Wheels Up CFO Todd Smith effective Sept. 6 will depart the
company for a new opportunity, the carrier announced Wednesday.
Smith joined Wheels Up in June 2022 and served as interim
CEO in addition to his CFO role from May to October 2023 after former founder
and CEO Kenny Dichter stepped down and current CEO George Mattson came on
board. Prior to joining Wheels Up, Smith spent several years at GE in various
positions, including CFO.
Beginning Sept. 9, Wheels Up SVP of finance Eric Cabezas
will act as interim CFO while a search is conducted for Smith’s replacement,
according to the carrier. Cabezas has been with Wheels Up since 2019 and
previously served as interim CFO in 2022.
In addition, the carrier’s chief legal officer Laura
Heltebran also will depart to pursue other opportunities. Matthew Knopf
beginning Sept. 9 will succeed her as chief legal officer and secretary. Knopf
joins Wheels Up from Delta Air Lines where he has served as SVP and deputy
general counsel since 2015, according to Wheels Up.
Delta in August last year was part of a trio of investors that threw a $500 million lifeline into Wheels Up as it was losing customers and revenue. The investment gave the investors a 95 percent stake in the private aviation company. Since then, Wheels Up and Delta have announced a number of close partnerships, including a corporate membership program Up for Business that initially tapped into Delta’s 45,000 small and midsize business customers, and Wheels Up has reorganized its executive team to include several hires from Delta.
