IDAIR’s advisory board has appointed Wassef Ayadi and Alan Cumming to the executive board. After five years of successful service, Andrew Muirhead and Craig Depner will be succeeded by Ayadi as chief executive officer and Cumming as chief financial officer respectively. In addition, Ann-Marie Alvarez will join the management team, replacing Cumming in a new expanded role as chief operating officer. Muirhead and Depner will join the advisory board.
Ayadi has been in the aviation industry for more than 12 years. Before joining IDAIR he held several positions at the Lufthansa Group, most recently as head of IT development, operational flight planning and onboard support at Lufthansa German Airlines. He holds a Master’s degree and PhD in aerospace engineering and an executive MBA in general management. “As CEO he will further position IDAIR as an innovator in the VIP market and he will find and exploit potential business opportunities as well as opening up new markets,” said Depner.
Cumming, former director of engineering and operations at IDAIR, has been the manager for IFE systems at Airbus, before joining Panasonic Avionics in 2002, where he was the director of operations for the Hamburg office. With a B.Eng (Hons) in electrical and electronic engineering, Cumming brings more than 25 years of experience in the IFE sector, and has been with IDAIR since its establishment in 2011. “Through his promotion to the executive board, Alan will ensure continuity in the IDAIR management team and continue his excellent service supporting the future growth of the company,” said Muirhead.
Alvarez has been with Panasonic Avionics for 16 years in the role of director of the VIP region and program management office. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in systems engineering and Master’s degree in electrical engineering and was a system engineer at the Boeing Company before joining Panasonic. “As chief operating officer she will be coordinating a diverse and talented team of individuals to provide quality systems and post-delivery support on custom aircraft,” said Muirhead.
“We are jointly looking forward to further developing and executing IDAIR’s strategy and to the challenge of customizing the next generation of ever evolving entertainment and communications systems to delight the VVIP market while establishing IDAIR as the market-leader in the industry,” said Ayadi, Cumming and Alvarez.
Established in April 2011, IDAIR is a joint venture between Lufthansa Technik and Panasonic Avionics Corporation, headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. IDAIR develops, manufactures and supplies CMS and IFEC systems for VIP aircraft as well as custom products for commercial airlines.
May 26, 2016
