AAR, a provider of aviation services to commercial and government operators, MROs, and OEMs, announced that John Holmes, president and chief executive officer of AAR has been named chairman of the board of directors following the retirement of David Storch, who has been the company’s chairman for 18 years. Holmes will continue as president and CEO of the company.
Holmes joined AAR in 2001 as director of mergers and acquisitions. In 2003, Holmes moved into operations, becoming general manager of AAR’s parts supply business and progressively assuming responsibility of other businesses before being appointed as president and chief operating officer in 2017. In 2018, he was named president and chief executive officer of AAR, the third since the company’s founding in 1955.
Under Holmes’s leadership, AAR has achieved substantial growth in sales and profitability, while successfully navigating the company through the COVID-19 pandemic. As chairman, Holmes will focus on strategies to drive continued growth while maintaining the company’s strong culture and core values.
Storch, the second of the company’s only three CEOs, has served as a member of the board since 1989 and as chairman of the board of AAR since 2005. He retired as chief executive officer in 2018.
SSP Group names new CEO, UK & Ireland
SSP Group, an operator of food and beverage outlets in travel locations worldwide, announced that Kari Daniels has been appointed as CEO, UK & Ireland. Daniels succeeds Richard Lewis, who will step down from the role and depart the business at the end of the month following an orderly transition period. Daniels brings a wealth of relevant food retail experience, including more than 20 years at Tesco where she most recently spent four years as CEO of Tesco Ireland with responsibility for over 150 stores and more than 13,000 colleagues. Prior to this she was UK Commercial Director at Tesco. Daniels also currently serves as a Non-Executive Director at Topps Tiles. She has a track record of driving performance across Commercial and Marketing in both retail and branded FMCG businesses and will work with the UK leadership team to continue to accelerate growth and profit, build market leading food and beverage propositions, collaborate with our clients and brand partners, and shape the sustainability agenda.
Patrick Coveney, CEO of SSP Group, said: “We are delighted to welcome Kari to SSP. Her extensive knowledge and experience of both retail and food industries make her an ideal successor to Richard in the role, and I’m confident she will accelerate growth in our UK business by putting a clear focus on developing our customer offer and innovating our brands and concepts to cater for the changed world we now operate in. Kari joins at an exciting time for the Group as we continue to make strong progress in our recovery and deliver our growth strategy to further strengthen our market-leading positions in food travel markets globally. I would like to thank Richard for his invaluable contribution to the Group during his time in the role.”
For Editorial Inquiries Contact:
Editor Matt Driskill at matt.driskill@asianaviation.com
For Advertising Inquiries Contact:
Head of Sales Kay Rolland at kay.rolland@asianaviation.com
