Mahr Announces the Appointment of John Roberts as General Manager, Sales

 Mahr Inc., a global manufacturer of precision measurement equipment used for dimensional metrology, announced that John Roberts has joined the company as general manager, sales, covering the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and BrazilIn addition to field sales, he will oversee Mahr’s Engineered Solutions business as well as marketing, product management, applications engineering, service, customer resource center, and distribution teams. 

Roberts brings more than 30 years of experience in the industrial automation sector. He joins Mahr from B&R Industrial Automation, a member of the ABB Group, where he served in a series of progressively senior sales management positions, including managing director of growth markets, senior vice president of sales, and finally, as global product group manager for HMI. 

Throughout his career, Roberts has demonstrated exceptional proficiency in product management, sales, and business development. His deep understanding of industrial control technology has been instrumental in enhancing product quality and performance, along with his commitment to driving growth and innovation in global markets. “John’s leadership skills and strategic vision have consistently resulted in enhanced performance, revenue growth, and market expansion. He is an advocate for digital transformation and is passionate about delivering customer-centric solutions that optimize industrial processes,” a company press release said.

Aviation Institute of Maintenance School Group Names Dr. Joel A. English as President 

Virginia Beach-based Aviation Institute of Maintenance (AIM), Centura College and Tidewater Tech announced the appointment of Dr. Joel A. English as president, only the second to serve in this capacity over the institution’s 55-year history. English has served as the institutions’ executive vice president since 2020, and he has functioned as vice president of operations, regional director, and campus executive director since 2003. Before his tenure at the institutions, Dr. English was an assistant professor of professional writing at Old Dominion University. He holds a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition from Ball State University and an M.A. and B.A. from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. 
 
Gerald Yagen, the schools’ founder and former president, will continue to serve as chairman of the board. Yagen started the company in 1969 as an employment agency and added workforce development training programs throughout the 1970s and 1980s to promote careers in Virginia and throughout the country. Under his presidency, he grew the schools to 1,000 employees and 5,700 students nationwide. Commenting on English’s promotion to president, Yagen emphasized, “Now is the ideal time to implement a plan for the next generation of leadership. Dr. English has been a dynamic leader within the communities we serve nationwide for the past 20 years. He has built our name and reputation as an important source of certified aircraft mechanics for airlines and aircraft manufacturers worldwide, and he has led our schools in Virginia to produce Welders, Wind Turbine Technicians, Electricians, Medical Assistants, HVAC Technicians, and other professionals for local industry.”   
 
Over the past eight years, Dr. English has built AIM from 11 to 15 campuses, which is more locations than any other FAA-certified institution, according to the Aviation Main, mayor of Norfolk, Virginia who also serves as the institutions’ Chancellor, stated, “Dr. English is a champion for the communities he serves and for the students who enter the doors of our institutions. His passion for education and spirit of giving are what compelled me to join the schools in 2021, and I look forward to continuing to serve side by side with him.” Dr. English’s immediate plans for the organization include the ribbon cutting ceremony at the grand opening of AIM’s newest campus in Phoenix, Arizona on February 7th and enhancing the institutions’ occupational programs in renewable energies.  
 

West Star Aviation Announces Sharp as New Citation Program Manager (ALN)

West Star is pleased to announce Raymond Sharp as the new program manager for Citation at their East Alton, IL (ALN) facility.  Raymond’s responsibilities will include upholding regulatory, safety and quality standards.

Raymond has over 25 years of aviation experience, previously with Standard Aero. Twenty-three of those years were in customer service, making him well equipped to ensure top-tier customer experience. He previously held positions as a senior tech, crew lead and director of operations. 

“Raymond’s aviation expertise included 12 years of coordinating off-site services in a managerial aspect, making him a key contributor to this team thus playing a pivotal role in overseeing our projects for our valued customers” said Brian Bauwens, general manager (ALN).

