Category: About People

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.

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.”

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.

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.”

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.

Florida Trend Magazine has once again featured STS Aviation Group‘s CEO, Philip Anson Jr., citing him as one of the Sunshine State’s most influential business leaders. This marks the fifth time in the past six years that Anson has been honored with the accolade.

Anson is quick to deflect the spotlight from himself, opting to shine it on the entire STS Aviation Group team. In his response, he underscored the collective effort behind this prestigious recognition. “To be acknowledged for your contributions is undeniably a special moment, but I must emphasize that this honor is not mine alone,” Anson said. “The entire STS Aviation Group team deserves credit for this achievement. I view myself as a guide and mentor for our talented professionals, working tirelessly to chart a course that propels STS Aviation Group into a bright and promising future.”

Anson spoke about the challenges that have marked the past three years, noting the exceptional resilience and dedication of his colleagues. With humility and pride, he emphasized that while his name may be the one on the award, it belongs to the cohesive and committed STS Aviation Group family. “While the award bears my name, it is, in fact, a tribute to the exceptional individuals who collectively mold STS Aviation Group into the close-knit family we are today,” Anson said.

The recognition of Philip Anson Jr.’s leadership by Florida Trend Magazine serves as a testament to the unity, dedication, and innovative spirit that define STS Aviation Group’s culture, the company said.

Etihad Engineering has appointed Daniel Hoffmann as its new chief executive officer. Hoffman brings to Etihad Engineering more than 20 years of hands-on experience in the global aviation industry, having led Lufthansa Technik Sofia in Bulgaria as its CEO, and served in executive roles in Lufthansa Technik Base Maintenance facilities in Germany and the Philippines.

His expertise ranges from organizational leadership and change management to standardization of core business functions and business efficiency through optimum resource utilization, as well as a successful track record of leading growth projects and negotiating joint venture partnerships.

“We are excited to have Daniel on board with Etihad Engineering as the CEO and I am confident that he will continue to drive the company’s growth and success,” said Abdul Khaliq Saeed, who has moved from the CEO role of Etihad Engineering to the position of managing director within an aviation group.

“Etihad Engineering is one of the leading players in the aviation MRO industry, known for its workmanship, professionalism and comprehensive capabilities. I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with its global team drawn from over 50 nationalities and look forward to leading the organization on our growth journey,” said Hoffmann.

Etihad Engineering has delivered comprehensive MRO solutions to hundreds of airlines including flag carriers, OEMs, aircraft operators and leasing companies in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and Australia over three decades. The company recently expanded its site area, adding more parking and hangar space to meet its growing business, and covers a total area of 545,000 sqm. Two new hangars are being built with three bays to carry out freighter conversions, expand the existing hangar capacity and serve more aircraft and customers from around the world.

Southwest Airlines recently announced Jon Stephens has been promoted from managing director fleet management to vice president fleet management and provides strategic direction and oversight of the management of the Southwest Airlines fleet plan. In this role, he is responsible for leading Southwest Airlines’ aircraft and engine fleet strategy and executing all fleet related transactions.

Stephens began his aviation career at Southwest in 1999 in Finance. He spent the first half of his career in Financial Planning & Analysis in various Leadership roles supporting many departments throughout the Company, serving as Financial Controller supporting the Tech Ops organization until 2012. In 2012, He moved to Tech Ops to lead the Fleet Transactions Team. Since then, his roles have included director fleet transactions, senior director fleet management and managing director fleet management. Prior to Southwest, he held various positions in Leadership and operations with Union Pacific Railroad.

He has a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Texas at Austin. He and his wife Kristin reside in Waxahachie, Texas, and have two children, a son Evan and daughter Makayla.

Stephens says he prides himself on cultivating a collaborative team environment built on trust that is passionate about winning together.