Leading global on-demand private jet charter marketplace Victor has officially announced the appointment of Jean De Looz as Senior Vice-President, North America. In this position, De Looz will take responsibility for regional sales and operator relationships, as well as lead broader strategy and management of Victor’s U.S. business. “Victor is a pivotal and pioneering player in the private aviation space. Having just closed a $20m Series B investment with BP as lead investor, the company is well placed to keep disrupting and advancing the market” De Looz says. “I’m thrilled to be joining at such a key stage of Victor’s unique journey. I look forward to sharing my many years of experience in charter, aircraft management, sales, and flight operations with the team, and continuing to develop Victor’s service and reach within North America.” Prior to arriving at Victor, De Looz spent over five years at Dassault Falcon Jet in their Eastern (U.S and Canada) Aircraft Sales division helping propel it to the position of highest-performing division in the Americas. During his time there, De Looz originated over $320m in new business revenue and was responsible for 65% of new Falcon clients per annum. Previously, he held senior charter sales, aircraft management, and consultancy roles at Meridian Air Charter, where he tailored effective transport solutions for globally high-profile UHNWIs, Fortune 500 companies and VVIP corporate clients, and helped optimize the business and logistical operations of a portfolio of over 20 executive jets. DeLooz is also a qualified commercial pilot and instructor, and has a MBA from world-leading graduate business school INSEAD.
“Jean has aviation in his veins. He’s a proven business leader with rich experience in selling and managing high-value, private aviation services,” Guy Winterflood, Chief Operating Officer at Victor, adds. “His passion for delivering world-class charter, his significant track record and his hunger to continually innovate and improve things are all qualities that I’m confident will help drive further growth and success for Victor in North America.”
De Looz heads a rapidly-expanding team of 25 sourcing, flight management, marketing and customer service experts based at Victor’s new U.S. headquarters in Manhattan. The team, more than doubling in size in 2017 (including the summer appointment of Ryann Richardson from Uber as Vice President of Marketing in North America), provides Victor with a strong platform for further U.S. growth, and complements Victor’s market-leading music and entertainment charter business based in California. Run by long-serving industry veteran David Young, Victor’s West Coast office has built a major reputation for exceptional, tailored travel around some of the world’s biggest music tours and VVIP entertainment events.
Victor, founded in London in 2011, reached its sales revenue forecast of $39-41 million for 2016 and is on target for over $60m in 2017. Victor’s ‘high-tech, high-touch’ value proposition has been particularly resonant in the U.S. this year – bookings have increased threefold in just six months (Jan to June), prompting further focus on expansion there.
