Bristow and Era set up new leadership team as merger date nears

Offshore helicopter operator Bristow and its peer Era Group have created a new global organization structure and selected the executive leadership team for the combined company.

To remind, Bristow and Era Group made a deal to merge in an effort to create a more diverse and financially stronger player back in January 2020. The combined company will be named Bristow.

In April, the two companies made a significant step towards completing the merger by clearing an antitrust hurdle.

In an update on Tuesday, Era said that the structure and executive appointments would be effective upon the close of the transaction and approval by the board of directors, currently scheduled for mid-June 2020.

Chris Bradshaw, president and CEO of Era and who will also lead the new combined company, said: “This new organizational structure and executive team will help position the combined company to navigate market challenges while better serving our customers with more efficient operations”.

Apart from Bradshaw, the combined Bristow company leadership team will also include David Stepanek, Alan Corbett, Stuart Stavley, Samantha Willenbacher, Jennifer Whalen, Crystal Gordon, Mary Wersebe, and James Stottlemyer.

Stepanek will become the EVP and COO with the responsibilities for running global operations through each of the area managers including flight operations, maintenance, service delivery, supply chain management, training, and IT.

Corbett will continue as the SVP of Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia, Australia, and SAR operations. He will continue overseeing Bristow operations in Australia, Nigeria, Norway, and the U.K.

Stavley, currently Era’s SVP of operations and fleet management, will become the SVP of global fleet management while Willenbacher will become an SVP and chief commercial officer. She is currently the VP of global commercial strategy for Bristow Group.

Whalen, currently an SVP and CFO for Era Group, will continue in those roles on an interim basis until a permanent CFO is named.

Gordon will become an SVP and general counsel, Wersebe will fill the role of SVP and chief administrative officer, while Stottlemyer will be the HSE VP.