Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic Avionics) announced several new executive appointments following the successful launch of its new in-flight entertainment (IFE) seat-end solution, Astrova. The company's announcement comes amid a broad recovery for the airline industry and sustained increases in passenger traffic.
Ken Sain, chief executive officer of Panasonic Avionics, said, "Panasonic is entering this period of renewed industry demand from a position of innovation and strength. Our new Astrova product has been enthusiastically received by our customers and is but one example of how we have transformed our business to better develop our products and serve our customers. I am confident that the leadership changes that we are announcing today will build on this momentum."
The Company announced that Satyen Yadav will join Panasonic Avionics as chief technology officer on Aug. 8. Yadav will be responsible for leading all aspects of the company's software and systems engineering teams, cloud, hardware, and IT/security. He will serve as a key member of Panasonic Avionics' executive team and be directly responsible for an organization of over 800 employees spread across Panasonic's Irvine, California headquarters, as well as the Bay Area office and other global locations. Yadav joins Panasonic Avionics from Compute North, a leader in sustainable data centers. Prior to that role, he served as global chief technology officer for Boeing Digital Solutions and Analytics business. He succeeds Joe Bentley, who has held the position since July, 2020 and is leaving the company at the end of the month.
John Wade will join the company as vice president, Connectivity Solutions on August 1, 2022. Wade will be responsible for the overall strategy, performance, and day-to-day operations of the Connectivity business unit. He will oversee a team of network capacity engineers and satellite experts, while working very closely with sales, engineering, and product management to drive revenue and support airlines worldwide. Wade is an industry-recognized expert who most recently served as the President of Commercial Aviation at Intelsat, which acquired GoGo's Business Aviation business in 2020.
Panasonic Avionics also announced that Tom Eskola will take on a new role as vice president, Panasonic Technical Services. Eskola brings to this position a deep knowledge of Panasonic and commitment to its customers. He joined the company more than ten years ago and most recently served as Vice President and General Manager of the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region (EMEA). Eskola will continue his EMEA responsibilities until the company names his replacement.
Eskola succeeds Sean Gavin. Gavin had a successful 14-year career with Panasonic and will be leaving the company in mid-August.
