Puneeta Mongia
Puneeta loves planes. She spent 10 years working as an aerodynamicist and project manager with Airbus, working on the A340-600, A380 and A318 programmes, before transitioning into strategy consulting via an MBA at the London Business School.
She was inspired by the digital revolution and began supporting businesses navigating the brave new world of digital commerce, including conducting Commercial Due Diligence for Private Equity clients while at PwC Strategy, and supporting organisations in designing and delivering their strategies and digital propositions while at Monitor Group.
The global movement towards Net Zero has attracted Puneeta back to the world of aviation, where she is committed to using her combination of aerospace, due diligence and strategy experience to support SkiesFifty’s mission to shape tomorrow’s aviation ecosystem.
Puneeta brings to SkiesFifty an understanding of nuanced world of aerospace manufacturing, a broad network of aerospace contacts, and deep experience working with business owners and boards.
In her role as an investment principal, Puneeta is responsible for developing a point of view on the development of the aerospace sector, identifying technologies and targets of interest, conducting due diligence, and working with management teams to improve or refine their plans.
Puneeta is a chartered engineer registered with the Royal Aeronautical Society (MRAeS). She also holds an MA MEng from the University of Cambridge, and an MBA from the London Business School.
Why is sustainability in aviation so important to you?
I think most people see Sustainability as a core goal for humanity in the 21st century. Having spent 20 years helping businesses sell more clothes and toys and chocolate, I was looking for an opportunity to have a more positive impact in my professional life – and SkiesFifty brings together my passion for aircraft and the planet.
What excites you about the SkiesFifty mission?
When I speak to my friends and contacts in the industry, they love to tell me how sustainability in aviation is too hard or will take too long. SkiesFifty flips that thinking on its head – we ask “how can I accelerate?” and “where can I have impact?”. We take an ecosystem view – looking across technologies and sectors to identify the combination of investments that will lead to substantive change.
How do you balance life with work?
Family balance is relatively straightforward - I’m lucky to live right in the centre of London with my husband and son. We have a fantastically full lifestyle packed with theatres and galleries and lazy Sunday lunches. What I find more difficult is managing my non-exec roles as Vice Chair at a school and Co-Chair of the Consortium for Street Children, a global child rights organisation advising the UN and NGOs. These are hugely rewarding experiences, which I balance through careful diary management!
What is on your Spotify playlist right now?
Mostly UK garage and drum n bass – a relic of my misspent youth. More recently I’ve added an Amapiano playlist… DJ Maphorisa, Tems, Uncle Waffles, Wizkid – love afrobeats!
And for a bit of a twist, a few classical pieces I’m practising for my Grade 6 double bass exam later this year!