Cutter Aviation Promotes Anna Cutter to Flight Department Director

Cutter Aviation announced the promotion of Anna Cutter to its flight department director. In this position she will oversee operations, establish key operational metrics and develop and implement initiatives for market and fleet expansion.

Cutter has been an integral part of Cutter Aviation since joining as the Texas charter and sales coordinator. “Her leadership and strong work ethic have been essential to the growth of the charter department. Life-long exposure to the aviation industry along with her previous experience, makes Anna an excellent fit for this new role,” the company says.

Missing Aircraft Mechanic Found Dead

An aircraft mechanic, Suren Seetal of Florida, that had been missing since early November was later found dead – the result of a homicide. Authorities believe he was killed for trying to collect $315,000 he was owed. Seetal was last seen alive on Nov. 2 when he was leaving work. His family reported him missing when he didn’t come home, return to work for his next shift or answer phone calls. His body was found two weeks later on Big Cypress Reservation.

Three men were charged with kidnapping and murdering the 36-year-old, the United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Florida said in a statement in mid-December.

29-year-old Somjeet Christopher “Lil Chris” Singh, 24-year-old Avin “Smalls” Seetaram, and 18-year-old Gavin Hunter have all been charged with murder for hire conspiracy, murder for hire, kidnapping conspiracy, kidnapping and obstruction of justice.

A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida charged Avin Seetaram, a/k/a “Smalls,” 24, Somjeet Christopher Singh, a/k/a “Lil Chris,” 29, and Gavin Hunter, 18, all of Broward County, with “murder for hire conspiracy, murder for hire, kidnapping conspiracy, kidnapping, and obstruction of justice, for their involvement in a violent kidnapping and murder of Miami-Dade resident Suren Seetal.”

According to allegations contained in the previously filed criminal complaint and the indictment, Seetal was last seen alive on November 2, 2023, when he was leaving work. After leaving work, Seetal’s telephone was in the vicinity of Dr. HVAC, Singh’s air conditioning business, before going off network shortly thereafter. Seetal’s body was recovered at Big Cypress Reservation on November 21, 2023.    

Anyone with information regarding this matter is encouraged to call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

RTX Names Christopher T. Calio to Succeed Gregory J. Hayes as CEO

In a planned leadership transition, RTX recently announced thatChristopher T. Calio, president and chief operating officer, will succeed Gregory J. Hayes as chief executive officer at the 2024 RTX Annual Shareowners Meeting scheduled for May 2. Hayes will continue to serve as executive chairman of RTX. Calio was also appointed to the company’s board of directors effective mid-December.

“Today’s announcement reflects the Board’s deliberate, disciplined succession planning process,” said chairman and CEO Greg Hayes. “Chris has a deep understanding of the industry, our customers’ needs and our operations. I have every confidence in his ability to lead RTX and drive the company’s long-term success.” 

“Greg has had a remarkable career leading RTX, his vision to transform from a conglomerate to a top global aerospace and defense company has created tremendous value for shareowners, employees and our nation,” said Fredric G. Reynolds, Board lead director.  “The Board looks forward to Greg’s continued influence and leadership as executive chairman.”

“The Board is very pleased to have Chris Calio succeed Greg Hayes as RTX CEO,” added Reynolds. “Chris has been disciplined in leading the company’s operations and strategic growth strategy. We look forward to working with and supporting Chris as he leads RTX to continued growth and success.” 

“I deeply value the Board’s confidence in me and am grateful for the opportunity to lead the RTX team forward,” said Chris Calio. “I am honored to succeed Greg, who has built the best positioned portfolio in aerospace and defense.  As a leadership team, we are focused on driving operational excellence and accelerating technological innovation as we deliver on the record backlog of customer demand and meet shareowner expectations.”

As president and chief operating officer of RTX, Calio, 50, oversees the company’s three business units, as well as its functions for technology, engineering, enterprise services, digital, operations, quality, supply chain, and environment, health and safety. In 2023, Calio oversaw the realignment of RTX from four to three business segments: Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney and Raytheon. Prior to his current role, Calio was president of Pratt & Whitney, where he led the business that designs, manufactures and services aircraft engines and auxiliary power units. He joined the company in 2005 and held various leadership roles and drove significant transformational change throughout his tenure.

