Simmonds, whose promotion takes effect immediately, will report to AJW Group's President and CEO, Christopher Whiteside.

He will work closely with AJW's Chief Technical Officer, Dave Lewis, and be accountable for all aspects of strategic inventory management including planning, vendor spend, MRO vendor services, freight, warehouse, distribution and information technology services.

He remains General Manager for AJW Technique, the Montreal-based state-of-the-art maintenance, repair and overhaul facility which celebrates its fifth birthday this month and has grown to employ 200 people.

Christopher Whiteside, President and CEO of AJW Group, said: "We are very proud of what AJW Technique has accomplished over the last five years and it is a natural evolution for Gavin, having successfully led our Montreal facility, to take wider responsibility for MRO activities across the Group.

"His new role will encompass a lean initiative for our business with automation at the forefront of that and, with his proven track record, I've no doubt he will achieve great success."

Gavin Simmonds, Chief Operating Officer of AJW Group, said: "I am delighted to take on this challenging role and build upon the foundations which makes AJW Group unique in so many ways. We have an excellent team already in place and we will be utilising our collective experience and strengths to ensure we deliver the maximum benefit for our large portfolio of customers around the world."

Gavin Simmonds has over 20 years' experience in the aviation industry which started with an engineering apprenticeship, and included nine years at Bristow Helicopters before joining AJW Group in 2012.

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