of the founding team at FlyExclusive and served as President until 2021, when he moved to a strategy role and became COO.
Previously, Guina served as Executive Vice President of Delta Private Jets, where his responsibilities included all aspects of operations, sales, product development, and revenue management.
He joined the unit of Delta Air Lines with the acquisition of Segrave Aviation in January 2010, where he had spent the previous six years also as Executive Vice President.
Before that, he was with Air Partner PLC, rising to the position of President of U.S. Operations and a board member.
Guina will be responsible for leading fleet, dispatch, maintenance, and pilot operations and “will also be a leading voice in all of FlyExclusive’s strategic initiatives.”
FlyExclusive Founder and CEO Jim Segrave said, “Mike has been an instrumental member of the FlyExclusive family from the beginning, going back to the early days of Segrave Aviation. He brings deep industry and institutional knowledge that will position flyExclusive to be the leading private aviation company of the future.”
Lesmeister will manage best practices, cross-functional alignment, and operational efficiency.
He most recently served as Vice President of transformation and Strategy at Fox Factory Holding Corp., a publicly traded leader in the design and manufacturing of premium products for sport and off-road vehicles.
He is credited with developing investment strategies that led to a global transformation, integrated several acquisitions across global business units, and drove continuous operational improvement.
Before joining Fox Factory in 2016, Lesmeister served in various roles of increasing responsibility at United Technologies Corporation, an aerospace and defense technology conglomerate.
He holds an MBA from The University of Massachusetts Amherst and a bachelor’s degree from Quinnipiac University. He is also a licensed pilot and an aviation enthusiast.
Segrave said, “Matthew brings financial and operational expertise that will foster strategic alignment across our organization.”
Lesmeister added, “It’s an honor to join flyExclusive during this period of growth and an unwavering focus on operational excellence. Jim and team have built a world-class private aviation company in Kinston, and I’m inspired by their commitment to perfecting the customer experience. I look forward to leading the company through its vertical integration strategy and driving efficiencies across the business for the benefit of employees, customers, and shareholders.”
On his appointment, Guina noted, “Working alongside Jim for the past nearly 20 years, I’ve witnessed firsthand his visionary approach to our industry. I look forward to stepping into my new role and leading the team through our next phase of growth and innovation.”
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