ITC-AeroLeasing and Mirika Nakayama, CEO, explain how Nakayama’s enduring passion for socially responsible projects drives the organization’s mission forward, and continues a 40-year-old legacy.
As CEO of ITC-AeroLeasing, Mirika Nakayama leads one of the oldest aircraft leasing and sales companies in the aviation industry. ITC-AeroLeasing’s activities date back to 1985, when the company was founded by her father, Tomoo Nakayama. Today, Mirika Nakayama has developed the company’s capabilities and footprint beyond expectations: with a current fleet of 80 aircraft, global-based transactions and a strong team of international professionals.
But that was not the plan, initially.
Born in Tunisia, she grew up in admiration of her father, who was at the time working for a large Japanese trading company: “I remember visiting the infrastructures he contributed to building, such as power plants and dams, and I shared his pride of helping the Tunisian economy grow.” She thinks this sense of community service appeared then, at barely six or seven years old.
“I wanted to become a diplomat or work for an international aid organization, so that I could help the world become a better place. But due to circumstances, I ended up working in banking. I selected asset-backed finance, because, somewhere in the back of my mind, I felt I could develop the skills relevant to help me contribute to running our family business,” said Nakayama.
Finance ended up being a learning ground, Nakayama explained: “I wanted to move away from banking, where often if felt like a game of who can outsmart whom, and build something that is long term, sustainable and ethical.” She was still seeing her father help communities through ITC-AeroLeasing, where, for 23 years, they had been “building something for the future, centered around aircraft deployed on essential missions which make positive contributions to their communities“.
It was not the aircraft themselves that interested her, the technical aspects, but rather how the aviation industry itself can be a tool to help people. “ITC-AeroLeasing has always focused on socially responsible projects,” she said. “I really enjoy the passion and the sense of pride that our customers share with us, that we are all contributing to society in some way, by providing aircraft that can be used for special missions, whether that be emergency medical services (EMS), search and rescue (SAR), or humanitarian missions.”
Nakayama also believes that the aviation industry has more room for non-stereotypical profiles like hers, and especially room for women. “The nature and evolution of the aviation industry brings new opportunity to those who previously may not have been considered the traditional management stereotype,” she said. As the industry grows, it becomes more in need of talent with diversified backgrounds.
Nakayama officially became the new CEO of ITC-AeroLeasing in 2011. “I had not thought of becoming a CEO. […] I tend not to be passionate about growth for my personal gain/profit, but rather what drives me is how to deliver my father’s legacy to the next generation, and to see our customers succeed in their missions to support their communities,”, she said.
EMS, firefighting, SAR, humanitarian missions for the United Nations, and subsidized remote air travel are all missions that ITC-AeroLeasing finances and supports daily. In the 17 years since she joined ITC-AeroLeasing, Nakayama has developed and nurtured relationships with customers from all over the world, always making sure ITC-AeroLeasing leaves a positive impact on communities.
Mirika Nakayama at Heli-Investor, 2020 (Photo by Ben Hoskins)
Originally published by AirMed&Rescue in the August 2025 issue: AirMed&Rescue – August 2025
