• 19 Jun 2021 05:27 PM
• 0

Leadership Moves, July-August 2021

Côté to Lead Jaunt Canada

On May 6, Jaunt Air Mobility announced that the company plans to open design and manufacturing operations in Canada — aligned with its certification path and commercialization strategy — and appointed Eric Côté to head its Canadian operations as president of Jaunt Air Mobility Canada. Côté joins Jaunt with CEO experience in leading the Soucy Group, a worldwide engineering and manufacturing organization (10 independent companies with 1,800 employees) in the defense, power sports, industrial and agriculture sectors. During his 15-year tenure at Soucy, Côté’s strategic vision and leadership allowed him to set up a strong and mobilized organization with an increased presence in all five continents. Before his time at Soucy, he spent 15 years with Bombardier Aerospace in senior-level positions (manufacturing engineering, operations strategies, continuous improvement, Industrialization). He was involved in setting up new manufacturing and assembly organizations in different countries.

Jaunt said his first mandate will be to assist with engaging strategic investment partners and planning Jaunt's Canadian operations for the company’s Journey electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) rotorcraft. Jaunt CEO Martin Peryea added, “Canada and Québec offer a wide range of opportunities stemming from a long history in the aerospace industry, including an experienced workforce and global suppliers. Canada's aerospace industry is known for export, and we intend to capitalize on that reach. Canada is a global leader in developing and promoting clean technology and this is aligned with our core values.”

Astro Acquires Horizon; Announces Leadership Team

On June 2, Texas-based Astro Aerospace, Ltd., a developer of eVTOL aircraft for passengers and cargo, announced that the acquisition agreement with Ontario-based eVTOL developer Horizon Aircraft, Inc., has closed. According to the press release, Astro’s former CEO Bruce Bent has now assumed the role of Executive Chairman to assist in implementing the Astro business plan developed over the past two years. Patricia Trompeter has taken on the role of CEO. She brings more than 16 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions, and 15 years in financial management experience. After graduating from Marquette University's business administration program with a major in finance and economics, Trompeter spent a majority of her career holding a variety of executive positions at GE Capital, including CFO, controller, operations leader, quality leader, and mergers & acquisitions. Trompeter participated in more than $17B in acquisitions and transactions, earning her a reputation of professional excellence.

Horizon co-founder and CEO Brandon Robinson was appointed the President of Astro. Robinson holds a mechanical engineering degree from the Royal Military College of Canada, is a CF-18 Fighter Pilot Top Gun graduate, has an MBA from Royal Roads University, and has led more than $400M in complex engineering projects.