Gallery: Who's Speaking At This Year's A&D M&A Conference?
Aviation Week Network Staff September 30, 2024![Delara Zarrabi, Managing Director, Platinum Equity](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2024-09/delara-zarrabi-platinum-equity.jpg?itok=MKy4l8x7)
Delara Zarrabi, Managing Director, Platinum Equity
Delara Zarrabi is a member of the M&A Execution team and is based in Greenwich. Ms. Zarrabi worked on the PAE acquisition, refinancing and FCi add-on acquisition as well as the Husky and Ball Metalpack transactions. She is a member of the Operating Council of PAE, Husky, and Ball Metalpack.
Prior to joining Platinum Equity in 2013, Ms. Zarrabi was an analyst at CIBC World Markets and a Principal at Paine & Partners.
Ms. Zarrabi has a B.S. in Operations Research and Engineering as well as a Master of Engineering in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering both from Cornell University.
Sessions
![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2024-09/evelyn-farkas.jpg?itok=uH-4HY4v)
Dr. Evelyn Farkas, Executive Director, McCain Institute
Dr. Evelyn N. Farkas has three decades of experience working on national security and foreign policy in the U.S. executive, legislative branch, private sector and for international organizations overseas. In 2019-2020 she ran to represent New York’s 17th Congressional District in the House of Representatives. She is currently the executive director of the McCain Institute at Arizona State University. Prior to that, she was president of Farkas Global Strategies and a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and the Atlantic Council and national security contributor for NBC/MSNBC.
Sessions
![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2024-09/barrette_sean.jpg?itok=GrTIjiKi)
Sean Barrette, Partner, L Squared Capital Partners
Sean Barrette is a Partner at L Squared Capital Partners and was actively engaged in the formation of the firm. Sean has worked closely with the founding members of L Squared Capital Partners as a Principal at Chicago Growth Partners. Prior to CGP, Sean was an Analyst and Associate at Credit Suisse based out of New York and Singapore. Sean began his career as an auditor at Ernst & Young. He received his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BS in Accounting and Economics from Binghamton University. Sean is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Certified Public Accountant (CPA – inactive).
Sessions
![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2024-09/roy-noah.jpg?itok=-u5zjAam)
Noah Roy, Managing Partner, Greenbriar Equity Group
Noah Roy joined Greenbriar in 2008. Prior to joining Greenbriar, Mr. Roy was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs and previously held positions at Rothschild and Merrill Lynch.
Sessions
![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2024-09/michael_pistauer_co-ceo_montana_aerospace_energy_emobility_cmontana_aerospace_1.jpg?itok=HzjxS1Er)
Dr. Michael Pistauer, Co-CEO and Group CFO, Montana Aerospace
Dr. Michael Pistauer has been Co-CEO of Montana Aerospace AG since July 2022 and is responsible for the operational and strategic development of the E-Mobility and Energy business segments. He's also responsible for the financial agendas as well as for M&A, investor relations and IT as CFO.
Sessions
![Gen (Ret) John P. Abizaid, Senior Advisor, Lazard](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2024-09/screenshot_2024-09-27_at_1.38.34_pm.png?itok=pDulrMFj)
Gen (Ret) John P. Abizaid, Senior Advisor, Lazard
John P. Abizaid is a retired US Army four-star General, who most recently served as the United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
He served as the Distinguished Chair (Emeritus) of the Combating Terrorism Center at the United States Military Academy at West Point and was the first Annenberg Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He has worked with the Preventative Defense Project at Stanford University and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and served on the CIA’s External Advisory Board. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves as the Chairman of the Board of Governors for the Middle East Institute. He has served as a board member for USAA, Virtu Financial, and RPM International and has advised a number of smaller firms and their leadership teams. From 2016 - 2018 he served as the senior advisor for the Secretary of Defense to the Ukrainian Minister of Defense.
