On the Move: July 2026 Aviation, Airline & Aerospace Executive Changes

Each month, Frank Jay & Associates tracks the executive moves shaping the airline, aviation, and aerospace industries — the promotions, new hires, and leadership transitions worth knowing about if you're building or leading a team in this space. July 2026 brought a wave of change: Shane Tackett added the President title at Alaska Airlines while retaining his CFO role, Matt Koscal succeeded David Grizzle as President and CEO of Republic Airways, and Jude Bricker stepped down as Sun Country's CEO to join the Allegiant Air board following their merger. Delta, American, GE Aerospace, and CAE each saw multiple senior promotions, while HAECO Hong Kong reshuffled its top leadership across several roles. Below is the full rundown, company by company.

AAR: John Dean joined AAR as Director of Capture Management in June 2026. He previously served as Vice President of Business Development at King Aerospace.

Aeromexico: Sergio Augusto Gutierrez Juarez joined Aeromexico as Director, Data & Analytics in June 2026, having previously served as Vice President of Data & Analytics at McCann Worldgroup.

Air Canada: Nathanael Weill joined Air Canada as Director of Data Science and AI in June 2026, where he leads enterprise AI and data science initiatives; he previously served as Director of Data Science at AUDELA.

Air Fayre: Gerson Hernandez, CPA joined Air Fayre as Finance Director in June 2026, having previously served as Assurance Manager at RSM US LLP.

Air Transport Services Group: Joseph King was appointed Vice President of Finance, leading Financial Planning & Analysis and Treasury functions. He joins from JetBlue Airways, where he served as Director of Fleet Strategy & Programs.

Air Wisconsin Airlines: Rebecca Hart joined as Vice President of Administration. She joins from the United States Air Force, where she served as Assistant Director of Operations.

Airlines for America: Marco Sylvester joined as Senior Vice President, overseeing international aviation issues and market access; he joins from the U.S. Department of State, where he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Affairs. Douglas Mullen was named permanent Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, after serving in an acting capacity since October 2025; he has been with A4A for over 19 years.

Alaska Airlines: Brian Gentz joined as Managing Director, Project Engineering, coming from Spirit Airlines where he served as Senior Director, Technical Services. Ben Mathes joined as Director and Head of Corporate FP&A, having previously served as Director of Financial Planning and Analysis at T-Mobile. Nevin Murphy joined as Managing Director, Ops Integration & Execution, from Hawaiian Airlines where he served as Managing Director, System Operations Control Center. Shane Tackett was named President, while retaining his role as Chief Financial Officer; a 25-year company veteran, Tackett adds oversight of the airline's commercial division to his existing responsibilities in finance, fleet management, and technology.

Allegiant Air: Jude Bricker stepped down as CEO of Sun Country Airlines after nearly nine years, joining the Allegiant Air Board of Directors in June 2026 following the completion of the Sun Country/Allegiant merger. Ainsley Escobar was promoted to Senior Manager, Co-Brand Credit Card Program, having served as Co-Brand Credit Card Program Manager since 2023.

American Airlines: Anne Moroni was promoted to Senior Vice President, Operations Planning, Analytics and Product Management in June 2026, after five and a half years as Vice President, Operations Planning & Performance; she has been with American Airlines for 17 years. Pankaj Kadam was promoted to Vice President, Benefits, Retirement, and People Operations. Kim Wicker joined as Vice President, Compensation and People Support. Paola Torri was promoted to Director of Mexico and Canada Operations.

Archer: Billy Shreve was promoted to Director of Aircraft Maintenance, having previously served as Manager, Line & Base Maintenance.

Ascent Aviation Services: Chelsea Norden was promoted to Director of Operations in June 2026, having previously served as Director of HR & Operational Excellence. Kyle Olson was named Senior Director of Global MRO Business Development, having previously served as Vice President of Sales.

ATPCO: Jack McGurk joined ATPCO as Director of Software Engineering in June 2026, having previously served as Vice President of Software Engineering at The College Board for nearly six years.

