Gallery: MRO Industry Leadership Moves In 2024

Herve Grandjean will take over as CEO of Sabena Technics Group on Jan. 1, 2025. Grandjean was appointed Sabena Technics’ chief commercial officer at the beginning of this year. He previously spent 15 years with the French ministry of defense and was head of operations and industrial strategy of the French new nuclear program. Grandjean succeeds Philippe Rochet, who has led the group since 2019.

AFI KLM E&M has announced that KLM Engineering & Maintenance Executive Vice President Ton Dortmans (pictured left) will retire in summer 2025 after a 40-year career with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. He will be succeeded by Mathieu Essenberg (pictured right), executive vice president of hub operations in charge of ground services, on Jan. 1, 2025. Essenberg has held various roles at KLM since 2002, including overseeing aircraft maintenance for KLM’s fleet and serving as a pilot for 20 years.

Pascal Parant has been appointed chief commercial marketing officer at Vallair. Parant was previously vice president of corporate marketing at AAR Corp. and held various positions across the company’s MRO, parts trading, and aircraft and engines sales and leasing businesses since 1999.

MAAS Aviation has appointed Danny Hakker as its new CEO. Hakker joined the company in 2023 as chief financial officer and has more than 20 years of experience in the transport and distribution, media and telecoms and service industries. 

Aero Norway has appointed Kenneth Johnston to oversee the integration of capabilities for the CFM International Leap engine program. As Leap Program Manager, Johnston will oversee Aero Norway’s readiness for Leap engine repairs, which the company became licensed for earlier this year. A 28-year industry veteran, Johnston has been at Aero Norway since 2017 and was previously its customer support manager.

AJW Group has appointed Wilmer Lopez as managing director for its Latin America operations. Lopez has more than 24 years of aviation experience, most recently serving as AJW Group’s sales director for Latin America and the Caribbean. He previously spent over nine years in various roles at Avianca Holdings. 

AFI KLM E&M has appointed several new leaders. Michael Grootenboer (left), formerly SVP group engine product, has been appointed SVP procurement for the Air France-KLM Group. He will be succeeded by Jean-Louis Forest (second from left), formerly SVP engines at Air France Industries. Taking on the SVP engines role will be Bruno Tricoire (second from right), formerly SVP group components product. Derk Nieuwenhuijze (right) has been appointed VP technical sales and commercial performance at AFI KLM E&M.

Lufthansa Technik (LHT) has made nine new leadership appointments across its business over the last few months. In May, Michael Kirstein became vice president of LHT’s Transformation Office, where he will lead its Ambition 2030 growth program. The same month, Derrick Siebert became vice president of operations for engine services. In June, Georg Fanta became vice president of commercials for LHT’s engine services. In July, Thomas Illner was appointed managing director and head of the Americas region at LHT Component Services. He was succeeded by Berit Plewinsky, who took over as vice president of commercial aircraft component services.

In August, Tim-Oliver Fedeler became managing director of LHT Component Services Asia-Pacific and senior director of product sales and fulfillment for the region. Jens Michel succeeded him as vice president of sales for Northeast Asia. Alexander Sixt became managing director of LHT Intercoat. Fabien Nagel will become vice president of sales for VIP and special aircraft services Aug. 15. He succeeds Wieland Timm, who will retire in September. 

Saudia Technic has appointed Abdulkhaliq Saeed (pictured left) as its new CEO. Saeed was most recently CEO of Etihad Airways Engineering and has nearly 40 years of experience in the MRO sector, including serving as president of Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies, senior vice president of engineering and maintenance at Jet Airways, and vice president of technical affairs at Gulf Air. He succeeds Fahd H. Cynndy (pictured right), who is transitioning to the role of managing director at Saudia Technic.

Norbert Marx has been appointed CEO of China Aircraft Services Limited (CASL). Marx had previously retired in 2022 after serving as CEO and general manager of Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering for more than 11 years. His career in aviation spans several decades, including leadership roles at CHC Helicopter/Heli-One, Jet Aviation AG, Lufthansa Technik, AMECO Beijing and Lufthansa. Marx also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Aviation Week Network during last year’s MRO Asia-Pacific event.

