United Technologies (UTC) appointed Robert “Bob” Leduc president of Sikorsky, succeeding Mick Maurer. Mauer was promoted to the newly created position of UTC senior vice president of strategic projects. Leduc led a number of companies during his 35-year aerospace career, including the large commercial engines business at UTC subsidiary Pratt & Whitney.
Fang Liu was elected the next secretary general of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) effective August 1, making her the first woman and the first Chinese national to lead the United Nations aviation body. Liu had spent two decades with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) before joining ICAO in 2007 as director of the Bureau of Administration and Services.
John Gawsyszawski was appointed CEO of Pacific Aerospace Resources & Technologies. He joined the company last year as COO after serving as vice president of business development for Air Services.
National Air Traffic Controllers Association president Paul Rinaldi and executive vice president Trish Gilbert were each elected to a third term that runs through Aug. 31, 2018. They became the first two to run as a team in 2009 and are the first two in the association’s history to hold the respective positions for three terms. Rinaldi, a 16-year controller at Washington Dulles Tower, was executive vice president from 2006-2009. Gilbert spent 21 years as a controller at Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center.
Mauro Moretti was selected as president of the AeroSpace and Defense Industries Association of Europe (ASD). Moretti has been CEO and general manager of Finmeccanica Group since May last year.
Jet Aviation Basel appointed Ruedi Kraft vice president of completions business development and Matthew Woollaston to succeed him as vice president of completions sales and marketing. Kraft has served with Jet Aviation for more than 25 years, and he joined the Basel completions center in 2011. Woollaston joined Jet Aviation Basel in March last year from a New Zealand-based firm, where he led the company’s VIP completions business for five years.
Textron Aviation appointed Doug May vice president of piston aircraft. May, who is responsible for both Beechcraft and Cessna piston-engine aircraft, most recently was director of engineering flight-test and experimental operations for all Cessna and Beechcraft products. He has also held positions with Kohlman Systems Research and Bombardier Learjet.
Airbus Group named John Harrison to become group general counsel in June, consolidating the responsibilities of corporate secretary, general counsel and ethics and compliance. Currently, Harrison serves as group general counsel of Technip in Paris. Airbus also appointed Pierre de Bausset president of Airbus Group India as of June 1. De Bausset has served as corporate secretary since 2008.
Gulfstream Aerospace named Leda Chong senior v-p of strategic planning. Formerly senior v-p Asia-Pacific for Gulfstream, Chong joined Gulfstream parent General Dynamics in 2007 as a director of government relations. The company also appointed Lee Anne Tait vice president of quality. Tait has more than 30 years’ experience in the aerospace and defense sectors, beginning with McDonnell Douglas’s quality group in 1983.
Executive AirShare promoted Michael McMillan to the newly created position of senior vice president of sales and marketing. Previously regional vice president of sales, McMillan has served as president and CEO of S-Tec, president of Aircraft Travel Solutions (a company he founded), vice president of sales and marketing for Piaggio America and regional vice president for Raytheon Aircraft.
Amy Koranda retired from the National Air Transportation Association March 31 as vice president of operations after spending 17 years with the association. Koranda also served as president of ASAP Passports and Visas, worked with the National Association of State Aviation Officials Center for Aviation Research and Education, and managed the 5010 airports program for AOPA.
Kathy Perfetti rejoined the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) as senior advisor, regulatory affairs. Perfetti, who served from 2007 to 2011, also has spent 29 years with the FAA, acting as a primary driver behind the agency’s “One Level of Safety” rule, which raised standards for regional airlines.
Dennis Moore joined Advantage Aviation Technologies as president. Moore has 25 years of executive operations experience, having held leadership roles with Rubbermaid and Pet Mate.
Cutter Aviation named Michael Brasier general manager of its El Paso, Texas FBO. Brasier has 30 years of business aviation experience, having held roles with Hughes Aviation Services, Signature Flight Support, Mercury Air Centers and most recently with Bob Hoover Jet Center.
Thierry Casale was appointed senior v-p of ATR’s newly created programs directorate. Casale joined ATR in 2005 and most recently was senior v-p of operations.
Russell Coldiron joined Spirit Avionics as purchasing/material control manager. Coldiron has more than three decades in aviation purchasing and supply chain management, including a stint as director of materials for NetJets.
Merritt “Keith” Thogmartin has joined the Spirit Aeronautics quality control team. A 35-year industry veteran, Thogmartin has served as director of maintenance for Corporate Wings and Capital City Jet Center and vice president of technical services for Business Aircraft Group and director of maintenance for Capital City Jet Center. The company also promoted Charles (Mike) Evans to lead technician in the maintenance production department. A long-time employee, Evans joined Spirit Aeronautics after serving as an avionics technician on Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knights in Iraq for the U.S. Marines. John Becan was named production supervisor for the maintenance, avionics and interiors production teams. Becan has held management positions with Gulfstream Aerospace (formerly KC Aviation), Associated Air Center and Comlux America. Reid Antonacchio was named regional sales manager for the North American North Central Region. He previously worked at Eagle Creek Aviation Services, Avidyne and Gogo Business Aviation.