Atlas Air: Dan Malinowski joined as Senior Director, Transformation in June 2026, coming from Sycamore Aviation Partners, the boutique aviation consulting firm he founded after leaving Southwest Airlines.

Aviation Technical Services: Valerie Hirshman was promoted to Head of Contracts in May 2026, having previously served as Senior Director, Contracts & Corporate Security.

Boeing: Travis Sullivan was named President of Boeing Southeast Asia effective July 3, 2026. A nearly 20-year Boeing veteran, Sullivan previously served as General Manager of Boeing Distribution.

CAE: Heather H. Walton joined as Head of Global Supply Chain in June 2026; she previously founded and led Transformation Impact Advisors, LLC and prior to that served as Executive Director of Global Supply Chain at Pratt & Whitney. Julie Bessette was promoted to Chief of Engineering for the FAcT PC21 program, having been with CAE for over 21 years. Claudia Michaud was promoted to Director, Business Management and Execution, Defense & Security, having previously served as Director, Legal, Flightscape. Mark Curnow Jr joined as Head of Sales, Business Aviation Training, from Airbus where he served as Head of Business Development. Thibaut Trancart was promoted to Vice President, International General Manager within CAE Defense & Security.

Cape Air: Joe Allman joined the Cape Air Board of Directors in June 2026. Allman currently serves as Executive Vice President and CFO of Republic Airways.

Delta Air Lines: Kristen Manion Taylor was promoted to Senior Vice President, Brand Experience in June 2026, having previously served as Senior Vice President of In-Flight Service for five years; she has been with Delta for nearly 30 years. David Watson was promoted to Senior Vice President, In-Flight Service, having previously served as SVP Global HR Services and SVP Crew Resources. Joe Miller was promoted to Senior Vice President, Operations and Customer Center, having previously served as Vice President, ATL. Robbie Schaefer was promoted to Director, Ground and Recovery Experience, having previously served as Director, Service Recovery.

Embraer: Eric Bewersdorf joined Embraer as Director of Maintenance, bringing over 25 years of aircraft maintenance experience with a specialization in business jet fleet management.

Endeavor Air: John Weigand joined Endeavor Air as Vice President, Flight Operations in June 2026, having previously spent over 33 years at United Airlines, most recently serving as Managing Director of Global Hub Operations at Newark Liberty Airport.

Flair Airlines: Matt Kunz was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in June 2026, having previously served as VP of Flight Operations at the carrier for over five years.

FlightSafety International: Jim Dohanyos joined FlightSafety International as Director of FP&A and Pricing in June 2026, having previously served as Senior Manager of FP&A at Raytheon for nearly six years.

Fly Alliance: Steve Taylor joined Fly Alliance as Vice President of Fleet Operations in June 2026, having previously served as a Captain at MGM Resorts Aviation flying the G650ER and other large-cabin aircraft.

Frontier Airlines: Brenda Roubidoux was promoted to Senior Director, Legal Counsel in June 2026, having served as Director of Legal Counsel since 2023; she has been with Frontier for over six years. Cole Prucha joined as Director of Aviation Safety in June 2026, coming from Cape Air where he served as Director of Safety.

Gate Gourmet: Fredy Lovato was named Director of Transportation in June 2026, having previously served as Account Manager at Gate Gourmet for nearly ten years before a stint as Director of Operations at Amber Green Corporation.

GE Aerospace: Aleem Wali joined as Senior Sales Director, Next Generation Narrow Body in June 2026, having previously spent nearly 13 years at Boeing in marketing and sales roles. Brian Overbeck was promoted to Chief Patent Counsel, having previously served as Leader, IP Asset Development. Ash Walvoord joined as Head of AI Workforce Strategy, Transformation and Capability, having previously served as Chief Learning Officer at Verizon where she led learning and development for 100,000 employees. David Monet was promoted to Senior Sales Director, having previously served as Regional Leader, Field Service Engineering (Commercial Aviation).

