Leadership
Chief Executive Officer
Dale Gabel leads Aptus Aero as its Founding Chief Executive Officer, a role he assumed following his appointment by The Stephens Group in April 2026. An aviation aftermarket veteran, Dale brings more than 15 years of experience in component MRO. Prior to entering the aviation industry, he built and operated businesses across IT, telecommunications, and staffing. Throughout his career, he has also advised on and led multiple company sales and acquisitions.
Chief Operating Officer
Aristides Ponjuan has spent more than 30 years in component MRO, starting as a parts cleaner on a Part 145 shop floor while earning his A&P and working up through technician, quality and general management roles. He has run accessory operations across hydraulics, pneumatics and electromechanical systems — including quality leadership at AAR Landing Gear Services and general management of two Miami repair stations — and has built DER and PMA programs that bring out-of-manual repairs in house. He holds an FAA airframe and powerplant license, an MBA from West Texas A&M University and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.
Chief Financial Officer
Maria Breton builds the financial discipline multi-site businesses need in order to scale. As group CFO of an aviation component MRO and manufacturing group, she consolidated accounting across multiple locations, led post-close ERP integrations for acquired businesses, and put cash forecasting and working capital controls in place. Earlier she was controller of a founder-owned aerospace manufacturer through its sale, following cost accounting and assistant controller roles in manufacturing. She holds an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and is a Certified Management Accountant.
How we partner
Each Aptus company is run day to day from its own shop floor, close to the customers and the work. The platform team brings capability and capital to that — not a corporate playbook.