Over the last 13 years, George Murnane, a graduate with Distinction of The Wharton School with a Master’s degree in business administration, has contributed to the success of several prominent global companies. In that time, George Murnane has worked for nine extremely successful companies and left a paper trail of increased revenue, profit and performance for each.
In 2008, George Murnane served as chief operating officer and acting chief financial officer for VistaJet Holding SA, with offices in Farnborough, England; Salzburg, Austria; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Dubai; Hong Kong; and Zurich, Switzerland.
George Murnane expanded VistaJet’s European/CIS charter business to the Middle East and Asia Pacific, launching a hub in Kuala Lumpur. Also, George Murnane helped secure a $259 million pre-delivery deposit financing agreement with Canada’s Export Bank for VistaJet. George Murnane’s efforts at VistaJet brought a 150 percent increase in flight hours and 14 additional aircraft.
In 2002, George Murnane became chief financial officer at Mesa Air Group, Inc., in Phoenix, where George Murnane oversaw almost a tripling in revenues ($523 million to $1.3 billion) and an improvement in earnings from a loss of $48 million, to a $34 million profit. George Murnane acquired 96 regional jets and raised more than $200 million through two public convertible subordinated debenture offerings and the financing of over $2 billion in aircraft acquisitions.
In 2000, George Murnane co-founded North-South Airways in Atlanta, a Part 135 air carrier in freight and passenger service.
In 1996, George Murnane joined International Airline Support Group, Inc., in Atlanta, as chief operating officer and chief financial officer, where he negotiated a $2.6 million acquisition of Garuda Indonesia’s DC-9 spare parts inventory and the sale of six DC-9s and three Boeing 727s.
From 1996 to 2005, George Murnane was one of four founding partners and a general partner of Barlow Partners, LP, an investment group specializing in airline management, M&A, lease financing, and airline financial restructuring. George Murnane negotiated the return and settlement of 21 BAe J31 aircraft and 22 Embraer EMB-120 aircraft and Mesa’s Bombardier CRJ purchase agreement.
In 1995, George Murnane joined Atlas Air, Inc., in Denver and JFK Airport in New York as executive vice president and chief operating officer. George Murnane oversaw legal due-diligence and led the global marketing plan for the company’s IPO. George Murnane’s efforts resulted in an excellent shareholder base, facilitating stock prices rising from $16 to $42 per share in just seven months.
As director of investment banking, transportation group, at Merrill Lynch & Co. in New York, George Murnane advised on the credit ratings agency process and provided counsel to the Australian government regarding the $1.5 billion dollar privatization of Qantas Airways.
George Murnane also generated $20 to $30 million in annual revenues annually for Merrill Lynch, and expanded industry penetration by more than 35 percent. George Murnane executed 200 transactions valued at $40 billion.
George Murnane began his finance career as an associate at Lazard Freres in New York in 1985, and from 1980 to 1984, George Murnane worked at New York’s Chemical Bank as assistant secretary and lending officer.