Responsible for leading 180,000 employees and $67 billion in annual sales, Hayes, 63, has been instrumental in creating a global organization focused on delivering innovative products and solutions for a safer, more connected world. 

Elected chairman of the board in 2021, Hayes had a nearly 21-year career at United Technologies Corporation, holding several senior leadership roles across finance, corporate strategy and business development, culminating with his appointment to chief executive officer in 2014 and chairman in 2016. As CEO, Hayes led the reshaping of UTC from industrial conglomerate to a focused aerospace company. Beginning with the divestiture of Sikorsky Aircraft in 2015 and the acquisition of Rockwell Collins in 2018, Hayes continued to focus the business with the spinoffs of Otis Elevator Company and Carrier Corporation in 2020. Hayes then led the merger of UTC’s remaining aerospace businesses, Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace Systems, with Raytheon Company, to form RTX in April 2020. 

New Head of Boeing Global Services Announced

Boeing has announced Chris Raymond as president and chief executive officer of Boeing Global Services (BGS). Raymond will succeed Stephanie Pope, who was recently named Boeing chief operating officer. Brian Moran has been named Boeing’s chief sustainability officer, succeeding Raymond. The appointments are effective Jan. 1, 2024.

Boeing today announced Chris Raymond as president and chief executive officer of Boeing Global Services (BGS). (Photo: Boeing)

As president and CEO of Boeing Global Services, Raymond will lead all aspects of the company’s aerospace services business supporting commercial, government and aviation industry customers worldwide. BGS had 2022 revenue of $17.6 billion. Raymond will report to Pope and continue to serve on Boeing’s Executive Council.

“Chris brings more than 30 years of Boeing expertise in nearly every aspect of our operations, and has strong employee, customer and supplier connections across our commercial and government markets,” said Pope. “I’m confident he will continue the strong operational performance with our services team and remain focused on delivering on our customer commitments.”

Brian Moran has been named Boeing’s chief sustainability officer, succeeding Raymond. (Photo: Boeing)

As Boeing’s chief sustainability officer, Moran will be responsible for advancing Boeing’s sustainability efforts, focused on aerospace sustainability priorities, stakeholder-oriented reporting, industry-wide partnerships and company performance to achieve key sustainability goals. Based in Boeing’s Amsterdam office, Moran will report to Dave Calhoun, Boeing president and CEO, as well as to the Governance & Public Policy committee of the Boeing Board of Directors. He will also serve on Boeing’s Executive Council.

“With more than 20 years of Boeing service, Brian has wide-ranging expertise within nearly every aspect of our operations and businesses, including a deep understanding of and commitment to our partners and stakeholders around the globe,” said Calhoun. “Sustainability is a key priority at Boeing, and I am confident under Brian’s leadership, our team will continue to elevate our focus and enable our company and our industry to achieve a more sustainable aerospace future.”  

Chris Raymond has been serving as Boeing’s chief sustainability officer since October 2020. Prior, Raymond was the vice president of Sustainability, Strategy and Corporate Development. He previously led Autonomous Systems within Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS), as well as other BDS business segments and BDS business development and strategy. Raymond began his career as an engineer and has held leadership assignments in engineering, supply chain management, program management, strategy and operations across Boeing.

Brian Moran has been serving as vice president, Global Sustainability Policy & Partnerships for Boeing. He leads a diverse, global team that elevates and showcases Boeing’s focus on sustainability, which includes informing the global policy landscape and deepening partnerships to advance Boeing’s sustainability objectives, such as the scaling of sustainable aviation fuels. Brian has held leadership roles in Boeing’s commercial and defense businesses, in communications and in government affairs and has been based with the company in St. Louis, Washington DC, London, Seattle, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago and Amsterdam.

