GE Aerospace has announced the appointment of Patrick de Castelbajac as Chief Strategy Officer, effective from 24 June 2024. De Castelbajac will report directly to GE Aerospace Chairman and CEO H. Lawrence Culp Jr.
In his new role, de Castelbajac will oversee the company's enterprise strategic planning. He will collaborate with GE Aerospace's business and functional teams to support long-term growth by optimising capital deployment through strategic investments.
“Patrick is well regarded as one of the aerospace industry's leading strategic operators,” said GE Aerospace Chairman and CEO H. Lawrence Culp, Jr. “With his deep experience in enterprise-wide planning and execution, he will shape our investment in technology to enable the future of flight, and unlock new opportunities to drive focused, disciplined growth.”
De Castelbajac has an impressive track record in the aerospace sector, having held several executive positions at Airbus, including Executive Vice President of Strategy and International. In this role, he led the launch of Airbus's zero-emission/hydrogen initiative and oversaw the acquisition of Bombardier's CSeries, now known as the A220 programme. He also served as President for the Asia-Pacific region and as CEO of ATR Aircraft, the Airbus-Leonardo turboprop joint venture. Most recently, he was CEO of Nordic Aviation Capital, where he successfully navigated the COVID-19 pandemic through contract and debt restructuring.
“I'm both thrilled and honoured to join GE Aerospace at this pivotal moment in its great history and am looking forward to working with the teams to unleash their full potential, developing actionable strategies and supporting the sustainable growth of our industry,” said de Castelbajac.
