Long-time Piper CFO John Calcagno has stepped in as acting president and CEO of the Vero Beach, Florida-based general aviation aircraft manufacturer, succeeding Simon Caldecott, Piper announced this week. Caldecott retired on April 2 after leading Piper for more than 10 years and spending 47 years in the aviation industry.

Calcagno brings a background in finance, operations, distribution, and sales to his new role at the helm of Piper. He served with Piper for 11 years, steering all financial reporting, treasury, and company cash management functions, as well as information technology and enterprise resource planning.

He also has held roles with The Acerra Consortium, Alltel (Supply) Communications Products, Coca-Cola, and C.R. Bard. Calcagno began his career with PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

“I know that I speak for everyone at Piper Aircraft in thanking Simon for his leadership and tireless dedication to the company,” said Calcagno, adding he was “incredibly excited” about the future of the company.

“We have an exceptionally talented team at Piper Aircraft that is focused on taking decisive actions to transform the business, continuing to innovate our products in new and diverse ways, and unlocking future growth opportunities,” he said.