Airbus Group appointed Chris Emerson president and CEO of Airbus Helicopters. Emerson, who also will lead Airbus Helicopters North America, has served as senior v-p, head of marketing with Airbus in Toulouse, France. He succeeds Marc Paganini, who has been named head of special projects for Airbus Group.
Ernest (Ernie) Edwards has joined Aerion as senior v-p and chief commercial officer. Edwards brings more than four decades of aviation experience to his new position, including serving as president of Embraer Executive Jets and holding roles with Cessna, Gulfstream and Swift Aviation Group.
Mike Fourticq was named CEO of Advent Aerospace and Steve Jourdenais was named president. Ron Roberts, meanwhile, becomes president of Advent Aircraft Systems. The appointments follow the spinoff of Aircraft Systems into a standalone corporation. Fourticq has been a principal and board member of majority shareholder Hancock Park Associates and previously was president of the company. Jourdenais was senior v-p, interiors for Advent Aerospace, while Roberts was vice president of the Aircraft Systems division. In addition, Advent Aircraft Systems appointed Thomas Grunbeck vice president, marketing and sales. Grunbeck has more than 25 years of aviation sales, marketing, business development, engineering and manufacturing experience with companies including Stevens Aviation, Safe Flight Instrument, Barnes Aerospace, Goodrich, Gulfstream Aerospace Technologies and Grumman.
The Safran board of directors confirmed the appointments of Philippe Petitcolin as CEO and Ross McInnes as chairman. Both are serving as directors.
Aircraft Propeller Service named Dan Colbert president and CEO. Colbert most recently was operating partner for private equity firm Riverside and acted as board chairman for six portfolio companies. He succeeds Mark Grant, who is transitioning to chairman.
Eric Born was appointed president and CEO of Swissport International, effective August 1. Born previously spent six years at Wincanton, a UK logistics company, and has served on the executive management board of Gategroup.
Dmitriy Korshunov was appointed CEO of Delta World Charter. Korshunov has held senor executive positions with charter and brokerage companies over the past 14 years.
Hawthorne Global Aviation Services promoted Bryon Burbage to president. Burbage, who retains the role of CFO, joined the company in 2011 and since has integrated five FBO acquisitions for the chain.
Bombardier promoted Peter Likoray to senior v-p of sales for business aircraft. A 25-year company veteran, Likoray had most recently served as vice president for business aircraft sales for North America.
Safe Flight Instrument appointed Paul Quaintance vice president of sales and marketing. Quaintance brings more than 20 years of international aerospace sales and business development experience to his new role, having held executive positions with Elbit Systems of America, Kollsman, GE Aviation Systems and Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space.
Executive AirShare appointed Mike Bianchi vice president of maintenance. Bianchi has 20 years of aviation maintenance management experience, including stints as director of maintenance operations at American Eagle Airlines and director of quality control at Pinnacle Airlines.
King Schools promoted Rich Martindell to vice president of course content and experience. Martindell, an F-15 instructor pilot for the U.S. Air Force, was previously director of product development for King Schools.
Former Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) has joined the New England government affairs and public relations firm O’Neill and Associates as a senior vice president in the federal relations practice in Washington, D.C. A 16-year member of Congress, Tiahrt also has served with Boeing and Zenith Electronics.
Circor Aerospace appointed Andy Schwarz sales director for California and Frédéric Gréhal general manager for France. Schwarz has more than 15 years of sales management experience, including with Merex, RIX Industries, Northrop Grumman and Aeromax Industries. Gréhal joins Circor from Aubert et Duval, where he was vice president and head of the nuclear, oil and gas, defense and specialties business unit.
FlightSafety International appointed Kyle Davis executive director of marketing for business and commercial aviation training activities. Davis, who first joined FlightSafety in 1997, rejoined the company in 2012 as a product director after holding postions with EE International, Global Connections and LL Johns & Associates. The company promoted Brian Moore to manager of the its Wichita East training center. Moore joined the company in 1990 as an instructor for the Beechcraft Bonanza, Baron and Premier and most recently served as assistant manager of FlightSafety’s Wichita Cessna facility. Scott Politte has been appointed assistant manager of the company’s Wichita East Learning Center. Politte has held a number of roles for FlightSafety over the past decade, including product marketing manager, auditor for the company’s quality management center, training center evaluator and assistant director and director of training.
Sun Air Jets promoted long-time employees Leigh Ann Spooner and Geoff Savage. Spooner was named senior director of charter sales and Savage is taking on the role of senior director of flight control.
West Star Aviation hired Chris Woolverton as avionics technical sales manager. Woolverton has spent 16 years in corporate aviation support and also served in the U.S. Air Force for six years.
Wayne Trzeciak has joined Reliable Maintenance as director of parts operations. Trzeciak, most recently senior manager of supply chain at Professional Aircraft Accessories, has nearly three decades of service with Bombardier and Honda Aircraft.
Intelsat promoted Michael DeMarco and Kurt Riegelman to its executive leadership team. Riegelman, a 17-year company veteran who previously was senior v-p of global sales, was named senior v-p of sales and marketing. DeMarco, who joined Intelsat in 2000 and was vice president of media services, takes on the newly created position of senior v-p of operations.
Bell Helicopter appointed Tom Moyer regional sales manager, responsible for marketing and sales in the Midwest region of North America. Moyer joined Bell in 2013 as an instructor specialist.
