Milestone Aviation President Daniel Rosenthal was named president and CEO, effective January 1, 2017. Rosenthal succeeds Richard Santulli, who will continue to serve Milestone in an advisory capacity.

Rosenthal has spent most of his career in leadership positions in the aviation industry. In 2009, he co-founded Milestone, which is a GE Capital Aviation Services company. He previously spent four years at NetJets, where he held various leadership roles.

“Dan has been an outstanding company president and a strong leader since GE acquired Milestone in 2015, and this appointment reflects the great value he continues to create for Milestone and its partners,” said Alec Burger, president and CEO of GECAS. “Milestone is the leader in helicopter financing because of the dedication Dan and his entire talented management team bring to their work serving customers and partners around the world. As the global helicopter industry continues to evolve, I am confident that Dan and his team have the skills and experience Milestone will need to continue as the industry leader.”

Santulli launched the first-ever fractional aircraft program, which he later named NetJets, in 1986 and in 2009 he left NetJets to co-found Milestone.

“One of the greatest fortunes of my life was meeting Richard Santulli nearly 13 years ago,” Rosenthal said. “It has been an honor to learn from Rich both at NetJets and as we built Milestone and established a critical new industry. Rich is an industry icon and set the standard for all of us at Milestone by creating a world-class culture for customers and employees. Looking forward, we will always carry with us his entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to providing our customers with creative aircraft financing solutions through unparalleled customer service. Beyond the business side, Rich is a close confidante, mentor and friend, and I’m delighted that he will continue as a Milestone advisor.”

“It has been a pleasure working alongside Dan to build Milestone,” Santulli said. “Together, he and the rest of our talented management team have created an incredible company committed to serving the needs of our customers and partners around the world. As company president, Dan’s day-to-day leadership since joining GE Capital has ensured that Milestone stayed true to our core values. This is the right time for me to move into an advisory role and pursue other business opportunities, and I know Dan will continue to lead the company in our tradition of creative, flexible service to our clients.”

“Milestone has succeeded because it has always put its customers and partners first,” Burger said. “On behalf of GE, I want to express our gratitude to Rich for building a truly unique company with a powerful, customer-focused culture. The creative and entrepreneurial approach he instilled in Milestone will continue to drive its success and is an inspiration to the entire GE Capital team.”

Milestone Aviation is a helicopter leasing company with a fleet of more than 215 helicopters worth $3.7 billion. It supports 32 operators in 26 countries on six continents.