WICHITA, Kan., March 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Spirit
AeroSystems, Inc. [NYSE: SPR] announced today that its board of
directors has named Larry A. Lawson,
president and chief executive officer, effective April 6, 2013. Mr. Lawson, formerly executive
vice president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics business segment,
succeeds Jeff Turner who has been
Spirit's CEO since the company's formation in 2005. Mr. Turner is
expected to remain on Spirit's board of directors.
"The board sought a CEO armed with a strong record of operating
and financial performance on both mature and new aircraft programs
with the ability to take Spirit to the next level," said
Bob Johnson, board chairman of
Spirit AeroSystems. "Larry met all of the board's criteria. He is a
well-known and highly respected leader in the industry and has
outstanding experience managing multiple premier aircraft platforms
efficiently and profitably across a large-scale business."
"Spirit is uniquely positioned in the expanding commercial
aircraft market," said Lawson. "I look forward to extending
Spirit's strong performance in its core business while driving
continuous improvement and greater consistency in the company's
development programs. I am excited to work with the team to bring
our operational and cost performance to its full
potential."
Lawson began his career as a flight control engineer working on
the F-15 Eagle at McDonnell Douglas. He has since held a broad
range of leadership positions in engineering, advanced development,
business development, and program management in a career spanning
more than 30 years. In his work at Lockheed Martin, Lawson has
overseen key aircraft production programs such as the F-35, F-22,
F-16, C-130J, and C-5, including highly classified programs in the
world-renowned Skunk Works® organization. Lockheed Martin
Aeronautics segment reported $15
billion in revenue in 2012.
He holds a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from
Lawrence Technological University,
where he also serves on the board of trustees, has a master's
degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Missouri, and is a graduate of the
Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program and an MIT
Seminar XXI Fellow. While he was executive vice president/general
manager of the F-22 Raptor, the program was awarded the Collier
Trophy as the most significant accomplishment in aerospace for
2006.
"The board wishes to express warm thanks to Jeff Turner for his dedication as CEO, and for
his vision and leadership in creating Spirit by transforming a
former OEM supply division into a premier aerostructures
manufacturer," said Johnson. "Jeff has built a truly world class
business in Spirit."
Spirit AeroSystems is one of the world's largest non-OEM
designers and manufacturers of aerostructures for commercial
aircraft. The company has more than $5
billion in annual revenue with a current backlog in excess
of $35 billion. Every Boeing
commercial aircraft in production contains Spirit hardware, as does
a majority of the Airbus fleet.
On the web: http://www.spiritaero.com
On Twitter: @SpiritAero
About Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.
Spirit AeroSystems,
with headquarters in Wichita,
Kan., USA, is one of the world's largest non-OEM designers
and manufacturers of aerostructures for commercial aircraft. In
addition to its Wichita and
Chanute facilities in Kansas, Spirit has locations in Tulsa and McAlester,
Okla.; Kinston, N.C.;
Nashville, Tenn.; Prestwick,
Scotland; Preston, England; Subang, Malaysia; and Saint-Nazaire, France. In the U.S., Spirit's core products
include fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components.
Additionally, Spirit provides aftermarket customer support
services, including spare parts, maintenance/repair/overhaul, and
fleet support services in North
America, Europe and
Asia. Spirit Europe produces wing components for a host of
customers, including Airbus.
SOURCE Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.