Global Expertise and Management
Bravia blends the strategic leadership of our senior principals with a talented and experienced management team to capitalize on desirable opportunities by taking advantage of the fast-changing economic landscape with a clear focus on the world’s leading emerging markets. Bravia has professionals in Asia, North America, Europe, and the Middle East in order to truly deliver deep local expertise to our investments.
Bravia prides itself on recruiting the best and the brightest, both in talent and spirit. In this way, investors are always served and supported with Bravia’s consistent commitment to excellence.
Executive Management Team
Stewart Smith, Chairman
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Until 2001 Mr. Smith followed a career in banking with Kleinwort Benson, Hill Samuel, Nordic Bank and latterly held senior management positions over many years with the leading Norwegian bank, DnB NOR Bank ASA in London and since 2002 he has been Chairman of Bravia. Mr. Smith is also Vice Chairman of HNA Group International Headquarter (Hong Kong) Co Limited which is HNA Group’s international Holding Company, Chairman of Oceanus International Investment AS which is HNA Group’s investment company in Norway, Chairman of SinOceanic Shipping ASA, a Bravia investment and publicly listed company in Norway, and Vice Chairman of HNA Group (Hong Kong) Co Limited d/b/a “Hong Kong Aviation Capital,” a major aircraft leasing company and another Bravia investment based in Hong Kong and Sydney. Over the years Mr. Smith has held many other directorships in banking, transportation businesses and leasing companies. Mr. Smith attended Manchester University in the UK in the late 1960’s and later attended London Business School (Corporate Finance Program). |
Bharat Bhise, Chief Executive Officer
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As an entrepreneur, Mr. Bhise launched many successful companies before starting Bravia Capital in 2000. His expertise covers the spectrum of transportation, logistics and infrastructure finance & development. He remains close to the market opportunities by dividing his time between Hong Kong, India and the United States. Extensive aviation experience includes commercial jet aircraft, complex financing structures and freighter conversions to cargo airline management, lease restructuring, and after-market products. Prior to Bravia, Mr. Bhise was CEO of C-S Aviation Services (a Soros owned entity) where he acquired and managed a 90 portfolio of aircraft primarily for freighter conversion which became the world’s first integrations company devoted to such systems. At the time he was also engaged in facilitating the wide-body freighter conversion business for Boeing Capital Corporation and Israel Aircraft Industries. Mr. Bhise also managed HeavyLift Airlines as well as Smith Wilson Aviation Services, a lease finance advisory business. He currently serves as a Senior Board Advisor to HNA Group in addition to Board and advisory positions at Bravia’s portfolio companies. Mr. Bhise earned an M.B.A in Corporate Finance and International Business as well as an Advanced Professional Certificate in International Finance from New York University. He also holds a Bachelor Degree of Commerce from Delhi University in India. |
Investment & Analytics Team
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Robin Yan, Head of Investment & Analytics
Mr. Yan joined Bravia in 2007, and manages the structuring, analytics, and execution of investments, thus far totaling over USD 6 billion. Earlier, Mr. Yan was with NERA Economic Consulting (part of the Oliver Wyman Group) providing economic research for securities fraud and product liability litigation. He is a graduate of Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering and is also fluent in Mandarin. -
Jason Gao, Manager, Financial Planning
Joining Bravia in 2010, Mr. Gao was formerly an Associate with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd. in New York, supporting corporate finance and loan syndication transactions with both large multi-national corporations and financial institutions. Mr. Gao earned his M.S. in Financial Engineering from the University of Michigan, and his B.S. in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, as well as a B.A. in Economics from Peking University. He is also fluent in Mandarin. -
Alex Downs, Deal Manager
Mr. Downs joined Bravia in 2011. Mr. Downs is responsible for the implementation of transactions, and providing supporting analysis on deals. He was previously at ADM Capital where he worked in their valuations department and chaired the valuation committee. Mr. Downs has a broad background in banking and finance gained at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston where he was responsible for structuring and transacting trades as well as funding their balance sheet. Mr. Downs earned his MBA with a concentration in finance at Clark University. -
Jeffrey Wong, Senior Associate
Mr. Wong graduated cum laude from Rutgers University with a B.S. degree in Finance, and was recipient of the Judith Fay Ross scholarship; he also served as Vice President of the Rutgers Finance Society. Mr. Wong previously held positions with Merrill Lynch, in equity research with Utendahl Capital Partners, and in sales and trading at Oppenheimer & Co. -
Howard Chang, Senior Associate
Prior to joining Bravia, Mr. Chang worked in the financial services investment banking group of JMP Securities, in San Francisco, where he was responsible for analyzing and executing a variety of M&A transactions and debt and equity offerings for specialty finance companies. He is a graduate of Georgetown University with a B.Sc., double majoring in Finance and International Business. -
