CHC Helicopter appoints new CFO
CHC Helicopter's new CFO is Neil Gilchrist.
CHC Helicopter has appointed Neil Gilchrist as its new chief financial officer (CFO). Gilchrist started his new role earlier this month.
Tom Burke, the operator’s CEO said: “He brings exceptional financial acumen, strategic insight, and a proven track record of driving performance in asset intensive businesses.”
Gilchrist’s leadership will benefit the executive team as it speeds the execution of its growth strategy and continues to build a stronger and more resilient business,” he added.
An experienced financial and accounting leader, Gilchrist has decades of experience working for companies across the US, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. He worked for 20 years in Chemicals and Plastics with the LyondellBasell group.
Most recently he served more than 10 years as CFO of KCA Deutag, an international onshore and offshore drilling services company headquartered in Aberdeen.
Commenting on his new role, Gilchrist said: “This is a business with an exceptional heritage, a clear strategic vision, and a world-class team. I firmly believe in its potential to continue leading the global rotary aviation sector into the future, and I look forward to contributing to its next chapter of growth and success.”
Writing on the social media platform LinkedIn after his departure from KCA Deutag, he described his time with the company as: “ … a fantastic opportunity to work in a global company with great people who have had to fight through significant adversity to continue delivering excellent service to our customers and create value for our stakeholders”.
The business had dealt with the volatile energy markets (“which let’s face it have been more down than up”) and secured significant financing investment. It has also: “… dealt with the loss of 30% of profitability due to the loss of our Russian business as a result of the Ukraine/Russia conflict, recovered from a huge cyber attack, integrated significant acquisitions and finally over recent months negotiated the sale of the business to a strong strategic player in Helmerich & Payne”.
Meanwhile, in April CHC Helicopter’s Latin American business, CHC Brazil, won two new contracts and an operational excellence award from oil giant Petrobras.