Agamemnon Kikerakis, chairman and CEO of Sky Express, and Gustaf Thureborn, CEO and president of West Atlantic, were elected to the European Regions Airline Association (ERA) board. Kikerakis, who has more than 20 years’ international business experience, became Sky Express CEO in 2012. Thureborn, credited with helping expand the West Air Group, has been an ERA member for 18 years.
International Communications Group (ICG) appointed Eric Stuck regional sales manager within its business aviation segment. Stuck, who joined ICG from Bizjet Mobile in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has held senior sales and business development positions with Gulfstream, Hawker Beechcraft Services and AMR Combs.
Cutter Aviation named Ned Batchelor avionics manager of its Phoenix Sky Harbor facility. Batchelor has more than 32 years of avionics and management experience with companies that include Pemco World Air Services, Ozark Aircraft Systems, Raytheon Aircraft Services, Aero Charter and, most recently, Haggan Aviation in Englewood, Colo.
James Clifford was named director of engineering for Sabreliner Aviation. Clifford has more than 40 years of operations and engineering experience with Kal-Aero, Duncan Aviation, National Flight Services and Clifford Air Solutions.
Lou NĂ©meth, chief safety officer at CAE, was elected to the Air Charter Safety Foundation board of governors. NĂ©meth oversees flight-safety matters at CAE and is active on several international rulemaking committees, including for the International Civil Aviation Organization, the Royal Aeronautical Society and the FAA.
Stephen Farrell joined Aviation & Marketing International (AMI) as vice president of technical services. Farrell has 28 years of aviation industry experience, most recently with StandardAero.
Greenpoint Aerospace named Steve Bruce sales director. Bruce most recently was business development director for U.S. business aircraft with Zodiac Aerospace.
ExecuJet Aviation appointed Richard Porter business development and key account manager in the company’s Singapore office. Porter, most recently key account manager for flight operations with ExecuJet in Australia, has 23 years of business aviation experience.
Christina Spence was appointed vice president of customer development at FirstFlight. Spence, previously an administrative scheduler for a private flight department, has experience in consulting, business development and management for corporate flight departments and served as a flight coordinator for the Corporate Angel Network.
Becker Avionics added Antonia Aldinger as a sales representative for Europe. Aldinger previously served as a marketing and exhibition manager for EuroAvionics.
David Wall has joined TVPX, a provider of business aviation 1031 exchange services and FAA owner trusts. Wall, who will manage the owner trust business, previously spent seven years at Wells Fargo as senior in-house counsel to the Corporate Trust Lease Group.
Paramount Business Jets named David Barnes finance and operations manager. Barnes has more than 10 years in business aviation, previously holding financial and operational roles with Bombardier Business Aircraft Flight Operations.
Mark Niehaus was appointed vice president of technical services for Cutter Aviation. Previously general manager for Eagle Creek Aviation Services, Niehaus has held various roles for Honeywell, Superior Air Parts, KC Aviation, Bombardier and Stevens Aviation.
DAC International named Bradley Sutphin regional sales manager for the U.S. Midwest. Sutphin most recently served as category manager for Aerospace Products International and also served as director of sales for Avionics International Supply.
Michael Barrett has rejoined USAIG as senior v-p, claims attorney. Barrett, formerly global chief claims officer, aerospace lines for AIG Proper Casualty, had spent his 14 years in the business with USAIG.
Tracy Neil was named to the newly created position of director of marketing for Pentastar Aviation. Neil formerly was the brand manager for service products at Federal-Mogul Motorparts and also has held marketing/communications positions with Budco, Kelly Services and TMP Worldwide.
Awards & Honors
Skyqueen Enterprises president and CEO Millie Hernandez-Becker will be honored by the Women’s Enterprise Development Center (WEDC) on June 11 for “the outstanding example she has set promoting women’s economic empowerment.” Hernandez-Becker has 25 years of aviation industry experience, working with equity groups Goldman Sachs and The Carlyle Group, along with fleet owners and airports. She managed Westchester Air and now, at the helm of Skyqueen Enterprises, counts Flexjet and Million Air among her clients. She also mentors young women and girls about opportunities available to them, emphasizing the importance of education, and serves as a trustee of Mercy College in Westchester, N.Y.
The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) named the recipients of its Industry Excellence Awards to be presented June 17. Tony Gay, a 41-year industry veteran and engine services manager for StandardAero, will receive the ATP/NATA General Aviation Service Technician Award in recognition of “exceptional performance of a licensed airframe and powerplant mechanic or radio repairman who has practiced his or her craft for 20 or more years.” Jess Romo, airport manager at Van Nuys Airport, was selected for the NATA Airport Executive Partnership Award, presented annually for a manager’s “outstanding efforts to foster relationships between aviation businesses and airport operators.” Eric Walter, chief pilot at Bemidji Aviation Services, will receive the Excellence in Pilot Training Award for his “outstanding contributions in safety, professionalism, leadership and excellence in the field of pilot training.” NATA is awarding its inaugural Safety 1st Certified Line Service Professional Award to Jeremy Van Dyke, line service manager at Tac Air, for his achievements in safety and service and business success.
NBAA awarded its 2015 Maintenance Technical Reward and Career Scholarships to 44 recipients at the association’s Maintenance Management Conference last month in Portland, Ore. The scholarships will enable the recipients to attend model-specific courses at training centers providing instruction on aircraft, engines and avionics.
Two Greenpoint Technologies employees are recipients of Patriot Awards from the Office of the Secretary of Defense Employer Support of The Guard and Reserve. The awards were presented to production supervisor Bryan Wolff and machine-shop operations manager Eric Slavinsky.
