Complementary skills boost family jet company

by Catherine Woods - Monday, 2nd June 2008 -

Niki Rokni and Kurosh Tehranchian are the husband-and-wife team behind Ocean Sky Aviation, a private jet company with turnover that’s expected to soar from €60m (£47.4m) in 2007 to €110m this year.

Rokni has been in the aviation industry for 16 years while Tehranchian, the company’s chief executive, has a strong business background. Together they’re taking Ocean Sky Aviation to new heights. The company has 10 planes (but is set to secure another five by the end of the year) and already flies to destinations all over the world.

Rokni says the business relationship works because she and hubby concentrate on “completely different things”. Rokni notes: “I was from a sales background and ended up being responsible for marketing. We’ve really been running our own sectors within the company. As a husband and wife team, it has worked out really well.”

Tehranchian adds: “With Niki's background in the business, I find it very easy for her to know exactly what I’m doing. When I go home, though, I don’t want to talk about work. I just completely switch off.”

Rokni and Tehranchian were both born in Iran but moved to the UK when they were children to go to school.

The two believe the UK is a fantastic place to do business and insist they wouldn’t work anywhere else. Rokni says: “The opportunities here are boundless; it’s a really great environment.

"What’s wonderful about London and the UK is the cosmopolitan edge. You may see a lot of Middle Eastern people moving to the UK in one decade and the next decade it could be Far Eastern, then Russian, then Chinese.”

WHAT NEXT?
Sign up for our newsletter and get our weekly pick of business news in your inbox!
Subscribe to our magazine for in depth interviews and advice from leading entrepreneurs!
Join our forum and talk business with other entrepreneurs!