Michael T. Steen
Chief Executive Officer of Atlas Air Worldwide
Michael Steen is the Chief Executive Officer of Atlas Air Worldwide
Mr. Steen has more than 30 years of experience in global aviation and logistics, including 16 years of executive leadership experience with Atlas. Mr. Steen is responsible for designing and executing the strategic growth plans for Atlas Air Worldwide and its global operating airlines, Atlas Air, Inc. and Polar Air Cargo, a joint venture airline with DHL Express, and its wholly-owned dry-leasing company, Titan Aviation Holdings, Inc.
With nearly 5,000 employees, the Atlas Air Worldwide companies serve the e-commerce, express and general air freight markets in more than 250 destinations in 90 countries and are a major supplier to Alibaba, Amazon, DHL Express, FedEx, HP, Inditex, Kuehne+Nagel, NCA, Qantas, SF Express, UPS and the U.S. military. Together, they operate the world’s largest fleet of 747 freighter aircraft and provide customers the broadest array of Boeing 747, 777, 767 and 737 aircraft and complementary aviation services.
Mr. Steen assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer in June 2023. Prior to taking this post, Michael served as Chief Commercial Officer since 2007 and has been responsible for leading the Company’s strategy and growing market share, as well as developing and diversifying the Company’s roster of blue-chip customers. In that role, Mr. Steen had oversight of all aspects of the Company’s global sales and marketing activities, including strategy, new products and services, brand positioning and marketing communications.
Through Mr. Steen’s tenure, the Company has grown to be the world’s second-largest airfreight operator measured by freight tonne kilometers (FTKs). Michael has led the Company’s diversification strategy, expanding the Company’s service offerings and growing the fleet from a single 747-gauge ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance, insurance) cargo business to many gauges of aircraft, as well as the expansion into passenger service and aircraft leasing businesses.
Additionally, Mr. Steen served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Titan, which since its inception in 2009 has grown to become the third largest freighter lessor globally by fleet value.
Mr. Steen has both broad and unique experience in the aviation and logistics sectors, having served global leadership roles at market leaders including DHL, Exel Plc and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of CHC Helicopter and several industry advisory boards.
A native of Sweden, Mr. Steen earned a degree in economics in Gothenburg Sweden and is an alumnus of the Advanced Executive Program at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Eamonn Forbes
Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer
Mr. Forbes is Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer for Titan and leads Titan’s global sales team.
Mr. Forbes brings more than 16 years of aviation leasing, legal and finance experience to the leadership role. Prior to joining Titan in 2021, he served as Chief Commercial Officer of FPG Amentum and held senior positions at SMBC Aviation Capital and Goshawk.
Mr. Forbes began his career as a lawyer with Matheson LLP and holds a Bachelor of Civil Law Degree (BCL) from the University College Cork and a master’s in business administration from the University College Dublin. He also serves on the advisory board of LIFT, a non-profit organization promoting values-based leadership.
Paul Sawhny
Senior Vice President and Head of Technical
Paul Sawhny is the Head of Technical for Titan Aviation Holdings. He also serves as Senior Vice President, Fleet Planning and Asset Management for Atlas Air.
Mr. Sawhny was involved in the startup of Atlas Air in 2001, where he would eventually take on the role of Vice President of Technical Operations and later Fleet Planning. During that time, he was responsible for aircraft procurement, fleet planning and the day-to-day maintenance, engineering and material-logistics functions of the Company.
Mr. Sawhny has more than 25 years’ experience providing freighter asset management advisory services to several large lessors and airlines. Prior to joining Atlas, Mr. Sawhny worked at Pan American World Airways, responsible for Airframe Engineering. He subsequently went on to serve Tower Air in an advisory capacity reporting to the CEO of airline operations.
Mr. Sawhny earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from NYU/Poly School of Engineering. In addition, he has a MBA from Columbia Business School.
Vamshi Rokkam
Chief Financial Officer of Titan
Vamshi Rokkam, Chief Financial Officer of Titan, leads Titan’s finance function in all aspects covering financial planning and analysis, risk management, aircraft financing and tax structuring. Mr. Rokkam brings 19 years of aviation finance and strategy experience to his leadership role with Titan.
Prior to joining Titan, Mr. Rokkam was Vice President of Strategic Development at Atlas Air Worldwide. Mr. Rokkam joined AAWW in 2003 and has held roles of increasing responsibility in Financial Planning and Analysis, Strategic Development and as Titan’s Finance head. Before joining Atlas, Mr. Rokkam worked for Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. in Hyderabad, India on their Corporate Planning and Business Development teams.
Mr. Rokkam holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Osmania University, a post-graduate degree in management from T.A. Pai Management Institute and an MBA in finance and accounting from NYU Stern School of Business.
Juan Zapata
Vice President, Technical
Juan Zapata is Vice President of Technical for Titan Aviation Leasing. In his role, Mr. Zapata oversees all technical asset management functions of the Titan portfolio of aircraft, including lease or purchase negotiations, aircraft transition management, cargo conversions and ongoing management while on lease to Titan customers.
Mr. Zapata comes to Titan with more than 25 years of technical management experience in the dry leasing and MRO/Freighter Conversion industry. Throughout his career, he has held positions with increasing levels of management responsibility at a variety of companies, including Commercial Jet, Aeronautical Engineers and most recently Vx Capital, where he played a key role in establishing and growing their narrowbody freighter portfolio.
Mr. Zapata holds a bachelor’s degree in aviation maintenance management from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, as well as multiple industry certifications.