Ex-American Airlines man joins Bristow as VP

Bristow Group, a provider of helicopter services to the offshore energy industry, has appointed William “Bill” Collins as the senior vice president of global operations.

Bristow said on Wednesday that Collins would be responsible for overseeing safe and reliable helicopter and airplane operations across Bristow’s business.

In his new role, Collins will focus on improving operational safety, reliability, and efficiency for clients, reporting directly to Bristow Group President and Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Baliff.

Collins assumes the senior vice president global operations role from Chet Akiri, who served as acting senior vice president global operations in addition to his role as a chief commercial officer since April 2016.

As a result of this change, Akiri as Bristow’s chief commercial officer will be responsible for all revenue for the company, including the company’s core oil and gas business as well as new revenue growth opportunities for its continued diversification into other commercial and government sectors.

Baliff said: “Bill has a proven commitment to aviation safety, with extensive experience in fixed-wing and maintenance operations, and has successfully worked in aviation, engineering, and technical companies with increasing levels of leadership responsibility in functions including operations, support, and sales, in the U.S. and overseas.

“His commercial aviation experience and operational knowledge and insight are welcome additions to our senior leadership team.”

Collins joins Bristow from American Airlines, where he most recently served as vice president, aircraft, engine and components operations responsible for the airlines’ aircraft overhaul division in the Americas, Asia, and Europe.

Before joining the airline, Collins held various positions of increasing seniority within the Aviation Systems Division of General Electric from 2004 to 2010, ultimately serving as the vice president and general manager. Previous to General Electric, Collins held leadership positions at Moog, Inc., Bell Technologies, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Energy.