He is the Principal Partner of JPA Partners, LLC, a firm advising private business, government, and academic clients on leadership, national and international strategy, business, security, and military affairs.
Sessions
![Dr. Brad M. Meslin, Senior Managing Director, CSP Associates](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2024-09/screenshot_2024-09-27_at_1.45.23_pm.png?itok=MFHIL2BY)
Dr. Brad M. Meslin, Senior Managing Director, CSP Associates
Dr. Meslin is a founder of CSP, heads the firm’s strategic and transaction advisory practices, and manages CSP’s private equity co-investment affiliate, CSP Equity Partners. He has served on the Boards of Directors of several client portfolio companies, including CMC Electronics, Inc., Sentient Jet, Berkshire Manufactured Products, Primus Aerospace, and Spacehab, Inc.
Dr. Meslin was a co-founder of Spacehab, the first privately-financed commercial space habitat, which flew 22 missions about the U.S. Space Shuttle fleet; and also served as acting CEO of eBizJets, Inc., the predecessor of Sentient Jet, which is the largest U.S. business aviation charter provider. Dr. Meslin holds graduate degrees from The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy (M.A.L.D., Ph.D.), and York University, Toronto (B.A. in Political Science), and serves as a member of the Board of Advisors of The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy.
Sessions
![Delara Zarrabi, Managing Director, Platinum Equity](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2024-09/delara-zarrabi-platinum-equity.jpg?itok=MKy4l8x7)
Delara Zarrabi, Managing Director, Platinum Equity
Delara Zarrabi is a member of the M&A Execution team and is based in Greenwich. Ms. Zarrabi worked on the PAE acquisition, refinancing and FCi add-on acquisition as well as the Husky and Ball Metalpack transactions. She is a member of the Operating Council of PAE, Husky, and Ball Metalpack.
Prior to joining Platinum Equity in 2013, Ms. Zarrabi was an analyst at CIBC World Markets and a Principal at Paine & Partners.
Ms. Zarrabi has a B.S. in Operations Research and Engineering as well as a Master of Engineering in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering both from Cornell University.
Sessions
![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2024-09/evelyn-farkas.jpg?itok=uH-4HY4v)
Dr. Evelyn Farkas, Executive Director, McCain Institute
Dr. Evelyn N. Farkas has three decades of experience working on national security and foreign policy in the U.S. executive, legislative branch, private sector and for international organizations overseas. In 2019-2020 she ran to represent New York’s 17th Congressional District in the House of Representatives. She is currently the executive director of the McCain Institute at Arizona State University. Prior to that, she was president of Farkas Global Strategies and a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and the Atlantic Council and national security contributor for NBC/MSNBC.
Sessions
![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2024-09/barrette_sean.jpg?itok=GrTIjiKi)
Sean Barrette, Partner, L Squared Capital Partners
Sean Barrette is a Partner at L Squared Capital Partners and was actively engaged in the formation of the firm. Sean has worked closely with the founding members of L Squared Capital Partners as a Principal at Chicago Growth Partners. Prior to CGP, Sean was an Analyst and Associate at Credit Suisse based out of New York and Singapore. Sean began his career as an auditor at Ernst & Young. He received his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BS in Accounting and Economics from Binghamton University. Sean is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Certified Public Accountant (CPA – inactive).
Sessions
![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2024-09/roy-noah.jpg?itok=-u5zjAam)
Noah Roy, Managing Partner, Greenbriar Equity Group
Noah Roy joined Greenbriar in 2008. Prior to joining Greenbriar, Mr. Roy was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs and previously held positions at Rothschild and Merrill Lynch.
Sessions
![](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2024-09/michael_pistauer_co-ceo_montana_aerospace_energy_emobility_cmontana_aerospace_1.jpg?itok=HzjxS1Er)
Dr. Michael Pistauer, Co-CEO and Group CFO, Montana Aerospace
Dr. Michael Pistauer has been Co-CEO of Montana Aerospace AG since July 2022 and is responsible for the operational and strategic development of the E-Mobility and Energy business segments. He's also responsible for the financial agendas as well as for M&A, investor relations and IT as CFO.