HAECO Group has announced a slew of leadership changes across its business. Jacqueline Jiang, previously HAECO’s group director of airframe services, is becoming chair of the Chinese Mainland for John Swire & Sons. She will be succeeded by Ben Scheidel, previously CEO of HAECO Hong Kong. Peter Murton, formerly HAECO Hong Kong’s executive general manager of operations, will take over as CEO, and he will be succeeded by Derek Hui, head of commercial. Bill Collins, president of MRO Services at HAECO Americas, is retiring at the end of 2024. Todd Navin, HAECO Americas’ chief financial officer, will become CEO effective in January 2025.

Gaston Persano has been named president of Engine Alliance, where he will lead a team focused on aftermarket service and support of the GP7200 engine. Persano was most recently Pratt & Whitney’s director of mature commercial engines business strategy and has held supply chain, fleet management and business strategy roles in various RTX businesses. Persano began his career with purchasing and aftermarket roles at Ford Motor Company.

Owen McClave (pictured here) has been appointed CEO at SR Technics, succeeding Matthias Dullmann, who has left the company after being appointed CEO in July 2023. McClave was appointed chief operating officer at SR Technics in July 2023 after previously serving as senior vice president of engine services. Deputy CEO Ruixiang Gong will take over as chief operating officer.

SR Technics has appointed Florent Leforestier (pictured left) as senior vice president of procurement, succeeding Fritz Beiner, who is pursuing an opportunity outside the company. Leforestier was previously vice president of new engines and has more than 20 years of experience in the aerospace industry. Michael Brunnschweiler (pictured right), previously vice president of programs, will take over as vice president of new engines. Prior to joining SR Technics earlier this year, Brunnschweiler spent 19 years working at Pratt & Whitney.

SR Technics has announced that Bo Lump, its current vice president of business development for the Americas, will take over as senior vice president of business development as of July 22. He succeeds Caroline Vandedrinck, who is pursuing another professional opportunity. Lump joined SR Technics in 2022. He has 25 years of experience as an executive in the aerospace industry, including within roles in design, manufacturing and aftermarket for airframes and engines.

Mike Rezman has been appointed vice president of MRO at VSE Aviation. Rezman was most recently managing director at Kellstrom Aerospace and was previously sector vice president of accessory MRO and vice president of business development at StandardAero.

International Aero Engines (IAE) has named Kelly Horan (left) as its new president, succeeding Kim Kinsley (right), who has held the position since June of 2023. Horan was also appointed vice president of V2500 programs at Pratt & Whitney earlier this year, and she will hold both roles concurrently. Kinsley will become chairperson of the IAE board of directors and continue to serve as vice president of mature commercial engines at Pratt & Whitney, a role she was appointed to in January.

Aviation Technical Services has appointed Kerry O’Sullivan as its new chief operating officer. O’Sullivan previously spent 13 years at StandardAero, where he was most recently chief operating officer and senior vice president of quality and engineering. He has also held senior leadership and operations roles at AlliedSignal and Terex Corporation.

Setna iO has promoted Tom Boulcott (pictured right, next to Setna iO Founder and CEO David Chaimovitz) to president of parts trading. Boulcott, who has been managing director of Setna iO’s UK business since 2017, has previously held roles at GECAS and Prime Air.

GA Telesis has appointed Jim Sokol (pictured left) as president of its Flight Solutions Group (FSG), succeeding Jason Reed, who was recently promoted to president of the company’s Digital Innovation Group. Sokol joined GA Telesis in 2022 as vice president of sales for the Americas and has more than 40 years of executive leadership experience in the airline, MRO and transportation sectors. GA Telesis has also promoted Alex Tuttle (pictured right) to chief commercial officer for the FSG. Tuttle, who has been with the company for more than 22 years, was most recently chief operating officer.

Jason Reed has been promoted to president of GA Telesis’ Digital Innovation Group, where he will lead efforts around new technologies, including what the company says are artificial intelligence-based systems. Reed was previously president of GA Telesis’ Flight Solutions Group, where he spearheaded digital initiatives to improve efficiency, safety and customer experiences.

CTS Engines appointed Bill Kircher as CEO and executive vice chairman, succeeding Vesa Paukkeri, who will transition to the role of chief commercial officer. Kircher was most recently executive vice chairman of CTS and has more than 25 years of experience in the aviation industry, including in roles at Triumph Group and United Technologies.

