Reno, Nevada, January 7, 2013 – Aerion Corporation, an aerodynamics technology company, announced today that Doug Nichols, previously chief operating officer, will serve as chief executive officer and join the board of directors with immediate effect. In this capacity, Nichols is responsible for all corporate activities of Aerion, including its recently acquired Desktop Aeronautics aerospace software and consultancy subsidiary based in Palo Alto, California.
“Doug’s promotion to CEO and his participation on the board of directors will allow an increasingly vertically integrated Aerion to expand and monetize its portfolio of transonic and supersonic intellectual property,” said Robert M. Bass, chairman of Aerion and president of Keystone Group, LP. “From managing our efforts to bring the world’s first practical supersonic business jet to market, to helping aircraft manufacturers deliver more speed, range or efficiency in any flight regime, Doug’s leadership will be crucial to our future success.”
Doug Nichols is a former senior executive of The Boeing Company, where he held numerous financial, operating, and corporate development positions. In his nearly 30 years with Boeing, he gained extensive experience in the operational and financial management of aircraft programs, market evaluation and product development, supply base management, support logistics, and marketing and sales. Nichols earned his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Puget Sound.
About Aerion
Aerion Corporation of Reno, Nevada, was formed from an advanced engineering group in 2002 to reintroduce commercial supersonic flight. Aerion’s research began more than 20 years ago, and has culminated in the design of a practical and efficient supersonic business jet as the result of its patented applications of natural laminar flow technology. The company’s portfolio also includes proprietary design and optimization tools, patented thin wing designs, propulsion integration technology and related expertise. More information can be found at www.aerioncorp.com.
Aerion’s board includes: Robert M. Bass, chairman of Aerion and president of investment group Keystone Group, LP; Brian E. Barents, vice chairman of Aerion and former president and CEO of Galaxy Aerospace and Learjet; Doug Nichols, chief executive officer of Aerion; Dr. Richard R. Tracy, Aerion’s chief technology officer and pioneer of the supersonic natural laminar wing concept; Michael L. Henderson, Aerion’s principal scientist and Boeing’s former program manager for high-speed civil transport; Robert Morse, a partner at Oak Hill Capital Management; and James Stewart, CEO of Mubadala Aerospace MRO Network. In addition, John Holding, previously Bombardier Aerospace’s executive vice president, Integrated Product Definition and Planning, is senior advisor to the company.
