Wheels Up has named Stephanie Chung as the company's first chief growth officer. Chung will focus on generating revenue through new client acquisition, and growing a diverse membership base by targeting corporations, associations, executives, entrepreneurs, and sports and entertainment personalities as the next generation of private flyers. Chung joins Wheels Up with over 30 years of experience in catalysing transformative growth in the aviation sector and has widely been recognised as a trailblazer as the first African-American president of a major private aviation company.

Most recently, she served as the president of JetSuite, where she repositioned the brand from a commodity service to a luxury customer experience, upgrading the fleet, and elevating the client experience. In recognition of this work, JetSuite was named in the Dallas Business Journal's 100 Fastest Growing Private Companies and voted one of the Best Places to Work by the Human Rights Campaign. Chung also served as VP of sales for Flexjet, where she oversaw a sales organisation and strategic deal team that together generated over $835 million in revenue. She also held influential roles at US Airways (now operating as American Airlines), Delta Air Lines and Bombardier, and currently serves as a member of C200, a community of the most successful women in business, as well as serving on the advisory council of the NBAA and the advisory board of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.

Based in Dallas, Chung will report to Wheels Up founder and CEO Kenny Dichter and will serve on the executive team. The newly-created role comes at a key moment for Wheels Up following the announcement of a new aircraft sales business and following the acquisition of Gama Aviation and the close of its groundbreaking acquisition of Delta Private Jets with Delta Air Lines earlier this year.

“I've known Stephanie for many years and watched her tremendous successes within our industry, so it's with great pride and excitement that we welcome her to Wheels Up as our first chief growth officer,” says Dichter. “She shares our commitment to diversification as a driver for growth and new member acquisition.”

Chung adds: “Wheels Up has redefined private aviation in the air and on the ground, and I am thrilled to further its strong trajectory of growth with a key focus on diversity. Wheels Up is an incredible brand that is uniquely positioned to serve the full lifecycle of a private flyer, and I look forward to amplifying that message to more audiences.”