Romy Hawatt
Romy Hawatt
Driven by a passion to seed and develop sustainable business models, Romy Hawatt is best known for cultivating innovation and transforming start-up and fledgling businesses into successful and sustainable multi-million dollar commercial projects.
Through his Dubai based Riana Group Holdings rianagroup.com he owns and maintains a diverse global portfolio of investments that includes Aviation training & education, international trade & consultancy and property investment and development.
Airways Aviation airwaysaviation.com ESMA Aviation Academy esma.fr
Romy has become widely known as one of the global aviation education & training industry’s true professionals, offering accredited commercial pilot training programs along with Aircraft Engineering, Cabin Crew and Ground Handling Training via a series of first class, well resourced and equipped academies that operate across the UK, France, Spain, Montenegro, the UAE and Australia.
As a lifelong aviation enthusiast as well as an experienced helicopter pilot, in 2012, Romy made his first serious commercial investments into the aviation education and scenic & charter sector and acquired two long established ( over 30 years ) Pilot Training and Scenic and Charter businesses in Australia. Over 2014/15 he had made a number of further strategic ATO and AOC acquisitions in Coventry and then Oxford, UK and almost simultaneously in Podgorica, Montenegro merging them all into the Airways Aviation Academy global structure.
In 2016, the Airways Aviation Group expanded it’s pilot training operations into Huesca, Spain and in 2019 with the acquisition of ESMA Aviation Academy Montpellier, France, he further expanded the Airways Aviation fleet, resources, capability and network into the unique multinational aviation education & training group he envisaged.
The vision and mission remains to scale the unique and truly global Airways Aviation brand and model to continue to deliver aviation education & training excellence via a select range of European EASA, Australian CASA ICAO and IATA specialist course offerings. Airways Aviation will continue to actively prepare, inspire and graduate new generations of domestic and international students as career ready professionals to meet the demands of the burgeoning and rapidly growing global aviation industry.
Today, the Airways Aviation Group boasts aviation academies and training facilities across 7 locations in Europe & Australia having trained many thousands of students and the operates within the largest and most diverse designated pilot training area in the world covering approximately 350,000 sq/kilometers.
With a current total fleet of 51 aircraft, Airways Aviation Group also boasts the the largest Diamond Aircraft ( DA40 and DA 42 ) training fleet in Europe along with a substantial fleet of Cessna ( 172 and 182 ) Aircraft across its Montenegro and Australian operational bases.
SAE Institute sae.edu
Romy is the former Chairman of the SAE Governing Board and was also the CEO of the SAE Group from 2003 to early 2014. He is credited with a major role in the development, growth and positioning of SAE Institute into the world’s largest digital / creative media educator and then graduating over 12,000 students per year. The SAE education & training model continues to operate to this day and offers education programs to students across more than 50 cities in 25 countries.
Charity / Philanthropy
Riana Group Holdings rianagroup.com
Beside his business interests, Romy has always been an active philanthropist maintaining a strong focus on education & training as substantive pathways to poverty alleviation, self determination and the preservation of human dignity. He has developed and supported a multitude of projects including clean water, education, orphanage, refugee and other charities across Europe, Asia, Australia the Middle East and Africa over the course of his career.
Global Sustainability Network ( GSN ) gsngoal8.com
Romy is a Founding Member of the London based - Global Sustainability Network (GSN) with in excess of 1200 renowned members across Government, Faith, Business, Media, Education and Sport pursuing Goal 8 of the United Nations 17 Sustainability Goals. The GSN applies a special focus on SDG 8.7 working toward the eradication of Modern Day Slavery, Human and Human Organ Trafficking and Child Labour in all its forms. He often speaks publicly on the subject, sponsors investigative journalists from across the world to write and also has his own articles published to raise the awareness in the fight against Modern Day Slavery, Human and Human Organ Trafficking and Child Labour.
Charity charidy.com
Romy is a senior member of the Advisory Board of the New York based crowd funding group Charidy Inc. which annually raises millions of dollars for a plethora of charitable causes.
Football for Peace ( FfP ) footballforpeaceglobal.org
Romy is a Director of the London based charity - Football for Peace ( under the Patronage of HRH Prince William the Duke of Cambridge) which has developed the ‘City for Peace’ and ‘Football Saves Lives’ programs.
Other charities and philanthropy groups Romy provides advisory and sponsorship support to include but not limited to:-
Goodwill Caravan goodwillcaravan.com
Human Thread Foundation humanthreadfoundation.org
Career and Business - Summary Timeline
1978 Started his career in Sydney setting up and operating a niche trading company importing and exporting a varied range of products to and from Australia whilst also under- taking part time studies at the Australian Institute of Export. With growing experience and success, he expanded his trading activities globally.
