Meet the Team

Nick Payne

CEO

Nick has over 30 years’ involvement in the aviation solutions sector, offering vast experience in ULD control, ownership, manufacture, repair and maintenance services. He is driven to grow and take the company forward with sustainability and innovation at the forefront.

Steve Mitchell

CFO

Steve has worked as a finance director since 1994 in various companies with annual sales of £4m to £35m. He qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG.

Des Alderson

General Manager

Des has been in the aviation industry for over 40 years’ and is a dedicated and resourceful professional with a successful track record in the ULD and GSE sector. Having worked for British Airways and IAG Cargo in this time he brings a wealth of experience in the Management and Procurement of ULDs.

Kevin Plato

Head of Quality & Compliance

Kevin has been an engineer for over 40 years’ including designing, developing and facilitating engineering training and apprenticeships in the aviation, military, Motor Vehicle and IT Industry sectors. Kevin joined Airbase GSE in 2019 to train staff in Human Factors but since becoming Head of Quality & Compliance.

Holly Baker

Head of Workshop Operations & Digitalisation

Holly has been in the ULD aviation sector for over 10 years’ and loves being a part of the team and the company growth. She has been involved in various areas of the business and enjoys new challenges, fast pace and is solution driven.

Gemma Olley

Business & HR Support Manager

Gemma previously worked for a large corporate in Telco managing a P&L of £450m before joining Airbase GSE in 2018. She enjoys recruiting and developing exceptionally talented people and enjoys working for a business that is driven to grow great customer relationships and deliver quality of work alongside innovation.

Boris Sztefanovics

Part 145 Maintenance Data Analyst

Boris previously worked in a finance managerial role for a chemical company in the Ukraine before moving to the UK in 2015 to join the aviation sector. He enjoys driving the business forward by providing analytical commercial support to the leadership team on a daily basis.

Luke Walker

Repair Manager

Luke has over 25 years’ experience in the airline ULD repair industry. He has worked in many roles, such as Repair Technician and QA Inspector therefore brings a wealth of knowledge to the team and is focused on delivering a great service to meet our customers requirements.

Matthew Whittle

Logistics & Account Manager

Matthew, also known as Matty has worked in the ULD aviation sector for over 30 years’, starting his first role in 1990 as a Repair Technician, progressing to CAA approved welder and Quality Inspector, before taking the role as Account Manager for the last 20 years’ taking care of major airlines in their day-to-day running.

Liam Whittle

Procurement Manager

Liam has worked within the aviation sector for the last 10 years’ where he initially started repairing ULD curtains, soon after he became Head of Purchasing for Modulus UK Ltd and in 2020 he joined Airbase GSE as Head of Procurement. Liam establishes and retains good relationships with all suppliers and works well in a fast pace environment.

Craig Sharp

Head of Cabin Integration & Maintenance

Craig has over 15 years of experience in Cabin Interiors and has worked on many successful cabin projects with some of the world’s leading Airlines.  Craig currently supports AB GSE’s ever growing cabin team and brings his extensive knowledge and experience to help grow AB GSE into one of the world’s leading cabin providers. 

Fearless. Passionate. Experienced.

Teamwork