Founding Team

Kawaga J. Sabawa, President

Fascinated since childhood with all things aerospace, Kawaga J. Sabawa followed his passion.
With over 20 years of aviation experience to his client engagements, He leads the GACF Team from our Maryland office, ensuring high quality, local support for his discerning client base of investors, manufactures, operators and aftermarket service providers.

Kawaga specializes in performating the complex quantitative financial analysis that enables senior executives to design effective strategies and allocate capital to minimize stakeholder risk. His engagements typically involve strategic and business planning, new business development, mergers and acquistions, business and asset valuations, financial modeling, and geographic expansion planning.

Before joining GACF Kawaga was a Managing Director at HGLimited Leasing and SKB, where he led the global airline practice, as well as the aviation strategy practice in the Asia-Pacific region.

Earlier, he worked for a boutique consultancy in Washington D.C., where he advised the IAA on operational and regulatory issues. Kawaga began his career as an investment banking analyst at OGBank.

Mr. Kawaga formed Galaxy Aviation Consultancy Firm Ltd in 2009 to better serve the specific requirements of key international clients. The company became based in the USA in 2014.

A business leader with clients on 6 continents, Mr. Kawaga is a US citizen, born in Uganda, Africa, and is bilingual English-Arabic and also fluent in French. His life story is one of perseverance, integrity, hard work, and entrepreneurship – all compelling assets he brings to his clients.

Peter Nicholas, Partner and Executive Vice President

Peter brings nearly two decades of aviation industry experience to his global client base, including more than 15 years providing advisory and consulting services. Based in our New York office, John brings every client deep domain expertise and objective counsel across a wide range of aviation matters.

Before joining GACF, most recently as Global Managing Director of its aviation consulting practice, which spanned the entire aviation and aerospace value chain. He also led the aviation consulting practice centered on aircraft financing and leasing. He began his career with General Electric, where he was a design engineer with GEA and a business development analyst in the engine leasing division of GEA Services.

Peter is a skilled subject matter expert to operators, lessors, and equity and debt investors on a wide array of aviation asset classes, including aircraft, engines, and inventories. He has advised investors on the selection, acquisition, and financing of billions of dollars in aircraft and aircraft operating leases, frequently working on large, confidential transactions. Accredited as a Certified Appraiser by ISTAT, he has valued the comprehensive aviation assets owned and leased by the world’s largest airlines to the smallest end-of-life leasing and aftermarket participants.

Mr. Peter has the dust of many lands on his shoes, having lived in Europe, USA and Africa. Outside of work and family time, he can be found hiking or gardening, creating an oasis of inspiration and tranquility.