Swedish hybrid-electric aircraft developer Heart Aerospace has appointed current GE Aerospace chief commercial officer John Slattery as non-executive board chairman.
Slattery will continue in his role at GE, where he is also executive vice-president.
Heart Aerospace currently has two board members, Gustaf Alstromer and Christian Garcia, who are drawn from investors Y Combinator and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, respectively.
“I’m excited to take on this role at such a decisive time for our industry,” Slattery says. “We are accountable to future generations, and if we are to reach carbon neutrality, we need to act with vision, courage, curiosity, and the sense of urgency demonstrated by the team at Heart Aerospace.
“The segment targeted by Heart Aerospace is ripe for disruption.”
Anders Forslund, co-founder and chief executive of Heart Aerospace adds: “He is one of the defining industry leaders of the modern era, and he has a relentless drive towards decarbonizing air travel.
“As Heart grows as a company, John is a perfect fit for us. We couldn’t be more excited.”
Slattery, who previously ran Embraer’s commercial aviation business, joins several former Embraer executives at Heart, including chief commercial officer Simon Newitt and head of marketing Claudio Camelier.
Heart Aerospace is developing a hybrid-electric 30-seater called the ES-30, which is due to enter service in 2028.
