Alan Bird
About Alan Bird
Alan Bird (age 65) is an independent director of Global Crossing Airlines Group (JETMF) and has served on the board since June 2020; he is a Chartered Accountant with an honors degree in Mathematical Economics from Birmingham University and over 27 years of airline finance leadership experience . He chairs the Audit Committee, is designated the board’s “audit committee financial expert,” and also serves on the Safety Committee; the board affirmed his independence under Cboe Canada listing standards .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irelandia Aviation (re: Viva Air/Colombia/Peru) | Advisor | 2017–2023 | Strategic advisory to multiple Viva carriers |
| VivaAerobus | Chief Financial Officer | 2012–2017 | Helped build “one of the most efficient airlines in the world” |
| Tiger Airways (Asia) | Chief Financial Officer | Not disclosed | Senior finance leadership in low‑cost airline |
| British Midland Airlines | Finance Director | Over a decade | Long-tenured finance leadership |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | No current public company directorships disclosed for Mr. Bird in the proxy biography section . |
Board Governance
- Committee assignments (2024): Audit (Chair) and Safety (Member); not on Compensation or Nominating & Corporate Governance .
- Attendance: All directors, including Mr. Bird, attended 100% of board and assigned committee meetings in 2024 .
- Meeting cadence (2024): Board (5), Audit (4), Compensation (1), Nominating & Corporate Governance (3), Safety (0) .
- Independence: Board determined Mr. Bird is independent under Cboe Canada standards; all members of Audit, Compensation, and Nominating & Corporate Governance committees were independent .
- Financial expertise: Board designated Mr. Bird as an “audit committee financial expert” under SEC rules; he also signed the Audit Committee report to include the 2024 audited financials in the 10‑K .
Committees and Roles (2024)
| Committee | Role | Meeting Count |
|---|---|---|
| Audit | Chair | 4 |
| Compensation | Not a member | 1 |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance | Not a member | 3 |
| Safety | Member | 0 |
Fixed Compensation
| Metric | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | 40,000 | — |
| Stock Awards ($) | 83,041 | 96,059 |
| Total ($) | 123,041 | 96,059 |
- Program structure (directors): Non‑employee directors historically received cash retainers (raised to $20,000 per quarter for directors and $25,000 per quarter for lead directors beginning Q4’23), with equity eligibility; in 2023 the lead and non‑exec directors received $100,000 and $80,000 annual cash, respectively, and starting Q1’24 the lead and two non‑exec directors elected Stock Awards in lieu of cash (others remained at $20,000 per quarter) .
- The company indicated it does not currently grant stock options to employees; directors are eligible for equity awards .
Performance Compensation
| Award Type | Grant Date | Quantity/Terms | Grant-Date Price | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSUs | Mar 20, 2024 | 250,000 RSUs to Alan Bird | $0.49 (closing price) | 100% on first anniversary (Mar 20, 2025) |
- Performance metrics: No performance-conditioned director equity metrics disclosed; the 2024 director equity consists of time‑based RSUs; the company did not grant stock options during 2024 .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company/Entity | Role | Overlap/Interlock | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | No other public company directorships for Mr. Bird disclosed; biography focuses on prior executive/advisory roles (VivaAerobus, Tiger, British Midland, Irelandia) . |
- Company-level related party context: The Audit Committee reviews related party transactions, but as of the 2025 proxy the dedicated Related Person Transactions Policy had “not yet” been developed (expected near term) . The company disclosed 2023 secured notes issued to an entity whose executive remained on the Company’s Board at the December 2024 annual meeting, indicating an interlock/related‑party risk area overseen by the Audit Committee .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Chartered Accountant; designated Audit Committee Financial Expert by the board .
- 27+ years airline finance experience including CFO roles at VivaAerobus and Tiger Airways and finance leadership at British Midland; Mathematical Economics degree (Birmingham University) .
Equity Ownership
Beneficial ownership as of Oct 13, 2025.
| Holding Type | Amount | Ownership % / Voting % |
|---|---|---|
| Common Shares | 416,167 | <1% voting |
| Class B Non‑Voting Common Shares | 69,000 | <1% voting |
- Shares outstanding basis used by the proxy: 49,940,527 Common; 5,537,313 Class A Non‑Voting; 9,721,166 Class B Non‑Voting, all as of Oct 13, 2025 .
- Note: 250,000 RSUs were granted on Mar 20, 2024 (vest 100% on Mar 20, 2025); time‑based RSUs were disclosed but the proxy did not provide a vested vs. unvested breakdown for Mr. Bird as of the beneficial ownership date .
Governance Assessment
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Strengths:
- Independent director with deep airline finance credentials; designated audit financial expert and Audit Chair—strong fit for oversight of financial reporting and controls .
- 100% attendance across board and committee commitments in 2024, indicating engagement .
- Elected to take equity compensation in 2024 (RSUs) in lieu of cash, modestly improving alignment to shareholder outcomes .
-
Watch items / potential red flags:
- Related Person Transactions Policy: Audit Committee has not yet formalized the policy (expected “near term”), despite the committee being responsible for oversight—this is a process gap under Mr. Bird’s audit leadership .
- Company disclosed 2023 secured notes with an entity whose executive served on the Company’s Board in Dec 2024, a related‑party exposure that heightens the importance of a formal policy and robust recusal processes .
- Safety Committee held zero meetings in 2024; given airline operational risk, the committee’s inactivity (where Mr. Bird serves as member) may be a governance weakness unless supplemented by other safety oversight forums .
- Auditor oversight remains active (Audit Committee pre‑approves non‑audit services); audit fees were $267,325 in 2024 vs. $297,093 in 2023, consistent with continued auditor independence monitoring .
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Overall implication: Mr. Bird’s finance expertise and audit leadership are positives for investor confidence; however, the absence (to date) of a formal related‑party transactions policy and the Safety Committee’s inactivity represent governance process risks that warrant investor monitoring, especially given disclosed related‑party exposures and the industry’s safety-critical nature .