Mid 1980’s was also in demand as a consultant, negotiator and adviser with calls by a range of Private & Public sector companies as well as Australian State and Federal Government agencies to engage on a range of international trade and service related projects. He likewise attended classes as a Student at Law at the Legal Practitioners Admission Board in 1986 along with a series of courses and workshops in Film Production, Success Leadership and International Banking and Finance through to the late 1980’s.
By 1990 and with training and experience expanding beyond international trade, he commenced providing consultancy and support services to an expanding group of clients in the areas of Management, Administration and International Market Entry Planning. This portfolio of services later expanded into Mergers & Acquisitions, Capital Raising and the Development of Strategic Alliances. He also undertook EMBA studies at the Australian Graduate School of Management UNSW in 1996.
In 1997, Hawatt began consulting to the SAE Education Group and was initially engaged to assess and assist with the re-development of the Australian financial, administrative and operating model as this territory postured to move from its vocational education roots in the late 90’s into the higher education space. As the business became more effective, the scope of work quickly grew into supporting international management on matters relating to staff and business rationalisations, market expansion, turnover and profitability.
In 2003, the scope of work for SAE had further expanded and he began to take on a more senior role now acting for the
groups various European, Asian and US interests. Projects included strategic acquisitions, the development of new markets and managing the evolution of SAE from its original organically grown corporate and operating model into a new, strategically focused, multi-national model.
By 2005 and now with corporate, governance, financial management and operating systems positioned for growth, Hawatt’s focus turned to accelerating the foreign campus investment and business footprint whilst enhancing the group’s global education profile through strategic alliances with Government and industry.
In early 2006 a new SAE licensing model was also designed and introduced and this added a further dimension and revenue source to the businesses growth prospects.
SAE had broken all its previous revenue, profitability & expansion records.
By 2009 had also completely reinvented itself with a proven and robust business model that was now also well constructed and positioned for the next level of strategic development and growth.
With the rapidly increasing demand for “for profit education” and against the backdrop of the then very established international footprint of SAE in the niche “creative media education” space, the business had also become a desirable acquisition target. As a result of market interest and commercial approaches, the SAE Group was formally up for sale
From early 2010 Hawatt headed up a large international team of advisors, financial analysts, lawyers and other experts, along side of the global SAE management team through a comprehensive bidding and due diligence process. Fourteen bidders and approximately 12 months of negotiations and varying levels of due diligence across four continents.
Early 2011 saw the successful conclusion of the SAE Institute due diligence process and the sale of the SAE Group to Navitas Limited ( an Australian top 100 Listed company ) for circa $300 million.
2011 through to early 2014 and as a Condition Precedent to the sale of SAE to Navitas, Hawatt continued as the Global CEO of the SAE Group strategically growing the business geographic presence and solidifying the groups positioning, revenue and profit line as the worlds largest digital media education group.
2012 Hawatt purchases Coastline and Chopperline Academies with some students and he also purchases the assets of Helibiz in Australia. Airplane and Helicopter pilot training continues with small numbers of students. Helicopter Scenic and Charter operations in Australia commence. He assumes the role as Group Founder and CEO.
2014 Hawatt retires as SAE Group CEO to become the Founder and CEO and assumes the role as Executive Chairman of the Group in March 2014. He simultaneously launches the Airways Aviation Brand having created a strategic plan and road map to expand the size, capability and global footprint of the new Aviation Education & Training business to meet the anticipated and unprecedented demand for commercial airline pilots over the next 20 years. Helicopter Scenic and Charter operations in Montenegro commence.
2015 the Airways Aviation Group has now rapidly expanded both organically and strategically having secured the acquisition of Atlantic Flight Trining Academy in the UK and Pilot Training Academy in Montenegro. The fleet consists of approximately 15 airplanes and 14 helicopters.
2016 the Group now has Pilot Academies in Oxford UK, Huesca Spain, Podgorica Montenegro, Dubai UAE ( Foundation School ), Gold Coast & Sunshine Coast in Australia. The Airways Board decides to divest away from Helicopter Pilot Training and concentrate its expansion on fixed wing. The helicopters are to be sold and replaced with fixed wing aircraft.
2018 Airways Aviation has solidified its presence as a quality global brand and Hawatt assumes the Executive Chairman role for the Group. New Airline and University Partnerships and relationships increase and solidify the industry positioning and reputation.
2019 the Airways Aviation Group acquires ESMA Aviation Academy and expands its fleet to 51 aircraft and provides European EASA, Australian CASA and Montenegro ICAO accredited pilot training to domestic and international aviation students courses in Pilot Training, Aircraft Engineering, Ground Handling and Cabin Crew Training. Airways Aviation also operates within the largest designated Pilot Training area in the world.