Bristow Group Inc. (NYSE: BRS), the leading provider of helicopter services to the offshore energy industry, announced today that it has appointed Chet Akiri to the position of Senior Vice President and Chief Corporate Development, New Ventures and Strategy Officer. As of September 2, 2014, Mr. Akiri will lead the company's corporate development efforts, including new business incubation, venture investing activities, identification of merger and acquisition opportunities, potential government and joint venture development streams and long-term corporate level strategy, financial planning and analysis.
Bristow Group's President and CEO Jonathan Baliff stated, "Chet has extensive experience in senior management roles in successful global businesses. He has helped them enhance their customer focus, expand their operations, and achieve significant financial growth. He led strategic planning and M&A activities, introduced new products and services, and built high performance teams. He has a track record of strong leadership, innovative thinking and proven experience transforming businesses in highly complex environments in close coordination with government authorities. We are delighted to have him join our senior management team to focus on our strategic business plan for external growth in alignment with our core values."
Mr. Akiri comes to Bristow Group from General Electric (GE), which he joined in 2001 and most recently served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Global Nuclear Fuels America in Wilmington, North Carolina. Before becoming COO in 2013, he served as Vice President and General Manager of GE Hitachi Parts Services, where he was accountable for sales and margin growth, portfolio management and investment, product and service solutions, operations, manufacturing and supply chain, and regulatory compliance. Before joining the nuclear business in 2010, Chet served in senior management roles in GE Aviation, Consumer and Industrial, Industrial Solutions and in Global Business Development at GE's corporate headquarters.
Prior to this time, he held vice president and senior vice president roles in several entrepreneurial ventures, served as an associate in Corporate Finance with Goldman Sachs & Co., and was a management consultant with Corporate Decisions, which was acquired by Mercer Management Consulting. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Brown University and his Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
