Senior Leadership

John Lee

Executive Vice President, and Chief Financial Officer, Universal

Chief Executive Officer, Air Culinaire Worldwide

John oversees Universal’s finance, treasury, accounting, tax, financial planning, and analysis, Human Resources and serves as CEO of Air Culinaire Worldwide, a Universal company.

Before joining Universal in 2017 as Director of Financial Planning and Analysis, John served in various financial and accounting capacities for public companies. In addition, John serves on the Board of Directors of Mission Northeast, a not-for-profit organization. John graduated from the University of Houston – Downtown with a BBA in Accounting.

Omar J. Fahel

Chief Legal Officer

Omar Fahel is a skilled international lawyer who has been providing expert legal advice and guidance to multinational organizations for over 20+ years.

Omar is the Chief Legal Officer and member of the Executive Management Team for Universal Weather and Aviation LLC. Omar is responsible for overseeing the company’s legal, corporate, and compliance functions around the world. Omar has extensive experience and a deep understanding of corporate and commercial law, international law, compliance, corporate securities and risk management. Omar plays a crucial role in building and executing the Company’s legal strategies.

Prior to joining Universal, Omar practiced law that focused on the development, finance, acquisition and divestiture of international energy projects, with a particular emphasis on upstream projects in emerging markets. He has lead negotiations with respect to offshore exploration, development and production with foreign governments, NOCs and ministries including the governments of Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Tunisia, Mozambique, Namibia, Lebanon, Cyprus, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Kuwait, Turkey, Pakistan, India, Australia, Brazil and Colombia.

Omar had previously served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Seabed Geosolutions an international seismic survey company based in both Houston and Amsterdam. There he managed all aspects of the legal compliance functions and provided legal management best practices and operating standards related to business, regulatory and legal strategic matters, and establishing policies and procedures for the company related to anti-corruption, trade compliance, tendering, contract management. He also has extensive experience in training and developing attorneys with respect to negotiating international transactions.

Omar is a trusted advisor and a strategic partner to the Board of Directors, providing the Board and the Company with legal guidance necessary to navigate challenges and achieve long-term success.

Guido Groeschel

Executive Vice President, Digital Product Management

Guido is an accomplished executive with a proven track record of leading strategic digital initiatives. As the head of our digital transformation efforts, Guido is responsible for the financial and operational aspects of these initiatives and plays a crucial role in identifying growth opportunities and pursuing potential partnerships, mergers, and acquisitions.

Prior to his current role, Guido served as the Vice President of Global Product Strategy, where he directed initiatives that generated significant value for our clients and improved our core mission management business. With extensive experience in the global business aviation industry, he has been an integral part of our team at Universal since 2006.

Guido has a diverse professional background which includes experience in start-ups as well as work and residence in Brazil and Spain. He holds an MBA from the University of Houston, a Certificate of Advanced Study from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and a BA in Plan II from the University of Texas at Austin.

Jonathan Howells

Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing

Originally from the UK, Jonathan has a BA (Hons) from Brighton University before completing a Post Graduate Diploma in HR Management. While working at British Airways as an HR Manager Jonathan transitioned to an operational management leadership role in BA’s commercial ground handling business at London Heathrow Airport. A division of this business, BA Executive Aircraft Services was Jonathan’s conduit to the Business Aviation world and Universal. Jonathan joined the Universal team in 1997 initially in Sales and business development. Prior to relocating to Universal’s HQ in Houston in 2014, Jonathan was the Regional VP for the EMEA region. Today, Jonathan is EVP of Sales and Marketing and was appointed to the Universal Board of Directors in 2020.

Ralph J. Vasami

Chief Executive Officer, Universal Weather and Aviation

Ralph J. Vasami leads Universal’s day-to-day operations, setting and communicating the company’s vision, priorities for growth and efficiencies, policy and procedures for global compliance and service standards, and strategic planning.

Ralph joined Universal full-time in 1982 as a meteorologist in the company’s White Plains, New York location, having been associated with the company earlier as an intern.

Ralph eventually transferred to Universal’s Houston headquarters, where he served in various management and executive roles before being named President in 2004 and CEO in March 2007. Ralph has traveled extensively in these roles, meeting with customers to ensure Universal’s services and products align with industry needs.

He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology from Northern Vermont University in Lyndonville, Vermont.

Ralph is an active member of the Houston chapter of Vistage, the world’s largest CEO membership organization. He has attended the Center for Creative Leadership and Kellogg School of Management. He is on the Board of Directors for the “WISE” program, an experimental learning program now active in over 90 high schools around the U.S.A., helping to reduce dropout rates and keeping students focused in their senior year on key community and topics of interest. Ralph also serves on the Board of Communities in Schools Bay Area, helping to transform students from at-risk of dropping out to proud graduates.

Ralph also served as an advisory board member of Texas Citizens Bank in Houston, Texas for 9 years.

Charlie Mularski

Chief Operating Officer

Charlie is a skilled executive with 25+ years of experience in the business/corporate aviation services industry.

Charlie joined Universal at its Headquarters in Houston, Texas, in 1999 with a focus on business development and franchising the ground handling division. He led the enterprise business in the APAC region by relocating to Hong Kong from 2012 to 2017. On his current assignment, Charlie is back in Houston as the Chief Operating Officer, responsible for improving margins, augmenting processes’ efficiencies, obsessing with quality improvements, and supporting the company’s digital transformation.

Charlie is passionate about building long-term customer relationships and creating value for shareholders. His analytical, strategic, and entrepreneurial spirit and extensive international business experience in emerging markets have yielded success with acquisition projects, start-ups, and the re-engineering of mature businesses.

While living abroad, he was elected Board Member and Chairman of the Asian Business Aviation Association for four years, transforming and growing the lobbying association into a regional force of change, doubling its income and membership and improving business aviation in Asia via many policies and regulation improvements for the business aviation industry in Asia.

Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, with Italian heritage, Charlie obtained a BS in Mechanical Engineering at Universidad Metropolitana in Caracas (1997), later completed an MBA at the University of Houston (2001), has attended multiple executive and leadership education courses at Harvard Business School. Fluent in Spanish and English. He is also a certified rescue diver, an FAA private pilot, and the owner of a cirrus aircraft.