Sessions
![Gen (Ret) John P. Abizaid, Senior Advisor, Lazard](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2024-09/screenshot_2024-09-27_at_1.38.34_pm.png?itok=pDulrMFj)
Gen (Ret) John P. Abizaid, Senior Advisor, Lazard
John P. Abizaid is a retired US Army four-star General, who most recently served as the United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
He served as the Distinguished Chair (Emeritus) of the Combating Terrorism Center at the United States Military Academy at West Point and was the first Annenberg Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He has worked with the Preventative Defense Project at Stanford University and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and served on the CIA’s External Advisory Board. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves as the Chairman of the Board of Governors for the Middle East Institute. He has served as a board member for USAA, Virtu Financial, and RPM International and has advised a number of smaller firms and their leadership teams. From 2016 - 2018 he served as the senior advisor for the Secretary of Defense to the Ukrainian Minister of Defense.
He is the Principal Partner of JPA Partners, LLC, a firm advising private business, government, and academic clients on leadership, national and international strategy, business, security, and military affairs.
Sessions
![Dr. Brad M. Meslin, Senior Managing Director, CSP Associates](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2024-09/screenshot_2024-09-27_at_1.45.23_pm.png?itok=MFHIL2BY)
Dr. Brad M. Meslin, Senior Managing Director, CSP Associates
Dr. Meslin is a founder of CSP, heads the firm’s strategic and transaction advisory practices, and manages CSP’s private equity co-investment affiliate, CSP Equity Partners. He has served on the Boards of Directors of several client portfolio companies, including CMC Electronics, Inc., Sentient Jet, Berkshire Manufactured Products, Primus Aerospace, and Spacehab, Inc.
Dr. Meslin was a co-founder of Spacehab, the first privately-financed commercial space habitat, which flew 22 missions about the U.S. Space Shuttle fleet; and also served as acting CEO of eBizJets, Inc., the predecessor of Sentient Jet, which is the largest U.S. business aviation charter provider. Dr. Meslin holds graduate degrees from The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy (M.A.L.D., Ph.D.), and York University, Toronto (B.A. in Political Science), and serves as a member of the Board of Advisors of The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy.
Sessions
![Delara Zarrabi, Managing Director, Platinum Equity](/sites/default/files/styles/crop_freeform/public/2024-09/delara-zarrabi-platinum-equity.jpg?itok=MKy4l8x7)
Delara Zarrabi, Managing Director, Platinum Equity
Delara Zarrabi is a member of the M&A Execution team and is based in Greenwich. Ms. Zarrabi worked on the PAE acquisition, refinancing and FCi add-on acquisition as well as the Husky and Ball Metalpack transactions. She is a member of the Operating Council of PAE, Husky, and Ball Metalpack.
Prior to joining Platinum Equity in 2013, Ms. Zarrabi was an analyst at CIBC World Markets and a Principal at Paine & Partners.
Ms. Zarrabi has a B.S. in Operations Research and Engineering as well as a Master of Engineering in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering both from Cornell University.
Sessions
Join us November 12, 2024 for A&DM&A - Unveiling The Impact: Analyzing The Implications Of The General Election. A number of other themes will be unpicked including M&A Strategies In An Evolving Supply Chain Landscape; Global Hot Spots In A Post-Election World: Implications For A&D M&A; and Investing In Emerging Technologies & Defense Innovation.
Aviation Week's A&D M&A Conference is held at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills, CA, on November 12, 2024.
In this gallery we meet some of the panelists scheduled to speak at the event, including Dr Michael Pistauer, Co-CEO and Group CFO, Montana Aerospace and Dr Evelyn Farkas, Executive Director at the McCain Institute.
Discover more about the topics to be discussed on the Conference Agenda.