Story ID: 003
People in Aviation—May 2026
By: Jessica Reed
Caption: Gregg Williams takes new role at Williams, AOPA has senior management changes
Word Count: 1581
Gregg Williams, chairman of aircraft engine manufacturer Williams International, has transitioned out of the roles of president and CEO and is now chief visioneering officer. Taking over as president and CEO is John Sordyl, who has been with the company since 2002 and previously served as executive v-p of customer experience.
Thibault Scaramanga took on the role of board chairman and interim CEO at Daher, replacing Didier Kayat, who is stepping down after leading the company for 10 years. Deputy CEO Aymeric Daher shifted to executive deputy CEO. Additionally, Marwan Lahoud and Éric Versey were recently added to Daher’s board of directors. Lahoud brings significant knowledge and experience from his career in aerospace, defense, and industrial programs. Versey, appointed on behalf of Bpifrance, contributes expertise in financing, industrial transformation, and regional development.
AOPA named CFO Jill Baker and senior v-p of membership strategy and growth Katie Pribyl as acting co-presidents to run day-to-day operations while the association searches for a permanent successor to fill the role of president and CEO Darren Pleasance, who has stepped down. Pleasance is moving into an advisory capacity supporting the association and its board of trustees.
Air Charter Service (ACS) appointed Robert Nicholes CEO of the company’s Atlanta office. He previously worked for ACS as sales director of the private jets division.
John DeLeeuw was confirmed as a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, filling a term that expires at the end of this year. A former U.S. Air Force pilot who has served as managing director of safety and efficiency at American Airlines and teaches aviation safety at the University of Southern California, DeLeeuw joins Jennifer Homendy, Michael Graham, and Thomas Chapman on the board. Meanwhile, NTSB board member J. Todd Inman was unseated as an NTSB member by the White House. Inman was nominated by President Biden two years ago as a Republican to fill a vacant seat on the independent agency that is responsible for conducting investigations into aviation, maritime, railway, and roadway accidents. He was confirmed by the Senate on March 8, 2024, for a five-year term slated to end in 2029. In a statement, Inman said he was notified that his position on the NTSB “was terminated effective immediately.”
Brian Howell was named chief commercial officer at West Star Aviation. Howell has held leadership roles at Honeywell Aerospace and Textron Aviation, among other companies.
Dassault Aviation has appointed Didier Raynard as its new senior vice president of sales for the Asia-Pacific region. A graduate of France’s ESTACA aerospace engineering school, Raynard is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and will lead sales campaigns for Dassault’s Falcon business jets across East and Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Rim. He joined Dassault in 2008 as a sales manager and has more than 24 years of experience in the region, having previously worked for EADS and Airbus.
Guardian Jet has named Anantha Krishna sales director for Asia, establishing regional leadership for the business aircraft brokerage and advisory firm’s operations across the Asia-Pacific market. Krishna, based in Singapore, brings nearly a decade of international aviation sales experience and has completed more than $200 million in private jet and helicopter transactions across Asia and the Middle East. He previously held senior sales roles at two aircraft brokerage firms and developed the Pioneer Jet Program, an advisory service for first-time buyers.
Dylan Wolin was appointed CFO of AAR Corp, effective February 23. Wolin oversaw strategic and corporate development, treasury, and investor relations functions for the company from 2017 to 2024, and most recently was president of Elgin, Trackless, and Vactor at Federal Signal Corp. for the past two years. His earlier experience includes a term as director in Boeing’s corporate development group and as v-p in Deutsche Bank’s global industrials group.
Anastasija Visnakova is now chief commercial officer of Deutsche Aircraft after three-plus years as v-p of sales and marketing. Her experience includes commercial strategy, sales leadership, customer partnerships, and market development for the airline and aerospace industries.
Vantage Aviation appointed a new CFO, Torsten Schneider. Previously, Schneider was CFO of the FBO network at APP Jet Center.
In a series of changes to the Web Manuals executive team, Paul Sandström joined the company as COO and managing director. Co-founder Richard Sandström was named chief product officer. Web Manuals appointed Julia Wicksell v-p of operations, and Jesper Ekberg as CTO. Additionally, Stefan Rinse recently joined the company as its CFO.