Scott Nordstrom was promoted to senior v-p of sales and marketing for Zenith Aviation. Formerly vice president of corporate sales and services for AvCraft Support Services, Nordstrom joined Zenith in September 2013 as director of business development.
Investec appointed Konrad Blocher strategic aviation analyst in its Dublin aviation finance office. Blocher previously served as senior v-p of risk modeling at SMBC Aviation Capital.
Gregor Bremer was appointed COO at OHS Aviation Services. Bremer previously spent 10 years with Beechcraft Berlin.
MNX Global Logistics named Jan Willem van ‘t Riet senior v-p for the EMEA region and global aviation, Lori Mildren vice president of sales and marketing and Larry Glasscock senior v-p for global accounts.
Aircraft Interior Products named Rick Richardson national sales manager. Richardson has a 27-year background in aviation design and engineering, including stints with Bombardier Aerospace, Dassault Falcon Jet, Advent Aerospace and R2 Aerospace.
Yuval Hadaya joined GrandView Aviation as director of operations. Hadaya previously worked for Heliflite and Associated Aircraft Group.
Dave McGrath joined VIH Aerospace as director of sales, marketing and business development. McGrath brings a range of industry experience to his new role, from aircraft maintenance technician and instructor to leading marketing and business strategy initiatives for MRO providers.
Bell Helicopter appointed Ron Orndoff regional sales manager in North America, with responsibilities for the Northeast. Orndoff brings more than 30 years of aviation experience to Bell’s North American team, eight of which were spent as a customer service engineer in Bell’s Northeast U.S. region.
Baker Aviation named Willard Kelley chief inspector/quality manager. Kelley has served as vice president of operations for Seven Bar Flying Service and as a quality-control inspector for Dallas Airmotive, Business Jet Access and Advantage Aviation Technologies.
Tampa International Jet Center (TIJC) promoted Julie Silberman to director of customer service and sales. Silberman has overseen TIJC’s customer service front-counter team and direct sales efforts. TIJC also promoted Corey Cline to manager of line service. Cline has taken charge of line operations for the FBO over the last year.
Spectrum Aeromed hired Nisa Rajput as an account representative. Rajput will support both the domestic and military and government senior sales representatives.
The Flying Musicians Association (FMA) named five members to a newly formed advisory board: Leonard Assante, associate professor of communication at Volunteer State Community College near Nashville; Ian Blair Fries, an orthopedic and hand surgeon and senior FAA aviation medical examiner; Tim Kern, aviation writer and former manufacturer CEO; Lee Ross, commercial pilot and aircraft owner; and Paul Shuch, singer, songwriter and scientist.
Frank DeFeo joined DAC International as director of business development. A retired officer with the U.S. Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, he has held roles in flight operations, program management, corporate and military sales, logistics and business development.
Kerry Porter was named director of claims for United States Aircraft Insurance Group (USAIG). Porter, who is relocating to the company’s home office in New York, has held a number of legal and claims positions during his 26 years with USAIG.
Duncan Aviation appointed three new team leaders within its Engine Rapid Response network: Joe Stubbs, a 10-year Duncan employee, is the team leader based in Atlanta; Mike Bruhn, who has served as a technician in flight departments and repair stations, is based in Chicago; and Regis Biarrieta, who has been with Duncan for four years, is in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Air Astana appointed Simon Rickman sales and marketing manager for the UK and Ireland. Rickman has nearly three decades of airline sales and marketing experience.
Awards & Honors
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) recently presented the 2014 Joseph B. Hartranft Jr. Award to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.). Shuster was recognized for “his unparalleled work on behalf of general aviation in the U.S. Congress,” the association said. The award is presented annually to government officials who have made significant contributions to the advancement of general aviation. Shuster, a member of the House General Aviation Caucus, helped shepherd expedited congressional passage of the Small Airplane Revitalization Act and backed legislation requiring the FAA to go through the rulemaking process before implementing policy changes related to sleep disorders.
Landmark Aviation has named Isaac Lee, general manager at its Miami International Airport facility, as the 2014 General Manager of the Year. Lee was selected for the recognition last year too. Landmark cited Lee not only for the FBO’s success in 2014, but also for his extended service in the community. He was recently appointed to the Miami Dade College School of Aviation’s advisory committee; serves on the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Florida Aviation Business Association; and supports the Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida.
The National Air Transportation Association is honoring former TSA Administrator John Pistole with its 2015 William A. “Bill” Ong Memorial Award, while long-time NATA employee Amy Koranda will receive NATA’s Distinguished Service Award during the association’s Aviation Business Conference on June 17 in Washington, D.C. Pistole will be recognized for “extraordinary achievement and extended meritorious service to the general aviation industry.” At the TSA, Pistole promoted a “philosophical change…to security through the introduction of highly effective intelligence-driven programs,” NATA said. The Distinguished Service Award recognizes “outstanding service and ongoing contributions to the general aviation industry.” Koranda held several titles over her 17-year career at NATA, originally joining the association staff to develop and manage NATA’s Safety 1st Professional Line Service Training.
