Management Team

DR CHUKWUELOKA UMEH

CEO

Dr. Chukwueloka Umeh is an accomplished, globally experienced aviation executive,
aeronautical engineer, and entrepreneur whose 26 years of international experience spans
cutting-edge aircraft engine innovation, executive leadership, and the successful creation of
new aviation and energy businesses. From 2011 to 2024, Dr. Umeh held senior leadership roles
within the Nestoil Group, serving as Group Chief Operations Officer, Executive Director of
Nestoil Ltd and as MD/CEO of both Century Power Generation and Nesto Aviation Services Ltd
(NestAv).

At NestAv, he conceived, launched, and scaled a leading aviation charter and aircraft maintenance business, securing Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) and Approved Maintenance Organisation (AMO) approvals, commissioning international-standard hangars in Lagos and Port
Harcourt, and developing certified helipads across Nigeria. He acquired and operated nine executive jets and helicopters for the company. His leadership established NestAv as one of West Africa’s premier private aviation providers.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Umeh spent a decade at General Electric Company in the United States, where amongst other roles, he managed global engineering teams designing and supporting the combustion module of commercial and military aircraft engines, including the CFM56, CF34, F110, LEAP-X, and Honda HF120. He contributed to R&D in breakthrough
technologies such as the Twin Annular Premixing Swirler (TAPS) combustor and advanced propulsion concepts like the Pulse Detonation Engine, securing six U.S. patents and publishing articles in international peer-reviewed journals.

Dr. Umeh holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Aeronautical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute, Troy New York, a B.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University, Daytona Beach Florida, and a B.Eng. in Electronics Engineering from the University
of Nigeria. Recognized by Scientific American and US Black Engineer Magazine as a modern-day innovator, he has also been honoured with the Modern-Day Technology Leader Award in the USA.

With a rare blend of executive leadership, technical innovation, and entrepreneurial vision, Dr.
Umeh stands out as a thought leader shaping the future of aviation and energy infrastructure in
Nigeria and across Africa.

ANDREW KAUFMAN

President

Andrew Kaufman is a highly respected aviation executive, strategist, and FAA Airline Transport
Pilot with over 9,000 flight hours and a track record of transformational leadership in private
and commercial aviation. He served as President & CEO of Worldwide Jet Charter for ten years,
where he scaled the company’s revenue from $17M to $98M and EBITDA from $500K to over
$16M, and implemented industry-leading safety and training programs that earned Wyvern
Wingman, ARGUS Platinum, ACSF, and IS-BAO Stage 3 recognition.

Kaufman is widely
recognized for fostering cultural change, reducing attrition, and building innovative
communication and training systems adopted across the industry. Most recently, as Senior Vice
President & GM at Wheels Up Experience, he guided strategic realignment and P&L oversight during a critical transition. He holds an MBA with honors in Global Management from
Thunderbird School of Global Management and a B.A. in Political Science and Rhetoric from the
University of California, Davis. His contributions to aviation and leadership excellence have
earned him multiple honors, including Phoenix Titan 100 (2022 & 2023), and long-standing
memberships in NBAA, AOPA, and Vistage. Earlier in his career, he was a Chief Pilot for World Wide Jet Charter LLC in Phoenix Arizona and currently serves as an industry advisor on CAE’s Customer Advisory Board.

AGU ONWUAMAEZE

Vice President

Onwuameze Agu is the Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, responsible for overseeing
sourcing, supply chain and commercial operations. As a seasoned Electronic Engineer with an
MBA from Clemson University in South Carolina USA, Agu is an innovative serial entrepreneur
with impressive problem-solving skills, as well as proven technical skills. He brings his many
years of hands-on industry experience in multiple sectors, including Banking and
Telecommunications to bear in his leadership role at Aspen Aviation.

Agu is the founder and Chairman of Qverse Learning Ltd, an education technology company with the vision of making education cheaper and more accessible in African countries. Qverse currently has a number of Nigerian Universities as clients and is expanding to the development of an online platform for Secondary and Primary education readily accessible to and suitable for the African child. He is also a co-founder of Sunnyside Family Dentistry, a dental practice in South Carolina focused on underserved areas and caters to patients of all ages.

JOSEPH KLATSI

Aircraft Maintenance Consultant

Joseph Klatsi is a Human-AeroSystem Lifecycle Research Engineer with a sound background in
Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Data Science and Aircraft Maintenance
Technology (AMT).
Joseph has 7 years of technical working experience on several aircrafts, including Learjet
35/36/45/60, Boeing 737/747/757/767/777/787 and Airbus 319/320/321.

Specifically, he was involved in the maintenance of their powerplants in an FAA Part 145 facility setting, working on GE CFM56 and Rolls Royce RB211 engines. He also worked for GE Aviation as a Lead Heat Transfer Engineer, as well as UPS Airlines as a Powerplant Engineer. Presently, he is an Aircraft Maintenance lecturer at Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology, Colorado USA. Joseph is a certified FAA AMT and holds BSc and MSc. degrees in Aerospace Engineering from Embry Riddle Aerospace University (ERAU). He also holds a Graduate Professional Certificate in Systems Engineering and Big Data Science from MIT, and a PhD(C) in Systems Engineering at Colorado State University.

VALERA O. SCOTT

Procurement Manager

Valera O. Scott oversees strategic sourcing, vendor management, and supply chain
optimization to support the company’s growing aviation operations. With expertise in
procurement strategy, contract negotiation, and supplier relationship management, she
ensures the timely and cost-effective acquisition of aircraft parts and critical operational
resources.

Valera is passionate about building strong partnerships with both local and international customers and vendors, driving efficiency, compliance, and sustainability across the procurement process. Her role is central to Aspen Aviation’s mission to deliver safe, reliable, and world-class aviation services. She a graduate of Coal City University with a B.Sc in Biochemistry.