PayCargo names chief design officer: PayCargo has appointed Amit Gairola as chief design officer, joining the executive team of the cargo payment platform as it continues its rapid global growth. He will be based in London from where he will lead a team focused on the product and strategy of PayCargo’s expansion in Europe, Middle East, and Asia. He will also have global responsibility for PayCargo’s data business. Gairola worked previously at Amazon for 10 years in a variety of general management, product and commercial roles, including most recently as general manager of Amazon Freight in Europe. He recently worked as chief executive for a new business opportunity in the sustainable fashion start-up, Pangaia. He has also previously worked in strategy consulting at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
TT Club appoints first CTO: Global freight and logistics insurer TT Club has named Kevin Blunsum as the company’s first chief technology officer. Blunsum is a member of the London-market insurance community and has held a variety of positions engaged in insurance technology development and change management with Deloitte, EY, Accenture, and more recently with Aspen Insurance as Director of Business Transformation. Blunsum will be working closely with Lisa Gibbard, the recently appointed CIO of TT Club’s management company, Thomas Miller to ensure alignment with other businesses in the group. Gibbard herself has career-long expertise in global IT and operations of global financial services organisations, in particular focussing on defining and implementing business lead technology strategies, driving innovation and operational risk management.
Jürgen Schwarz named RED aircraft’s new CEO: RED aircraft GmbH announced the appointment of Jürgen Schwarz as its new CEO. Schwarz, the head of commercial at RED aircraft, has prior experience promoting the numerous benefits of the RED A03 power plant. This will be something that he seeks to continue as he takes up his new position. In addition to this, he will also seek to expand RED’s operations on a wider scale. Schwarz replaces Dmitry Remsha as CEO, with Remsha now occupying the position of CFO, a position in which he had previously occupied until April 2020. In his new position, Schwarz will be responsible for the overall running of the company, alongside managing resources, marketing and acting as a point of contact between the board of directors and corporate operations. He will also be the face of the company as it becomes further established within the aviation industry. Upon taking up his appointment, Jürgen issued the following statement:
AMETEK Singapore names new director of operations: AMETEK Singapore has appointed Greg Mariotto as director of operations, Singapore. Focused on driving the facility to be best-in-class from an operational performance perspective, Mariotto will be responsible for production, engineering, purchasing, and quality. “I am pleased and excited to take on this new role at AMETEK MRO,” says Mariotto. “It is an opportunity to take our processes to the next level from an operational stand-point. Utilising quality management and business systems, such as AS9110, will help us achieve seamless connectivity between our business support functions and operations to benefit our customers.”
Etihad appoints HR chief: Etihad Airways has announced the appointment of Dr Nadia Bastaki as chief of human resources, organisational development and asset management officer, becoming the first-ever female chief at the national airline of the United Arab Emirates. Prior to this role, Dr Bastaki served as a key member of the human resources leadership team as vice president medical services since 2014, with responsibility for leading the aeromedical centre and ensuring the overall health and wellbeing of employees, as well as driving the diversity and inclusion, and corporate social responsibility programmes at Etihad Airways. Dr Bastaki joined the national airline in 2007, becoming the first female UAE national to specialise in aviation medicine, and has been a key figure in developing the Etihad Airways Medical Centre into a region-leading aeromedical centre. During the pandemic, Dr Bastaki played a central role in overseeing the airline’s health and safety response to the global crisis and directly coordinating with the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, the General Civil Aviation Authority and SEHA.
Avolon appoints chief people officer: Avolon, the international aircraft leasing company, announced that Ciara Ruane has joined the company to serve in the newly established role opf chief people officer (CPO). As CPO, Ruane will be responsible for leading Avolon’s people strategy, employee experience, rewards, retention, recruitment, diversity & inclusion, and leadership development and learning. In her role as CPO, Ruane will be a core member of Avolon’s executive leadership team, joining its Executive Committee. Ruane has over 20 years of HR experience working in strategic HR and effectiveness. Most recently, she served as group director of people and culture at Primark. Aside from the management of the day-to-day employment lifecycle, she was also responsible for the creation of its people strategy and the development of Primark’s People & Culture leadership team globally, ensuring best practice HR processes were embedded across Primark’s 15 markets for the benefit of its 80,000 employees.
