Chief Financial Officer
San Francisco International Airport
Ronda Chu is the Chief Financial Officer at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), operated by the Airport Commission of the City and County of San Francisco. She leads the airport’s financial operations, with a focus on long-term stability and growth. Her leadership spans strategic planning, budgeting, financial systems & reporting, financial planning & analysis, revenue management, capital financing, procurement and risk management. She guides development of SFO’s $1.8 billion operating budget, oversees financing of a $12.5 billion capital improvement plan, and manages a $10.5 billion debt portfolio—key elements that ensure the airport’s financial strength and resilience.
She brings over 25 years of experience in municipal finance, with a background that spans both advisory and issuer roles. Before joining SFO in 2008, she worked as a management consultant, delivering financial and business planning services to airports and municipalities across the U.S and internationally.
Ms. Chu holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Science in Financial Economics from the University of London. Committed to professional and community service, Ms. Chu previously served as a Board Member for a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. She is currently a member of the Airport Council International-North America (ACI-NA) Finance Committee and serves as Chair of the Strategic Planning and Performance Management Working Group.
In this session, experienced issuers and municipal advisors will discuss past refundings, their strategy, and how they measured the success of their refunding transactions. In light of the points made in prior sessions, panelists will explore the evaluation of refundings generally, the need to re-examine conventions, and the potential outcomes for altering strategy and practices in the future.
How are airports budgeting and managing cost escalation risk on CIPs given the tariffs and supply-chain impacts? How are credits doing in light of inflation and the many very large capital programs? How has the shift in air travel demand toward higher-end passengers affected airports of all sizes? Is airport public parking becoming obsolete given the growth of driverless cars? If so, how should airports balance near-term capacity with long-term decline risk?