Kim Ernzen has been appointed chief operating officer at StandardAero, succeeding Kerry O’Sullivan, who is retiring. Ernzen was previously president of naval power for Raytheon Technologies and has more than 25 years of experience in aviation, including roles at Cessna and Hawker Beechcraft. 

Ametek MRO has chosen Mike Audus as its new divisional vice president and business unit manager for MRO Europe, where he will lead the company’s businesses across Europe, including Muirhead Avionics, AEM, AvTech and Antavia. A self-described “Lean zealot,” Audus plans to drive Ametek MRO’s growth in Europe.

Tarmac Aerosave appointed Christian Ceruti as its new chief commercial and development officer May 2. Ceruti has more than 30 years’ of experience in aircraft maintenance at companies such as AFI KLM E&M and Airbus. He joined Tarmac Aerosave in 2014 and the company says his work helped it develop and diversify services to create a “one-stop-shop” offering.

AJW Group has promoted Louis Philippe Mallette (left) to president of its AJW Technique MRO subsidiary in Montreal. Mallette previously held leadership roles at Aero Montreal and Bombardier before joining AJW Technique in September 2021 as senior vice president.

AJW Group has also promoted Clare Brown (right) to the position of chief financial officer at AJW Aviation. Brown has more than 25 years’ experience in the aviation industry, including eight years at AJW Group. She was previously finance director at Thomas Cook.

Ismail Mokabel has been appointed president and chief operating officer at MHIRJ. Mokabel, who was most recently SVP and head of aftermarket at the company, is the first non-Japanese leader of a strategic business unit within Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. He will report to Hiro Yamamoto, who will remain as chairman and CEO of MHIRJ.

Horizon Air has named Nathan Engel as vice president of maintenance and engineering, where he will lead the airline’s team of more than 300 maintenance and engineering staff. Engel was previously managing director of maintenance operations at both Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, and was most recently Hawaiian Airlines’ senior manager of maintenance in Seattle.

Vallair has appointed Francois Biarneix as operations director, where he will oversee strategic deployment and operations of its aerostructure and composite shop, engine shop, logistics department and aircraft dismantling activities in Chateauroux, France. Biarneix has previously held technical management roles in the aviation supplier and automotive sectors.   

ATS has appointed Dennis Santare as its new senior vice president of component and engineering solutions. Santare most recently served as partner at Oliver Wyman, where he helped grow its Americas aerospace, defense and government services practice, and he has also held roles at Aircraft Propeller Service and AAR.

Dag Johnsen has been appointed chief operating officer at engine repair specialist Aero Norway, replacing Neil Russell, who became CEO in October 2023. Johnsen previously managed United Airlines’ powerplant engineering team and, prior to that, held engineering roles at Continental Airlines.

Joramco has appointed Stephan Klose as its new chief operations officer. Klose has more than 20 years of experience in base maintenance and technical operations. He was most recently vice president of maintenance and engineering at Saudi Royal Aviation.

AJW Group’s investment subsidiary, AJW Capital, has appointed Erlendur Svavarsson as CEO. Svavarsson has previously held CEO and Board of Directors roles at Cabo Verde Airlines, Loftleidir Icelandic, Arctica Finance and Faradair Aerospace.

EirTrade Aviation has appointed Paul Gleeson as chief commercial officer, where he will be tasked with expanding the company’s industry footprint and market reach. Gleeson has been with EirTrade since 2020 and has more than a decade of experience in supply chain roles within the MRO industry.

STS Aviation Group has appointed Gary Pratt as its new senior vice president and general manager of STS Line Maintenance, where he will oversee operations for 43 line maintenance stations across the U.S. Pratt has previously served as vice president and regional director of line maintenance at STS, and he has decades of experience in maintenance leadership roles at airlines including Delta Air Lines, Air Wisconsin Airlines and PSA Airlines.

Eirtech Aviation Services has appointed Ventura Quirino as senior vice president of engineering for its U.S. operations. He will lead growth of its customer base in the U.S. from Eirtech’s offices in Irvine, California. Eirtech Aviation Services opened its first U.S. facility in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas in October 2023.

HAECO has appointed Corne van Rooij as its new general manager of HAECO Global Engine Support. He will operate from HAECO’s London Heathrow base, overseeing the group’s worldwide engine support business. Van Rooij has more than 25 years of experience in airline operations and aircraft and engine MRO, including leadership roles at KLM Engineering & Maintenance.