Airbus Group named Chris Emerson to succeed Marc Paganini as president and CEO of Airbus Helicopters Inc. from June 1. Paganini, who has led the European rotorcraft maker’s North American subsidiary since January 2003, has been made head of projects for the Airbus Group.

Emerson is currently senior vice president and head of marketing for Airbus in Toulouse, France, where he leads a team of 200 analysts who provide data to demonstrate the value of the company’s airliners. He was previously head of Airbus Future Programs & Product Strategy, responsible for its annual Global Market Forecast, and before that was senior vice president and CEO of EADS North America (now Airbus Group Inc.) from 2003 to 2010.

“Airbus Helicopters [formerly American Eurocopter] has thrived in the U.S. market under Marc Paganini’s leadership during his nearly 13-year tenure, growing commercial market share and securing the Lakota contract from the Army,” said Airbus Helicopters CEO Guillaume Faury. “Chris is taking over at an opportune time to guide a new era of growth for Airbus Helicopters.”