Eaton Names John Sapp President, Aerospace Group; Nanda Kumar to Retire

Eaton recently announced that John Sapp has joined the company effective December 4, 2023. He will succeed Nanda Kumar as the president of Eaton’s Aerospace Group upon Kumar’s retirement on March 31, 2024. Sapp will report to Paulo Ruiz, president and chief operating officer, Industrial Sector, and will join Eaton’s senior leadership team.

“Nanda is an exceptional leader who inspires and motivates others with his passion for our mission and deep expertise across our businesses,” said Ruiz. “I want to express my gratitude to Nanda for his invaluable contributions to the company and congratulate him on his retirement.”

Sapp joins Eaton from Collins Aerospace, where he most recently served as vice president and general manager of Strategic Solutions for Mission Systems. Before this role, he was the vice president and general manager of the Integrated Solutions business and prior to that, vice president of Commercial Aftermarket Sales and Support. Before joining Collins in 2018, Sapp held leadership roles with GE Aviation and was an F-15C fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force. He also attended and later served as an instructor at the U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School.

AerFin Appoints Paul Ashcroft as Senior Vice President – Asia Pacific

AerFin recently announced the appointment of Paul Ashcroft in a newly created role of SVP –  Asia Pacific.

Paul is an industry veteran with more than 30 years’ service in wide ranging technical and commercial functions. After starting his career at GE Wales, where he led the powerplant technical support of CFM56 engines with Asia Pacific customers and trained as a Six-Sigma Black Belt, he moved to hold leadership positions in Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong, where he was part of the aircraft trading team and responsible for the engineering aspects of lease transitions. Within Rolls Royce Civil Aerospace, as chief of service engineer, he led a large team improving operational reliability, enhancing customer technical support, and optimizing life cycle cost of the worldwide RB211 and Trent fleets; he also supported the expansion of operations into Singapore. Most recently he was head of engineering services in Rolls Royce Defence leading international teams and ensuring customers’ in-service needs were met.

In this new position Ashcroft will be responsible for growing AerFin’s presence across the region, nurturing a high performance culture environment, and developing and executing the company’s revenue objectives. He will also be helping set out the vision for AerFin’s growth and long-term partnership opportunities with our existing and future customer base.

AerFin’s chief commercial officer, James Bennett, said, “I am delighted to secure Paul’s services. Not only is he hugely knowledgeable and respected with relationships cultivated over the years, none more so than in Asia Pacific, but he’s also a proven people leader with extensive experience of developing  high performing teams, which will be key for us as we build presence in region.”

Kellstrom Aerospace Group Announces John McKirdy as Chief Commercial Officer

Aviation Life-Cycle Cost Management Solutions provider, Kellstrom Aerospace Group announced that it has named John McKirdy as chief commercial officer. Under his new role, McKirdy will leverage his extensive experience and proven track record of providing cost-effective aviation aftermarket services and solutions to afford Kellstrom’s customers greater visibility and access to its unique mix of products and services.

“Kellstrom Aerospace Group has expanded its suite of commercial aviation aftermarket solutions and has experienced tremendous growth in the past several years. Organizing the sales organization under John’s leadership will increase our ability to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations,” said Oscar Torres, Kellstrom Group’s CEO. “Centralizing customer touch points to promote Kellstrom’s complete value proposition is key to our growth and customer focus strategy.”

“The professionalism, commitment and strength of the people within our organization is world class and one I am very privileged to lead at this pivotal time in the growth of our company,” said John McKirdy. “Our Team recognizes that in the current and future marketplace, the Kellstrom Group has tremendous opportunity to enhance customer value with our suite of aviation solutions. Continuing our journey to broaden our presence globally through effective and efficient sales activity and operational excellence is to key to our customers’ success and remains a focus of our organization.”

McKirdy most recently served as SVP, Technical Services Group for Kellstrom. Prior to that, he has held various executive and senior commercial and operations roles at Wencor Group, Chromalloy, and Air Canada. McKirdy has an MBA from The John Molson School of Business Concordia University, Montreal Canada.