Jet Aviation names EMEA SVP for regional ops: Jet Aviation announced the appointment of Jeremie Caillet to senior vice president regional operations Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Caillet serves as a member of the Jet Aviation leadership team and reports to Jet Aviation president David Paddock. He succeeds Stefan Benz who is leaving the company. In his new role, Caillet is responsible for EMEA operations, encompassing Completions, MRO, FBO, Aircraft Management and Charter, and the Middle East Joint Ventures. Caillet, who has over 15 years’ experience in the aerospace industry, joined Jet Aviation in 2008 and has held a number of roles within engineering, key account management, project management, operations and most recently, as vice president VIP completions. Caillet’s career began at Dassault Falcon Jet in the US. He holds a Master Engineering Degree from Estaca, France, and a Master of Science in Aircraft Design from Linköping University, Sweden.
CALC appoints group general counsel: China Aircraft Leasing Group announced the appointment of Nigel Goldsworthy as group general counsel, legal & contracts management. As a highly recognised legal professional with over 30 years of extensive experiences in multicultural settings and various sectors including aviation, asset finance and leasing, Goldsworthy has accumulated a robust track record in leading best-in-class legal functions in complex global business operations. In his new role, Goldsworthy will provide strategic legal counsel to senior management of the group, overseeing the group’s legal functions, and heading the Legal & Contracts Management team to enrich the group’s legal and contracts management framework, and is responsible for all legal and contractual matters in CALC’s global businesses.
ASG welcomes ASA accredited appraiser: Asian Sky Group (ASG) announced that its Consulting Manager Michael Hui has passed all the relevant exams to become a Senior Accredited Appraiser by the American Society of Appraisers (ASA). To become fully accredited as a Senior Appraiser takes at least five years (10,000 hours) of full-time appraisal experience. Candidates also have to complete a one-year (120 hour) educational course, as well as passing aircraft speciality and ethics exams. Hui becomes only the 11th fully accredited Senior Appraiser to be based in the Asia-Pacific region. Hui joined ASG in 2018 from Cirium, where his responsibilities included appraising commercial and freighter aircraft. “Certain institutions and even clients themselves in Asia feel more confident and that they are in good hands if they can use an accredited organization or individual which takes away any doubts regarding business practices. This was one of the primary reasons ASG became an accredited aircraft dealer with IADA. In the same vein and to enhance our client relationships even further, having Michael become a Senior Accredited Appraiser with ASA means clients can put their trust in us.” Said Jeffrey C. Lowe, CEO, Asian Sky Group and Asian Sky Media.
Caeli Nova strengthens leadership team with new CFO: Breathing technology developer Caeli Nova is further strengthening its leadership team with the appointment of Victoria Salter as the company’s chief financial officer (CFO). Salter brings more than a decade’s experience in financial strategy leadership. Prior to joining Caeli Nova, she worked at Ernst & Young, where she held a variety of roles including CFO for EY-Seren, service line global finance lead and business modelling lead for the health sector. Salter’s responsibilities at Caeli Nova will focus on leading and developing the finance team, owning the company’s business model, overseeing shareholder management and supporting the organisation to deliver commercial contracts. In addition to her years at EY, Salter spent time at Rolls-Royce in civil, turbines and helicopters and as a member of the Rolls-Royce strategy and corporate development team in the United Kingdom and United States.