David Deitch was named executive v-p of sales for Indianapolis-based Jet Access. Deitch’s experience in the aviation industry spans more than four decades, including 23 years at Jet Aviation.
Luxaviation One tapped Helen Hollis as its U.S. managing director. Hollis previously was senior v-p of passenger charters for the Americas at Chapman Freeborn.
Sébastien Kubler officially assumed the role of chief operating officer at JCB Aero SAS after a term as technical director of production and engineering. His other experience includes working for AMAC Aerospace Switzerland AG and founding his own Part 21 organization, KES.
Duncan Aviation appointed Dillard Knight as engine technical representative, improving support for customers operating Pratt & Whitney Canada PW300 and PW500 engines. Knight joined the company in 2019 as an engine line technician and has also worked on Duncan’s engine rapid response team. Meanwhile, Mason Minchow joined the company’s completions and modifications service sales team as sales representative for paint and interior, offering support for Gulfstream operators. Minchow started at Duncan as an apprentice in 2021.
C&L Aerospace hired Kristen Lintner as regional sales manager of business jet parts in the southwestern U.S. Lintner’s more than two decades of experience in the aviation industry include 10 years in business aviation, with stints at Bombardier and West Star Aviation.
Hannah Wolf, previously sales engineer at JetHQ, was promoted to sales director, focused on the U.S. market. Wolf brings OEM and technical expertise in her work to support active transactions and contribute to sales strategy and pipeline development.
Vertical Aviation International (VAI) appointed Cade Clark executive v-p and Sarah Arnold chief of staff. Clark previously worked as chief government affairs officer at the association, where he has been since 2017. Arnold, who will continue to serve as corporate secretary for VAI’s board of directors, previously held the roles of director of corporate affairs as well as executive assistant to the president and CEO. She has been with VAI since 2018.
Avpro promoted executive sales director Eddie Kilkeary III to managing partner. In his former role, Kilkeary advised clients on complex aircraft transactions across multiple market cycles.
Baron Weather has strengthened its global aviation weather intelligence operations and named industry veteran Dave Hubner to spearhead the expansion of its services and partnerships. 
Aviation advisory and brokerage firm Mente Group promoted business and development manager Brent Hanson to managing director. Hanson was formerly a sales executive at Gulfstream and at Pentastar Aviation. Steve Main has also rejoined Mente Group as chief revenue officer; his experience includes sales leadership and revenue generation across multiple aviation sectors.
Freestream Aircraft hired Mauro D’Angelo for its aircraft sales team at the beginning of March. D’Angelo’s experience includes work in civil aviation as well as more than 20 years of service in the U.S. Intelligence Community.
Chris Skurat was named director of sales for Amstat. Most recently, he worked at VisionSafe/EVAS as v-p of OEM and strategic partnerships for six years, and before that, he had spent 24 years on the Amstat team in various sales and customer support leadership roles.
Dave McGrath is now part of the business development and sales team at Victoria Helicopters. His expertise includes aviation business development and marketing.
Clay Nolen, former chief of engineers at Gulfstream Aerospace, will be promoted to senior v-p of innovation, engineering, and flight on May 4. Vicki Britt, who currently holds that title, will retire after working at Gulfstream for 27 years. Nolen has worked at Gulfstream since 2006, including as chief engineer for the G700 and G800.
The National EMS Pilots Association named Gabe Sheeran president of the board of directors after serving on the board for two years. The previous president, Brett Reeder, remains on the board of directors.
CAE has appointed two individuals to leadership positions. Carter Copeland has been named president of Flightscape, CAE’s platform that provides solutions for airline operations. He previously co-founded Melius Research and recently served on CAE’s executive management committee. Andrew Arnovitz takes on the role of chief strategy officer at CAE after leading the company’s corporate strategy. He has been with the company for more than two decades.
C&L Aerospace hired Canan Gün Alper as regional sales manager for Eastern Europe and the Middle East. She previously worked across the aviation supply chain at Pioneer Aero for five years, improving operational efficiency and driving long-term partnership growth.
Awards & Honors
Stephanie Pope, executive v-p of The Boeing Company and president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, was awarded the 2025 Clifford Henderson Trophy by the National Aeronautic Association. Pope was commended for taking decisive actions to improve safety and quality standards.