Richard Ziskind has been appointed chief commercial officer of US private jet charter and management company Alerion Aviation. He is responsible for all commercial aspects of the company related to client experience, aircraft management, sales, marketing and business development.

Previously, Ziskind was vice president and managing director for Crystal Luxury Air, a business segment for the luxury cruise line Crystal Cruises. Ziskind was responsible for leading the client experience, operations, sales and marketing for the company's luxury aircraft fleet of BBJ and Bombardier aircraft, employing over 60 team members of pilots, cabin attendants and technicians. His responsibilities included oversight of all product offering, asset acquisition, corporate structure and regulatory compliance for the entire Crystal aircraft division.

Before that he held senior positions with large multi-fleet airlines, private jet companies and special aircraft platforms for large commercial programmes, international government entities and heads of state. During his 30 years in the aviation industry, he has led global projects related to aircraft acquisitions, sales and leasing programmes.

Ziskind has compiled an admirable portfolio of successful luxury aircraft offerings and has earned a reputation for morphing these profitable entities into even more successful private jet ventures and leading new projects into untapped areas of opportunity.

"Every day brings new challenges and opportunities," he says. "Every day we aim to fly higher, to achieve more for the clients who trust in us and our team, and I would not want it any other way.”

Ziskind earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from Bernard M Baruch College in New York. He has participated on advisory boards with the NBAA, National Air Carrier Association (NACA) and The Wings Club.