Shelley A. Svoren is the chief executive officer and founder of Infinite Branches, which works with start-up businesses and investors to build sustainably sound organizations within the global aviation industry. The mission of Infinite Branches is to ensure that the money spent on one’s investment in aviation is more than green: it contains a purpose, and the company does this by strategically building lasting connections and opening doors that grow revenues, reduce costs, and expand their clients’ impact and ultimately, their client’s value.
As a self-described “recovering banker, federal banking regulator, investor, and corporate financier for consumer, retail, and technology companies,” Ms. Svoren’s experiences over the course of her 30-plus year career are diverse and complex. Prior to founding Infinite Branches, she oversaw the portfolio management for an aviation lending portfolio that originated more than $1 billion in aviation-secured loans and financing facilities for aviation service providers (aircraft operators/Part 135 and wholly-owned aircraft brokers) without any losses or repossessions during her more than 17-year tenure. Ms. Svoren partnered with multiple groups to manage sales activity and minimize expenses, developed and managed multi-national budgets, structured complex credit facilities, customized analyses that identified new niche market opportunities and whether divestiture should commence, and developed and managed client, referral, and financing relationships. In addition to the aviation industry, she is experienced with the complexity of owning, maintaining, perfecting an interest in, and monetizing maritime, art, and winery & vineyard assets.
Ms. Svoren’s experiences as a leader are recognized internationally. Since founding Infinite Branches, she received The Business Concept’s annual Aviation and Aerospace Awards for two consecutive years; served as the keynote speaker for FedEx Express Women’s Network 2021 Annual Forum, where she discussed the evolution of her career and the trajectory forward to an audience of 1,000 people globally and was the keynote speaker for Embraer’s 2024 Embrace Women mentoring meeting that was viewed on three continents. She previously served as a member of the board of the Society of Daughters of Holland Dames and is currently on the board of the International Aviation Womens Association (IAWA) as the network’s vice president–leader development and supports the activities of the scholarship, mentorship, and leadership development committees. Moreover, Ms. Svoren serves as an advisor to Dreams Soar and was an Advisor to Business Aviation Advisor Magazine. She moderates panels and speaks at conferences regarding aviation and marine industries, writes articles, and speaks on podcasts.
Ms. Svoren believes that “what we do for ourselves dies with us, but what we do for others lives on after we are gone.” During her tenure on the board of IAWA, she was an integral part of adding two new scholarship university partnerships, launching the organization’s app-enhanced mentoring program and obtaining sponsorship and grants from an international foundation to support it, as well as creating, hosting, and editing the organization’s podcast “Connect, Inspire, and Lead.” Further, she mentors men and women through a variety of programs, including IAWA, 100 Women in Finance, and Aerospace Xelerated, all of whom she enjoys speaking about when they are not in the room so that doors are opened that were once closed.
As a dynamic thinker, Ms. Svoren continues to invest in her industry knowledge for the benefit of her clients and her community and lives by the motto “ABC – Always Be Curious.” She earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Oregon with a focus on finance, economics, and Scandinavian studies and continues coursework to expand her knowledge of FinTech, business aviation, next-generation aviation industries, innovation, strategy, scalability, and leadership as well as environmental, social, and governance, known as ESG, and socially responsible investment, also called SRI, issues.
Ms. Svoren cherishes time with her family, friends, and dog, Charlie. She enjoys traveling, visiting art galleries, reading, learning new languages, and fly fishing.