CEO of Pegasus Airlines becomes new chair of IATA board: Mehmet Nane, CEO of Pegasus Airlines, has been appointed chair of the IATA Board of Governors at The International Air Transport Association’s 77th Annual General Assembly, to commence his term in June 2022. Nane, who will serve as the first Turkish Chair of the IATA Board of Governors, will commence his term at the 78th Annual General Assembly to be held in Shanghai on 19-21 June 2022, succeeding the current Chair of the Board of Governors Robin Hayes. Nane will serve until the conclusion of the 79th Annual General Assembly in 2023. With this appointment, Nane will also become a Member of the IATA’s Chair Committee and this Chair Committee Membership will last three terms as an elected, active and former Chair of the Board of Governors.
TrueNoord welcomes new technical manager: TrueNoord, the specialist regional aircraft lessor, announced the appointment of Stephen Spillane to the position of technical manager, reporting to Richard Jacobs, chief commercial officer. Joining the Dublin team, Spillane will provide technical support worldwide and further enhance TrueNoord’s technical services in Dublin. Throughout his career, Spillane’s experience across multiple roles has gained him significant knowledge and understanding in the technical and managerial aspects of the aviation industry. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he secured multiple transfers of ownerships and registration changes for GECAS’ B737 Cargo Programme, and successfully engineered the management of GECAS’ first delivery. This new role within the dynamic regional aircraft leasing sector will provide the platform where he can further develop his experience in the technical management of leased aircraft.
Hermes Logistics Technologies expands India team: Hermes Logistics Technologies (HLT), IT solutions provider to the global air cargo industry, has made four recent appointments to its India Product Team, growing its talent pool in the region. The new members of HLT’s India Product Team are Gulshan Kataria, Divya Gulati, Rohit Bhadbhade, and Ganesh Waydande. The Hermes India Product Team was officially created earlier this year, in line with HLT’s ongoing commitment to the growth of its product team, in order to provide better service and solutions to its customers. The India Product Team is now located across both Pune in Maharashtra and New Delhi; prior to the creation of this team, HLT’s presence in India was through its Pune office only, with a focus on development and quality control. Pune is an important area of India for technology, while New Delhi is a key region for cargo. The India time zone, meanwhile, increases HLT’s ability to support its growing number of customers in Asia.
Barfield appoints VP: Barfield Inc., a subsidiary of Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) in the Americas, recently appointed Sebastien Losy to the position of Vice President of Ground Support Test Equipment (GSTE), Trading and Distribution. He will have the main responsibility of leading, expanding, and solidifying Barfield stance as a leader in the design, manufacturing and repair of highly reliable, user-friendly, and innovative test equipment. He will also oversee Trading and Distribution to optimize the sale of LRU and piece parts (surplus), as well as to solidify Barfield’s current relationships with European OEMs and to expand their network throughout the Americas. Losy joined Barfield almost 20 years ago and has held different positions including Marketing, Communication, Business Development, Intra-group Sales & Marketing (Airbus, ATR, EADS, Sogerma, Sabena technics, Boeing and Air France-KLM Group), Pricing & Proposal Management, and most recently, Transformation and Innovation.
Cargo iQ names new executive director: Cargo iQ has named Lothar Moehle as its new Executive Director. Moehle brings over four decades of experience in the air cargo and logistics sectors, including senior positions at UPS and DB Schenker. He was also one of the founding fathers of Cargo 2000, the original name for Cargo iQ when it was launched in 1997. “Cargo iQ is one of the few organisations in the industry with all stakeholders working together on transparency, visibility and quality improvement, and I join the leadership team as we look to drive the organization in new directions, to achieve our ultimate goal of a quality-driven global supply chain,” said Moehle. “The last 18 months have taught us, more than ever, to embrace digitalization for a seamless and transparent supply chain. Collaboration is key to us achieving that as an industry, and Cargo iQ provides a vital platform to achieve that collaboration.”