Rushabh Sadiwala, Senior Associate
Prior to joining Bravia, Mr. Sadiwala worked as an Analyst at Global Endowment Management (GEM), a $4 billion AUM investment management fund. At GEM, he was responsible for analyzing and executing numerous fund investments, co-investments and secondary transactions across a broad spectrum of asset classes. He received his B.S. from Duke University in Economics with a minor in Mandarin. -
Christy Liu, Associate
Ms. Liu joined Bravia in 2011. Prior to this she worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers Hong Kong, in the Real Estate, Energy, Transportation, Engineering and Services (RETES) Division where she provided financial statement audit service to several Hong Kong conglomerates and multi-national corporations across sectors. Ms. Liu holds a Masters Degree of Science in Finance from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, as well as a Bachelor Degree of Art in Finance, Accounting and Management from The University of Nottingham in the UK. Ms. Liu is a HKICPA finalist and CFA level II candidate. She is also fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese. -
Sean Wang, Analyst
Mr. Wang joined Bravia in 2011. He earned a double B.A. in economics and literature from the Central University of Finance and Economics in China. He was an assistant in the China Economics Development Research department and published several papers about aviation. Mr. Wang has also held several internships at Bank of China, in corporate finance and at China Galaxy Securities Headquarters, in brokerage sales. He is also fluent in Mandarin. -
Gregory W. Buhler, Legal Counsel
An expert in aviation law, Mr. Buhler brings an exceptional legal perspective to the Bravia team. He has held senior positions at Pan American World Airways, Kiwi International Airlines, Western Pacific Airlines, Unicapital Air Group and was a partner with the law firm Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis in New York.Mr. Buhler has lectured and written extensively on aviation matters and is admitted to practice before a number of Federal Courts, and the Supreme Court of the United States. He holds a B.A. degree from C.W. Post College and Juris Doctor from Hofstra Law School.
Originations Team
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Daglar Cizmeci, Head of Originations
Daglar Cizmeci started his career as founder of a Nasdaq day-trading fund in New York in 1997. He was also a partner in Tradescape.com, a professional day-trading software company acquired by E-TRADE in 2001. In 2005, Daglar initiated and led the institutional funding of both ACT Airlines and myTECHNIC by established international funds, first of its kind in Turkey in the aviation domain. He was later a founding investor and board member of myTECHNIC and ACT Airlines, and also performing CFO and CEO functions from 2006 until 2010. Since 2006, Daglar was directly involved as a shareholder and executive director in target companies on five separate private equity/strategic acquisition transactions. Daglar has a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of Business and a Master of Engineering in Logistics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology concentrating in commercial aircraft supply chains. As a result of his thesis work on aircraft supply chain best practices, Harvard Business Review published his article on lean supply chains within the aviation industry. In 2009, Daglar received an exemplary leadership award from Aviation Week for Outstanding Achievement in Aviation Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul. -
Gopal Iyer, Managing Director
Mr. Iyer joined Bravia in 2011 and is a member of the Shiva Shakti Capital Private Ltd. management team (a Bravia/HNA joint venture investment in India). He currently works on the acquisition, analysis, structuring and closing of investment opportunities in India and neighboring Asian countries. Prior to joining Bravia he worked for more than 23 years in various global corporations including American Express and a private equity arm of Prudential Insurance, with a focus on corporate finance, private equity and infrastructure. He is a graduate of Punjab University’s Honors School of Economics and is certified as a Chartered Accountant by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. Mr. Iyer is fluent in Hindi, Punjabi, and Tamil. -
Maneesh Bahuguna, Consultant
Mr. Bahuguna joined Bravia in 2011 with the responsibility for identifying/sourcing, analyzing and structuring private equity investments in India and neighboring Asian countries. For more than two decades he worked in various elite branches of the Indian Civil Service, with a focus on infrastructure, administration and revenue. He is a graduate of Delhi University and holds a degree in Business Management. Mr. Bahuguna is fluent in Hindi. -
Ozgur Gen, Vice President
Mr. Gen joined the Bravia team in January 2011, where he currently manages the structuring, analysis, and execution of regional investments. Previously, he was a Board Member for MyTechnic, a third-party commercial aircraft maintenance center located in Istanbul and now a Bravia investment. He also served MyTechnic as Project Co-ordinator, assuming a central role during the start-up phase of the company.
Between 2001 and 2005, Mr. Gen worked as the Logistics Manager at Analytical Environmental Services in Atlanta, Georgia. After completing his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at Bosphorus University in Istanbul, Mr. Gen received his Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering, majoring in Production and Logistics from Georgia Institute of Technology. Mr. Gen speaks Turkish fluently.
