Thomas Mitchell
About Thomas Mitchell
Thomas Mitchell, 54, is an independent director at AerSale (ASLE), joining the Board in 2025 and standing for election to serve until the 2026 Annual Meeting. He holds an MBA from the University of North Carolina and a BS in Manufacturing Engineering from Boston University. His career spans chief procurement and global supply chain leadership roles at GE Healthcare, presidency of iAero Thrust, and most recently Chief Procurement Officer at Akumin (Feb 2024–Feb 2025), bringing deep expertise in aviation MRO, sourcing, manufacturing, and strategic acquisitions .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akumin | Chief Procurement Officer | Feb 2024 – Feb 2025 | Led procurement in imaging/radiation oncology; vendor strategy and cost control |
| iAero Thrust | President | Feb 2020 – Jan 2023 | Ran aftermarket jet engine MRO; operations, customer base, feedstock familiarity |
| GE Healthcare | Chief Procurement Officer | Feb 2019 – Nov 2019 | Global procurement leadership |
| GE Healthcare | VP Global Supply Chain | Feb 2018 – Feb 2019 | Supply chain optimization |
| GE Healthcare | VP Sourcing | 2015 – 2018 | Strategic sourcing and supplier performance |
| GE (various entities) | GM Supply Chain; GM Sourcing; Commodity Leader; Plant Ops Leader; Operational Development | Various | Manufacturing and sourcing leadership across GE Aviation, Transportation, Inspection, India, China; engine assembly |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | No other public-company board roles disclosed in proxy for Mitchell . |
Board Governance
- Independence: The Board determined Thomas Mitchell is independent under Nasdaq rules .
- Committee assignments: Member, Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee (appointed April 1, 2025) .
- Attendance and engagement: For 2024, each director (serving during 2024) attended at least 90% of Board and applicable committee meetings; Mitchell joined in 2025, so no 2024 attendance disclosed for him .
- Lead Independent Director: Andrew Levy expected to serve as Lead Independent Director after the 2025 Annual Meeting .
- Nomination pathway: Mitchell was recommended to the Board by the CEO, which is relevant to independence perception (though the Board affirmed independence) .
| Committee | Member | Chair |
|---|---|---|
| Audit | No | No |
| Compensation | No | No |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance | Yes | No |
| Investment | No (Committee currently Finazzo and Levy) | No |
Fixed Compensation
- Non-employee director cash retainer: $75,000 annually (paid quarterly) .
- Committee retainers: Audit Chair $17,500 / Member $10,000; Compensation Chair $15,000 / Member $7,000; Nominating & Governance Chair $10,000 / Member $5,000 .
- Lead Independent Director additional retainer: $100,000 .
- Equity: Annual RSU grant with grant-date value of $125,000, generally vesting in full on first anniversary (prorated if joining mid-cycle; Mitchell anticipated to receive prorated RSUs from Apr 1, 2025 through Annual Meeting) .
- Plan cap: Total value per non-employee director (cash + equity) limited to $325,000 per fiscal year (subject to Board setting lower amounts) .
| Component | Amount/Terms | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $75,000 | Paid quarterly |
| Committee fees (Governance) | Chair $10,000; Member $5,000 | Mitchell is a member → eligible for $5,000 when applicable |
| Annual RSU grant | $125,000 grant-date value | Prorated for initial service period (Mitchell: Apr 1, 2025 to Annual Meeting) |
| Annual cap (cash+equity) | $325,000 | Newly increased in 2025 |
Performance Compensation
- No performance-based equity or cash metrics are disclosed for director compensation; RSUs for directors are time-based, not PSU- or option-linked to performance .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Current public boards | None disclosed for Mitchell . |
| Private/non-profit boards | Not disclosed . |
| Interlocks/potential conflicts | None disclosed for Mitchell; separate related-party MRO transaction with Avelo (Andrew Levy is Avelo’s CEO) approved at market rates by Audit Committee . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Global supply chain, sourcing, manufacturing engineering, and aviation MRO operations expertise .
- Strategic acquisitions and engineering experience relevant to AerSale’s asset management and MRO businesses .
- Academic credentials in engineering and business (BS Manufacturing Engineering; MBA) .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % Outstanding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Mitchell | 0 | * | As of April 9, 2025; proxy shows no shares held . |
Alignment policies and restrictions:
- Clawback: Company maintains a clawback policy applicable to incentive compensation and awards under the 2020 Plan .
- Hedging: Insider Trading Policy prohibits hedging and similar instruments that offset equity exposure for directors/officers/employees .
- Pledging: Awards under the 2020 Plan cannot be pledged or transferred; no pledging of awards permitted (general pledging of common stock not disclosed) .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent status; governance committee membership; deep supply chain/MRO expertise aligned with AerSale’s operations; standardized, modest director pay structure with time-based RSUs and annual cap; robust clawback and anti-hedging policies support alignment and accountability .
- Watch items: No disclosed share ownership as of the record date (lower immediate “skin-in-the-game”); CEO-recommended nominee may warrant ongoing monitoring for independence in practice; new Board tenure (joined 2025) means limited observable attendance/engagement history so far .
- Conflicts: No related-party transactions disclosed involving Mitchell; Audit Committee reviewed separate Avelo services and approved at market rates (indicates functioning conflict oversight) .
Implications: Mitchell’s operational and procurement background is additive for oversight of sourcing, MRO, and feedstock strategies. Investors should watch for future equity accumulation, committee workload/attendance disclosures post-2025, and continued robust application of conflict and independence policies given his CEO-recommended nomination .