Jetcraft Commercial expands in Asia: Jetcraft Commercial, the commercial aircraft division of global aircraft trading firm Jetcraft, announced the appointment of Christophe Potocki as Vice President of Sales. Based in Singapore, Potocki will support Jetcraft’s global commercial activity with a focus on the Asia region. He brings 20 years of commercial aviation experience to his role, most recently serving as Head of Asia-Pacific for Avions de Transport Regional (ATR) where he coordinated deals for over 20 percent of all aircraft sales. Raphaël Haddad, President of Jetcraft Commercial, says: “As we continue to broaden our international footprint, it is crucial for us to have the right team on hand to propel commercial deals throughout Asia and beyond. Potocki’s impressive aircraft sales experience and skills in marketing, strategy and customer support deliver a promising mix for our continued growth in global commercial activity. We are confident his appointment will be influential for the team.”
ST Engineering appoints president of ST Engineering North America: ST Engineering has named Timothy (Tim) J. McBride as President of ST Engineering North America Inc., its U.S. headquarters in Alexandria, VA. The U.S. is the Group’s single largest market outside of Singapore, and contributes about a quarter of total revenue. He spent more than 30 years at multinational public companies and government agencies, including the White House, holding senior positions that contributed to the strategic and commercial success of the organisations that he served,” said Vincent Chong, Group President & CEO of ST Engineering. “We will benefit from Tim’s strong set of credentials, expertise and experience as we continue to deliver on our strategic agenda for long-term value creation in the U.S.” ST Engineering has been operating in the U.S. since 2001, with major operations in 16 cities in 12 states, and employing about 5,000 people. In early October 2021, the Group announced the US$2.68b proposed acquisition of TransCore, further reinforcing the U.S. as a key growth market.
Burrana appoints CEO: IFE company Burrana announced the appointment of Graham Macdonald as Chief Executive Officer. Macdonald brings 30 years of aerospace experience with 15 years in the IFE industry, including Rockwell Collins from which the commercial IFE business was acquired in early 2019 to form Burrana. Macdonald’s extensive experience managing multi-site, multi-national operations and background integrating acquisitions provide a strong foundation for leading Burrana through the industry recovery and eventual return to normalcy. Macdonald said, “I am excited to have been chosen by the board for this role and look forward to embracing the challenges ahead. I am inheriting from Neal a strong team and competitive product range. Our immediate focus is of course continuing to navigate COVID-19’s impact on the industry and coming out of these challenging times strong and ready to compete.”
AAR names VP, chief ethics and compliance officer: AAR announced that Lori Knudson has joined the company as Vice President, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer. Knudson will report to Jessica Garascia, AAR Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, and will be responsible for oversight of AAR’s compliance function. Knudson was most recently with Aegion Corporation, serving as Senior Vice President, Compliance, Risk and Internal Audit, where she was responsible for overseeing enterprise risk management and global compliance. Knudson began her career as an attorney with the law firm of Thomson Coburn. She holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Rochester and a juris doctorate from St. Louis University School of Law.
Lufthansa Technik names head of Americas corporate sales: Georgios Ouzounidis has been appointed Vice President Corporate Sales for the Americas, effective 1 January 2022. He will succeed Frank Berweger, who will be leaving the company to take on a new challenge outside the Lufthansa Group. Ouzounidis began his career in the sales support department of Lufthansa Technik in 1999 and has held several positions within the company since then. Corporate Sales for Western Europe has been under his leadership since 2015. Ouzounidis will move with his family from Hamburg / Germany to Miami / USA and completes Lufthansa Technik’s corporate sales senior leadership team.
AirAsia Group names chief commercial officer: AirAsia Group announced that it has appointed former adidas executive Colin Currie, as its Chief Commercial Officer, who will develop a consumer centric strategy using data to optimise growth and meet the financial objectives across AirAsia’s airlines and digital units. As the former Managing Director of adidas Asia-Pacific, covering Greater China, South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia and Pacific countries, Currie was responsible for making adidas one of the hottest consumer brands in the region, growing the company’s revenue fivefold in Greater China and narrowing the market share gap from fourth to head-to-head market leadership. He was also credited for improving the brand’s operating model and leading the regional market to record-breaking growth.
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