Wheels Up names digital chief as interim sales head after CSO departure

Senior leadership reshuffles in private aviation have tended to shadow the sector's commercial cycle. Wheels Up Experience Inc. (NYSE: UP) confirmed the latest on August 14, 2026, filing an 8-K that disclosed the departure of Chief Sales Officer Mark Briffa; the separation had been agreed on August 10, with Briffa staying through September 1 to hand off his duties.

David Godsman, the company's Chief Digital Officer, has assumed interim leadership of the global sales organization alongside his existing role. He will work directly with Briffa through the transition period.

Settlement terms

On August 12, Air Partner Limited, a Wheels Up subsidiary, and Briffa signed a Settlement Agreement formalizing the terms of separation. The deal provides for continued salary through December 31, 2026, the date the filing designates as the Separation Date. After that, subject to conditions Briffa must satisfy, he will receive aggregate cash lump sums of £378,354.82 before applicable deductions, covering severance and benefits. A separate cash payment will cover any accrued but untaken holiday as of the Separation Date.

Briffa retains eligibility for a full-year 2026 bonus under the company's annual discretionary cash bonus plan. The payout will depend on performance metrics approved by the Board of Directors and will be made in 2027 consistent with normal practice. Capped reimbursements for legal fees related to the settlement and for outplacement support are also included.

On the equity side, restricted stock units and performance-based restricted stock units scheduled or eligible to vest by September 1, 2027 will continue on their original vesting schedules. All other equity awards were forfeited. The agreement includes a general release of claims by Briffa against the company and its subsidiaries, with non-solicitation, non-disparagement, and confidentiality obligations continuing post-separation; certain other covenants were waived in Briffa's favor.

The read-through for Wheels Up's commercial structure

Against the backdrop of a shifting demand environment in private aviation, Godsman's interim role places the company's digital and sales functions under one mandate. That combined structure is, by the filing's own terms, temporary. On balance, the Board-set performance metrics behind the 2026 bonus plan will offer an eventual read-through on how the transition period played into Wheels Up's commercial output, with any payout to Briffa coming in 2027.

The 8-K was signed by Chief Executive Officer George Mattson.