ISTAT Jetrader - Autumn 2023 - 38

ISTAT FOUNDATION
A Q&A With
Sigthor Einarsson
Chair of the ISTAT Foundation
by Kristen J. Chmielewski
I
n March 2023, Sigthor
Einarsson, senior partner at
ICELEASE, assumed the role of
chair of the ISTAT Foundation,
bringing with him many ideas
and initiatives to elevate
the Foundation. Einarsson
attended his first ISTAT conference
in 2001 and was elected to the ISTAT
Board of Directors in 2007. During his
tenure on the board, he became aware
of the impact of the Foundation and
subsequently joined the Foundation
as a member of the Humanitarian
Committee in 2011 and was elected as
a trustee in 2013.
Over the past 10 years, Einarsson
has served as chair of the Grants
Committee, notably responsible for
evaluating and awarding over US$1
million in grants. He also served
as the first chair of the Diversity &
Inclusion Committee, building it out
and securing its first partnership with
ACG for the US$100,000 D&I Fund.
Under his leadership, the Foundation
38 * THE OF F I C I AL PUBL I CAT I ON OF ISTAT
will continue to benefit from both
his professional skills and valuable
experience over the past decade of
the Foundation programs' growth. In
this article, Einarsson shares some of
his reflections about the Foundation's
history and his plans for its future.
aviation industry, aiming to foster future
generations of aviation professionals.
This is where the Foundation steps in,
and it is fascinating that the founders
of ISTAT had the foresight to organize
and make this all happen. This
objective also ties in perfectly with the
worldwide trend toward respecting
diversity and inclusion principles. If
we want the " best and the brightest, "
we should make sure we don't limit
the pool where we cast our net.
Hence, industry participants should
consider the Foundation when looking
for opportunities to support ESG and
diversity and inclusion-related causes.
As the newly elected chair of the
Foundation, what are your goals,
priorities and/or objectives for the
Foundation in the next two years?
As the Foundation has enjoyed great
leadership to date, there isn't much to
fix. Having said that, the Foundation
will need to continue to adapt to the
growth of ISTAT and make use of new
and emerging technologies. So far, we
have been working on a new strategic
plan for the Foundation, including
a strategy session attended by the
trustees at ISTAT Americas. This has
led to a few strategic initiatives that
will be implemented over the next five
years, including revisions to operations,
Industry participants should consider the ISTAT
Foundation when looking for opportunities to support ESG
and diversity and inclusion-related causes.
What drove your interest in becoming
involved with the ISTAT Foundation?
The Foundation is the key differentiator
between ISTAT and any other
conference operator in our industry.
As ISTAT is a member organization, it
elected early on to invest the profits
from its conferences back into the
finances and investments, greater
involvement with the ISTAT Board,
and a revitalized mission statement.
Please keep a lookout for the official
publication of the new Foundation
mission statement as part of the
30th anniversary celebration of the
Foundation next year.
ISTAT Jetrader - Autumn 2023

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