Executive Management

Stan Little has served as the founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Southern Airways Express and its sister company, Mokulele Airlines, since April 2013. Mr. Little has been a practicing attorney since 2002, and has served as Senior Partner Emeritus at Little & Barton, PLLC since September 2003. Mr. Little is admitted to both the Mississippi and Hawaii Bar Associations. Mr. Little received his J.D. from the University of Mississippi and B.A. from the University of Tennessee. Mr. Little is qualified to serve as SAM Chief Executive Officer and a member of the SAM Board based on his extensive business management and industry experience.

Sudhin Shahani is an entrepreneur and venture capital investor who has founded multiple companies in the aviation, media, technology and education space. He currently serves as the Chairman and CEO of Surf Air, where he has served as Executive Chairman since 2014 managing all aspects of the company’s long-term vision, capital raising, growth plan and M&A strategy. Since 2014 the company has raised over 400 M of venture capital and aircraft debt over several financings, acquired multiple companies in the space and is leading the way to sustainable flight through the development of electrified powertrains for existing aircraft. Prior to Surf Air, Shahani was an Entrepreneur in Residence at Anthem Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm that manages over 450 M. There he worked with a number of portfolio companies, led investments, and served on the board of Madefire and Panna (until their sale to Discovery Networks). From 2007 to 2010, Shahani co-founded Musicane, a digital music and social shopping network. In 2005 he was the co-founder of RTG Animate, India’s first accredited private animation college. Sudhin holds a B.S. with honors in Business Administration & Entrepreneurship from Babson College.

Liam Fayed is a serial entrepreneur and creative executive. As the co-founder and Chief Brand & Experience Officer of Surf Air Mobility, Liam is guiding SAM's trajectory toward becoming the world's most sustainable air travel brand that reimagines how green flying can change the world. He oversees brand, marketing and platform and has helped redesign the customer experience from the ground up with hospitality-inspired service. Previously, he was founder, creative director, and CEO of menswear label BESPOKEN New York. He also serves as a board member of the British clothier, Turnbull & Asser. Liam has worked with and been an early investor in fast growing consumer brands including Warby Parker, Harry's and Away Luggage.

Chief Financial Officer Deanna White brings years of aviation experience and commitment to transforming flight. She served as COO at Kitty Hawk, where she led the business operations and commercialization of an R&D VTO Laircraft program. She also served as CFO and CEO of Bombardier Flexjet. She holds a BS in accounting from the University of Tampa, and an MBA and MA in Cyber security from the University of Dallas.

Ido Gruberger has over a decade of experience in aviation. He joined the Surf Air management team in 2016 and has led corporate development, strategy and air-operations. He is also an advisor to early stage startups in the LA area. Prior to Surf Air, Ido is a former military aviator and worked at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). He holds a BA in economics from Ben Gurion University and a MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

A global aviation leader, Fred Reid has built products and services enjoyed by consumers around the world. As the founding Chief Executive Officer of Virgin America, America’s top airline for nearly 10 years, Fred helped create the “next generation airline”. Fred has also served as President of Lufthansa, Delta, Kitty hawk, and Flexjet, and served as the Global Head of Transportation at Airbnb.