MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION

CIVIL AVIATION SECRETARY

Chanchal Kumar, a 1992–batch Bihar cadre IAS, will take over as the new Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation after the incumbent Rajiv Bansal retires on August 31, 2023. Kumar, is currently the Managing Director of National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, will join as OSD in the Civil Aviation Ministry on August 1, and take charge as Secretary after Rajiv Bansal retires.

INDIAN AIR FORCE

DEPUTY CHIEF OF THE AIR STAFF

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit took over as the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff on May 15, 2023. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, he was commissioned in the fighter stream on December 6, 1986. The Air Marshal is a Qualified Flying Instructor as well as an Experimental Test pilot, with over 3,300 hours of flying experience on fighter, trainer and transport aircraft. He participated in Operation Safed Sagar and Rakshak.

He has earlier served as Principal Director Air Staff Requirement, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Projects) & Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Plans) at Air Headquarters. The Air Officer has also been the Air Defence Commander of Southern Air Command and was Senior Air Staff Officer, South Western Air Command prior to taking over as the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff.

AIR OFFICER-IN-CHARGE ADMINISTRATION

Air Marshal Rajesh Kumar Anand took over as Air Officer-in-Charge Administration (AOA) on June 1, 2023. An alumnus of National Defence Academy, the Air Marshal was commissioned in Administrative Branchof the Indian Air Force as an Air Traffic Controller on June 13, 1987. In a career spanning over 36 years, the Air Marshal has held various field and staff appointments. Prior to his present appointment, he was Director General (Administration) at Air Headquarters, New Delhi.

IATA

CHAIR, IATA BOARD OF GOVERNORS

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that RwandAir CEO Yvonne Manzi Makolo has assumed her duties as Chair of the IATA Board of Governors (BoG) for a one-year term, effective from June 5, 2023. Makolo is the 81st Chair of the IATA BoG and the first woman to take on this role. She has served on the BoG since November 2020. Makolo started her aviation career in 2017 when she was appointed as RwandAir’s Deputy CEO in Charge of Corporate Affairs. She was named CEO in April 2018.

ATR

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT COMMERCIAL

Alexis Vidal has been appointed Senior Vice President Commercial for ATR, effective June 26, 2023. Alexis has held several senior management roles within the aerospace and defence industry. He began his career with the Airbus Group in 2004, moved to Airbus Helicopters in 2007 and held various management positions. He was appointed Vice President Sales for Energy and Leasing segments in 2016. He moved to Airbus Commercial Aircraft as Head of Sales for Customer Services in 2019. In his last position in 2021, Alexis was Head of Marketing for widebody programmes.

CFM

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

CFM International has appointed Jérôme Morhet as Executive Vice President,Commercial Engines Division, Safran Aircraft Engines. As part of the CFM Executive Team, Morhet is responsible for overseeing the CFM56 and LEAP programs, working closely with his counterparts at GE, LEAP engine and CFM56 product line, to monitor engineering, development, production, and services activities for these programs. Morhet also serves as Vice President of CFM programs for Safran Aircraft Engines.

EMBRAER

VICE PRESIDENT, FREIGHTER

Embraer has appointed Mark Neely to the position of Vice President Freighter, in its Commercial Aviation division, effective June 1, 2023. Neely boasts extensive experience in both the passenger and freighter markets and is set to lead the company’s growing focus on the Passenger to Freighter (P2F) aircraft opportunities and market development. He previously served as Vice President Sales & Marketing, Head of Region for North America, managing some of Embraer’s largest customers, serving all the major airlines in the US.

CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER, DEFENSE & SECURITY INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

Embraer announced the appointment of Frederico Lemos to the position of Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) for international businesses of Embraer Defense & Security. Lemos took office on June 1 and is based in Lisbon, Portugal.

Lemos started in the Portuguese Air Force. In 2011, he joined OGMA and, soon thereafter, Embraer Defense, where he worked in different positions in Business Development and Sales. Since 2020, Lemos has been the CEO of EID SA, a Defense Communications OEM based in Portugal.