Zipporah Marmor
‘I don’t fear change, I fear stagnation’
Montrealer Zipporah Marmor juggles being a vice president at ACASS, chair of IADA, plus motherhood and lifting 250lbs weights for fun. Words: Megan Kelly
Zipporah Marmor
‘I don’t fear change, I fear stagnation’
Montrealer Zipporah Marmor juggles being a vice president at ACASS, chair of IADA, plus motherhood and lifting 250lbs weights for fun. Words: Megan Kelly
“I’D LOVE TO say that I had this big masterplan to get into business aviation, but the truth is that I kind of fell into it,” says Zipporah Marmor, vice president, Aircraft Transactions at aviation brokerage, management and services company ACASS. As a born-and-raised Montrealer, Marmor is happy to be at home base when she speaks to Corporate Jet Investor (CJI); at least for a short visit before travelling again for two weeks.
Marmor has been in the business aviation industry almost two decades, having spent the past 11 years of her career at ACASS. But being in the aviation industry was never part of her plan.
“Bombardier did on-campus recruiting at my university, and I threw in my resume and got hired,” she says. “When I started at Bombardier, I had been on an airplane twice in my life, never mind a business jet. I thought I had won the lottery. It was fun and I made it my business to learn as much as I could.”
In the years that followed since that first role as sales support manager with Bombardier, Marmor has become a widely known industry figure. She has travelled around the world for conferences and meetings, but has managed to keep her home in her much-loved Montreal with her blended family.
One thing to know about Marmor is that she isn’t afraid of change, which is a good thing when her daily routine changes. When she’s in her home city, days begin with her and her partner getting their three kids (her son, 11, and step kids, 7 and 16) off to school. Once that’s out of the way, she takes advantage of the beautiful Canadian landscape. “Since the pandemic, I’ve tried to start my day with a walk up Mount Royal to get some fresh air and some movement. And then I get to work,” she says.
From this point on, her day can consist of anything, due to the international nature of ACASS and its clients. “In this business, we are all over the place, you don’t know what your day will bring,” she tells CJI. Sometimes she’ll head into the office, or meet clients, or work from home, or travel to a different continent. “But that’s fun, I like the change. I don’t fear change, I fear stagnation. Each deal is unique, and what I really enjoy is that we are constantly learning and generally dealing with a very high level of people.”
An interest in people is one of the main things that drives her when she’s away from home. “The people in this industry are, for the most part, fascinating, intelligent people,” she says. “Everyone’s got a story, and you have to be interested in people to be successful in this business. I certainly am.”
When she’s in the ACASS office lunch is an opportunity to sit with colleagues from other divisions in the cafeteria. “Often that’s the only time I get to see people from other divisions, and I want to know what’s going on in their world and what’s happening in their verticals of the business,” she says.
In October, Marmor was appointed as board chair for the International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA) – another role she is delighted to juggle. “That was a really big step for me,” she says, “and I felt it was time to start giving back.” She adds that one of her goals as chair is to focus more on the international IADA members.
When the working day is over (late-night Asia business calls aside), Marmor relaxes with her favourite hobby – heavy weightlifting. “I have no patience for lower weights and high reps,” she says. “But I can squat and deadlift 300lbs and it’s a great stress reliever. It doesn’t make me tired, it makes me energetic.” When in Montreal, she’ll round off the day with a family dinner.
When asked what she’s most proud of, Marmor mentions the usual things people take pride and hold value in: her family and getting to see the kids grow into “cool little dudes”, her titles at IADA and ACASS, and her recent 10-year anniversary at the firm.
“My reputation is also something I’m very proud of. I have a reputation for being tough but fair and straightforward, and I’ve worked hard at that all these years. Your reputation takes a long time to build and can be undone pretty quickly, and I’m really proud to have been consistent and diligent.”
Oh – and she started skiing for the first time this year, which she admits is strange for a Montrealer. (Yes, she’s already doing black diamond runs.)
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