Altavair has announced a leadership succession that will make Matthew Hoesley Chief Executive Officer and President and move longtime CEO Stephen Rimmer into the Executive Chairman role, effective January 1, 2027.
Dimitrios Kotinis, currently Head of Investments, will also be promoted to Chief Commercial Officer.
Kotinis will oversee Altavair’s Marketing, Trading, Pricing, Risk and Capital Markets functions.
The transition follows a long-term succession planning process and comes after a recently announced $1.4 billion equity commitment from KKR to support continued expansion of Altavair’s global portfolio of leased commercial aircraft.
Since 2018, KKR-managed vehicles have committed more than $8 billion to aircraft leasing and lending transactions alongside Altavair.
Rimmer co-founded the company in 2003 as Guggenheim Aviation Partners and has led the business since its inception.
During his tenure, the company transitioned to the Altavair brand, expanded across Seattle, Dublin, London and Singapore and developed its strategic partnership with KKR.
Hoesley has spent more than two decades with Altavair after joining in 2005.
His roles have spanned pricing, marketing, originations, portfolio management, financing and investments.
He became Chief Commercial Officer in 2024 and President in 2026 and has played a significant role in developing Altavair’s airline relationships, investment platform and capital partnerships.
Since inception, Altavair has completed almost $15 billion in commercial aircraft lease transactions with more than 80 airline customers in over 50 countries involving more than 300 Boeing and Airbus aircraft.
KEY QUOTES:
“After nearly twenty-four years leading Altavair and its predecessor business, I believe this is the right time to transition leadership to the next generation. Matt has been a trusted commercial partner for many years and has played a central role in virtually every stage of Altavair’s growth into a leading global platform. He has the experience, judgement and leadership qualities to guide the company into the future, and I look forward to supporting him, Dimitrios and the broader leadership team in my new capacity as Executive Chairman.”
Stephen Rimmer, Chief Executive Officer and Incoming Executive Chairman of Altavair
“Steve has built a remarkable company founded on entrepreneurial thinking, disciplined investing and an unwavering commitment to customers. It has been a privilege to work alongside him and the broader Altavair team throughout my career. I am honored by the opportunity to lead Altavair and grateful for the confidence shown by our Board and shareholders. We have a tremendous platform, a talented team, and exciting opportunities ahead. Our focus will remain on supporting our airline customers, delivering strong investment performance and continuing disciplined growth alongside our partners and stakeholders.”
Matthew Hoesley, President and Chief Commercial Officer and Incoming Chief Executive Officer and President of Altavair
“Matt is a proven leader with deep knowledge of Altavair, its customers and the aviation market, and we are confident in his ability to lead the company forward. We are grateful for Steve’s leadership over the years and look forward to working with him in his new role as Executive Chairman.”
Brandon Freiman, Partner and Head of North American Infrastructure at KKR, and Daniel Pietrzak, Partner and Global Head of Private Credit at KKR
