Sudhir Nayak, a member of the governing board of India's Business Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA), has been elected treasurer for the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC). This the first time an Indian will join the board of Montreal-based IBAC, which encompasses multiple national business aviation industry groups.

Nayak, who is senior vice president and head of business aviation for Mumbai-based Reliance Commercial Dealers Ltd. (RCDL), will hold the position at IBAC for a three-year term starting in January 2017. RCDL, which was formed 10 years ago, has a fleet of nine jets including two Bombardier Global Express jets, a Dassault Falcon 900EX, a Hawker 800XP an Airbus ACJ319 and several helicopters.

"His appointment is a testament not only to his skills but also to the growing scope of India’s business aviation sector,” said BAOA president Jayant Nadkarni. Nayak, who is a chartered accountant, commented that the appointment “exemplifies India’s growing recognition in the global business aviation frontier. We look forward to greater interactions on this global platform to enable a more efficient policy structure for our sector and inculcate best practices from across the world.”

IBAC comprises 14 business aviation associations around the world, representing the industry for its 11,000 members in 77 countries—especially at ICAO.