About Us - Leadership

About Us

Han Tan

CEO and Co-Founder

One of the founders of Unical Aviation, Han has helped lead the company through its non-stop trajectory of growth since its beginnings in 1990. Prior to that year, Han acquired executive aerospace management experience as Vice President of Sales & Purchasing for Spaircraft, and Manager for Science General Aerospace. Han was born in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia and moved to Los Angeles in 1981. After earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from California State University Los Angeles in 1985, Han wasted no time getting to work in the industry he loves, demonstrating early on a sense of speed and urgency that is the driving force of Unical today.

Mercy Tan

President and Co-Founder

Co-Founder and CFO since 1990, Mercy has been one of the guiding hands behind Unical Aviation's success for over 25 years. She began her work in the aerospace industry in 1985 at Science General Aerospace, later taking on executive management responsibilities at Spaircraft. Mercy earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration before launching her career, graduating from California State University Los Angeles. Born and raised in Jakarta, West Java, Indonesia, Mercy moved to Los Angeles in 1982. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Women and the Continental Who’s Who, which is further indication she knows what’s what.

Alex Tan

Executive Vice President

Alex is responsible for management, marketing and business development, a big job he is well qualified for with 39 years of experience in aviation. Alex hails from Malaysia where he began his aviation career as an apprentice engineer with Qantas Airways; he later honed his craft working as a licensed aircraft engineer in Singapore and Malaysia for Singapore Technologies Aerospace. From 1977 to 1994 he took on expanding roles of responsibility including Sales Manager, Director of Sales & Marketing, and Vice President Sales & Marketing for both commercial and military aviation markets worldwide. In 1994 Alex joined Unical’s leadership team and has now celebrated his 21st year with the company. Alex holds a Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK), a Graduate Diploma of Management Studies from Singapore Institute of Management, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Manchester (UK).

Quy Nguyen

Vice President, Operations

Quy is responsible for all warehouse operations including receiving, inspection, shipping and inventory control. Quy also heads up Quality, ensuring the highest standard of quality management systems throughout the organization, as well as Customer Service where he and his team take full care of customer inquiries. Born in Vietnam, Quy came to the US in 1975 and now has 30+ years of experience across quality management, warranty and repairs, project management and operations including knowledge gained from his time at Hughes Aircraft and McDonnell Douglas where he worked for nearly a decade before joining Unical Aviation in 1998.

Fred Goetschel

Vice President, Technical

Fred focuses on amassing inventory and leading Unical’s technical teams including rotable sales, repair management, technical support and aircraft evaluation and acquisition. Before joining Unical, Fred gained over 15 years of industry experience including as Vice President – Sales at Airmotive. Fred joined Unical in 2002, and his industry expertise in evaluation and acquisition of parts, components, excess packages and aircraft has been instrumental in building what has become Unical’s strategic advantage – breadth and depth of inventory holdings that foresees and meets the needs of a highly diverse customer base worldwide. Fred has an Associate Arts degree from Antelope Valley College, California and studied Business at Sonoma State University.

Kelly McLaren

Vice President, Contracts

Kelly focuses on special programs and establishing agreements with Unical’s customers and suppliers across the globe. Prior to this, Kelly led several of Unical’s teams including marketing communications, information technology, parts planning and strategic inventory programs. Kelly spent 16 years at Pratt & Whitney Canada in roles of increasing responsibility, including Business Unit Manager—Procurement and as Regional Sales Manager—Latin America where she was responsible for aftermarket engine MRO sales teams in Canada, Central & South America. Before joining Unical and relocating to the US in 2010, Kelly spent 4 years at Air Canada Technical Services/Aveos, heading up procurement, strategic alliances, vendor repairs and business development operations. Born and raised in Canada, Kelly served 4 years in the Canadian Army Reserves. She holds an MBA degree from HEC Montreal and a Management Certificate from McGill University in Montreal.

Eddie Chen

Vice President, International Sales

Eddie’s major area of responsibility is international business development. As you can imagine, he gets around, and you’ll find Eddie in areas as diverse as Russia, China, and Australia. Eddie joined Unical in 2001 as a Sales Manager, later stepping up to roles of increasing responsibility as Senior Sales Executive and then Director of Marketing. He was Sales Executive at Aviation Holding International prior to joining Unical, and he earned his degree in Aviation Business Administration at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. As befits a world traveler, Eddie was born in Taiwan and is a resident of the US, holding dual citizenship in both countries.

Richard Hoang

Vice President, International Sales

Richard’s responsibilities include developing and servicing national and international markets in North America, Asia and Europe. He joined Unical in 2002, holding positions of increasing responsibility, most recently as Senior Sales Director from 2010 to 2012. Richard brought several years of experience in training and operations with him from Brackett Field Airport in the City of La Verne, California and a degree in Aeronautics from Mt. San Antonio College, California. Born and raised in the US, Richard is an avid world traveler with an international sensibility honed from his experience in aviation sales and operations.