Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) on April 27, announced the recipients of the 2017 ACI-NA Finance Professional of the Year Award. The recipients include finance professionals from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Indianapolis Airport Authority, and Fresno Yosemite International Airport.
“Airports now have more than $100 billion in airport infrastructure needs to accommodate growth in passenger and cargo activity, rehabilitate existing facilities, and support facilities to accommodate aircraft innovation,” says ACI-NA President and CEO Kevin M. Burke. “These growing needs require airport finance professionals to be creative in developing sustainable financial structures to fund the necessary capital improvement programs that position their airports to best serve their passengers and communities. I congratulate the 2017 Airport Finance Professionals of the Year on their accomplishments in the industry.”
The recipients were announced during an awards gala dinner at the 2017 ACI-NA Business of Airports Conference in Palm Springs, CA, which was attended by over 500 commercial management, human resource, and finance executives from the North American airport industry.
Large Airport Finance Professional of the Year: Andrew T. Rountree, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
As the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Andy Rountree has had successful financial results achieved under his leadership. During his four-year tenure as CFO, the Airports Authority has consistently generated healthy annual Net Remaining Revenue (NRR) results and maintained strong corporate liquidity levels. He serves as the Chair of the Airports Authority’s Capital Investment Review Committee (CIRC), a newly created Committee of inter-disciplined functional areas charged with analyzing and recommending action on major corporate capital investments over $1 million. His leadership style consistently generates a broad analytical perspective on the decisions regarding highest and best use of corporate expenditures. Rountree also serves as the 2017 Chair of the ACI-NA Finance Committee and previously chaired the Strategic Planning and Performance Management Working Group.
Medium Airport Finance Professional of the Year: Robert Thomson, Indianapolis Airport Authority
In his role as the Senior Finance Director and Treasurer of the Indianapolis Airports Authority (IAA), Robert Thomson has led and shaped the financial stability and sustainability of IAA. He successfully led lease agreement negotiations with airlines serving IND and increased funds available for preserving the IAA’s capital infrastructure by more than eighty percent. He has also led an active debt management program that has generated more than $50 million in savings since 2013. Thomson has played a strategic role in the financial management of the airport’s parking operations, which is the IAA’s largest non-airline revenue source. He was named a “2016 CFO of the Year” by The Indianapolis Business Journal.
Small Airport Finance Professional of the Year: Lino Del Signore, Fresno Yosemite International Airport
Lino Del Signore has fostered financial sustainability and positioned Fresno Yosemite International Airport to accommodate future needs. Over the last year as Finance and Business Manager, Del Signore developed an airline incentive program, a five-year airline rates and charges plan, a 10-year financial strategic plan, initiated a new PFC program, obtained rating agency Outlook improvements and built airport reserves that are consistently above rating agency desired levels. Due to his efforts, the airport exceeded each of its key financial metrics in the fiscal year 2016.