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Aditya Bhise, Senior Associate
Mr. Bhise graduated in 2009 with a B.A. in Classics (Latin) and a minor in Mathematics from the Georgetown University, for whom he is an alumni interviewer. He served in a number of internships at Deutsche Bank, Citigroup India, and Blackstone-Kailix Advisors, and interned for two Congressmen in the House of Representatives. Previously, he had attended Phillips Exeter Academy, where he graduated in 2005 with a Classics Diploma. Mr. Bhise is currently on a secondment assignment to Hong Kong Aviation Capital. Mr Bhise is fluent in Marathi and Hindi. -
Ilhan Erdem, Analyst
Prior to joining Bravia Capital, Mr. Erdem had experience in different fields. He held an internship at one of the largest TV channels in Turkey. He also worked as a freelance translator and interpreter for Dragoman and Interas Ceviri while contributing to Grayling Turkey in Government Affairs. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Translation and Interpreting Studies in 2009 and also with a Double Major degree in Political Science and International Relations in 2011 from Yeditepe University. Mr. Erdem speaks Turkish fluently.
Technical Management Team
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Nick Santangelo, Head of Technical Management
Headed by aviation operations veteran Mr. Santangelo, our 6-person team of technical managers has collectively logged more than 25 years of combined industry experience.
Mr. Santangelo and his team not only evaluate the condition of aircraft in preparation for buying, selling or leasing, but oversee the maintanence of these assets to ensure the highest standards, drawing on their expertise in parts & disposition, planning, operations, and logistics with well-known industry brands both past and present. These include Continental Airlines, GECAS, ILFC, Pan American World Airways, National Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines and many others.
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Danny Lau, Director, Technology
Mr. Lau joined Bravia with over 10 years of experience in Information Technology. He has held positions which include planning all phases of Information Technology infrastructure to include Storage Area Network, Wide Area Network, Local Area Network, Server farm, Data Management, Email, Telephony, Backup and Disaster Recovery. Mr. Lau has also provided consultancy services to United Nations UNICEF through his company based out of NY. Mr. Lau graduated from College of Staten Island with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. -
Ritesh Dubey, Marketing Manager (South & Southeast Asia)
Prior to joining Bravia in 2011, Mr. Dubey was immersed in the airline industry for 11 years, working in airport operations and sales with some of the best domestic carriers in the country, including: Sahara Airlines, Jetlite, Kingfisher Airlines and Spicejet Airlines. Before entering aviation, he worked with CWSI Integration Private Ltd. and Samsung India Electronics Ltd., where he handled the operations, marketing and execution of projects. He also holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Delhi University and a post graduate degree in airline operation management. Mr. Dubey is fluent in Hindi and Punjabi.
Administration Team
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Fran T. Mikaloff
Ms. Mikaloff is in charge of administrative and accounting operations for Bravia and has been with the company since its inception. Previously, she held positions with Ernst & Young, LLP, the Blackstone Group, and John Barth & Son, Inc. in logistics and export documentation. She earned a B.S. in Economics/Business Administration at Central Washington University in Washington State. -
Judy Caleb, Manager, Accounts and Administration
Ms. Caleb joined Bravia’s Indian operations in 2008. She brought with her 16 years of international experience working with companies such as John Al Kuwait Int’l, Burgan Bank S.A.K. Kuwait, and Alghanim Industries. Ms. Caleb holds a Bachelors degree in Sociology and a Masters degree in History from Bombay University. -
Stacey Colson, Executive Assistant to Mr. Bhise (New York)
Ms. Colson works as Executive Assistant to Bharat Bhise in New York. She graduated from Saint Thomas Aquinas College with a degree in Business Management and Psychology. Ms. Colson’s background is in the hedge fund world and has brought with her more than eight years of experience working with both CEOs and Managing Directors. She previously worked as a Senior Legal Secretary for an Asbestos/Tax Litigation firm in New York. -
Sandy Mak, Executive Assistant to Mr. Bhise (Hong Kong)
Ms. Mak joined Bravia in 2010 as an Executive Assistant Office Manager in the Hong Kong office. Prior to joining, she worked for the largest luxury automotive group in Australia for seven years as a personal assistant to the Director. Ms. Mak graduated from Australia’s Charles Stuart University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management. She is fluent in both Mandarin and Cantonese. -
Jenny Chan, Accounting Manager (Hong Kong)
Prior to joining Bravia in 2011, Ms. Chan worked for a number of years for several listed companies in Hong Kong. She holds a Master’s Degree in accounting from the University of New South Wales in Australia, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the Beijing Polytechnic University. Ms. Chan is a certified CPA in Australia and is fluent in both Mandarin and Cantonese. -
Kaveri Anand, Executive Assistant
Ms. Anand joined Bravia in 2011 and is a member of the Shiva Shakti Capital Private Ltd. team (a Bravia /HNA joint venture investment in India). Prior to joining Bravia, Ms. Anand worked for over a decade in the global travel industry’s finance and account domain with ING Ltd. in New Zealand, American Express Travel Services in New Delhi, New Zealand, Australia and Canada. She also holds a Bachelor of Sociology degree from Delhi University and a Masters degree in Sociology from Chennai University. Ms. Anand is fluent in Hindi.