Gulfstream: Marc Ghaly was named Division Vice President of Sales, leading sales efforts across EMEA and APAC; a nearly 20-year business aviation veteran, Ghaly is based in Dubai. Jad Benhaijoub was promoted to Regional Vice President of Government Sales for EMEA and APAC, having previously served as Regional Sales Manager for EMEA and South Asia.

HAECO: Tom Bellamy was appointed CEO of HAECO Hong Kong, joining from Swire Shipping where he served as Chief Transformation Officer. Charles de Zoete was named CFO, also joining from Swire Shipping where he served as CFO. Peter Murton moved from CEO of HAECO Hong Kong to Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Aero Engine Services Limited (HAESL). George Edmunds was promoted to Group Director of Component and Engine Services, having previously served as CEO of HAESL; he succeeds Sandra Nieuwenhuijzen, who is retiring. Ivan Pang was promoted to Vice President, Commercial, having previously served as Lead Account Manager.

Hawaiian Airlines: Chelsea Livit joined Hawaiian Airlines as Director of Marketing in June 2026, having previously served as Director of Marketing & Public Relations at Fairmont Kea Lani Maui for four years.

IATA: Neva Sadikoglu-Novaky joined the International Air Transport Association as EU Director and Head of the EU Affairs Office in Brussels in June 2026, having previously served as Managing Director of her own consultancy and as a Director at Grayling.

Indigo Partners: Andrew Broderick departed Indigo Partners in June 2026 after 18 years, most recently serving as Managing Director. During his tenure he held board seats at Volaris, Wizz Air, and JetSMART Airlines. He is now pursuing private equity opportunities independently.

Jackson Square Aviation: Michael Hazelton was promoted to Executive Vice President, Head of Aircraft Trading in June 2026, having been with the company since 2011 and leading the aircraft trading function since 2019.

JetBlue: William Naylor joined JetBlue as Director, Co-Brand & Financial Products in June 2026, having previously served as Manager, PayPal Rewards Strategy at PayPal.

KLM: Mathieu Essenberg was nominated as Chief Operating Officer, elevated from his role leading KLM Engineering & Maintenance where he also served as interim COO; a KLM veteran since 2002, Essenberg is also an active Boeing 737 captain.

Pratt & Whitney Canada: Satheeshkumar Kumarasingam was appointed President in June 2026, succeeding Maria Della Posta. He previously served as Chief Digital Officer and Chief Transformation & Strategy Officer and has been with Pratt & Whitney for nearly 11 years.

PSA Airlines: Jim Lufrano joined PSA Airlines as Director of Line Maintenance in June 2026, having previously served in the same role at Spirit Airlines for over nine years.

Qatar Airways: Masa Akre Watanabe was promoted to Head of Global Leisure Sales, having previously served as Regional Manager, Commercial Operations.

Republic Airways: Matt Koscal was promoted to President and Chief Executive Officer in June 2026, succeeding David Grizzle, who transitioned to non-executive Chairman of the Board. Koscal had previously served as President and Chief Commercial Officer and has been with Republic Airways for 12 years.

Ryanair: Michael O'Leary extended his contract as Group CEO through April 2032, continuing a tenure that began in 1994.

Swissport: Bahar Rasouli joined Swissport as Global Vice President, Talent & Culture in June 2026, having previously served as Vice President of Human Resources, Transformation at Hager Group for nearly three years.

Unifi: Hernando Sanz was promoted to Vice President, Operations, Northeast CLT, having previously served as Director of Operations.

United Airlines: Jenniffer Matsumura joined as Vice President, Enterprise Architecture & Digital Operations in June 2026, coming from Exelon where she served as CIO ComEd / VP Technology Operations & Engineering. Scott Resnick was named Managing Director, Cobrand Cards. Liz Woolmington was promoted to Director, Cargo EMEIA, having previously served as Senior Regional Manager, Cargo EMEIA.