The past few years have not been easy for top leadership at Panasonic Avionics Corporation (PAC) . Following a bribery scandal in 2017-2018 the company brought in many new executives, including CEO Hideo Nakano and CTO David Bartlett. Nakano departed that role in November 2019, replaced by Ken Sain on 2 December. PaxEx.Aero has also learned that Bartlett is no longer with the company.
Panasonic Avionics acknowledged the move in a statement, “We can confirm that David Bartlett left Panasonic Avionics in January in order to relocate closer to his family. We are grateful for the important role David has played in the evolution of our company in recent years, and we wish him well for the future.”
Bartlett was responsible for a dramatic shift in the way PAC operated. He came to the company from outside the aviation sector, bringing a different approach to the industry. Under his guidance the company transitioned to a more services-focused model. He also spearheaded the launch of of the company’s Innovation Centers to help drive product improvements. It is still too early to judge the impact of these changes and what they mean to the company’s future.
It is unclear how PAC will back-fill the many roles Bartlett served within the organization.
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What now remains to be seen is if the initiatives he started continue or are rolled back. With the new CEO in place this is an opportunity to make significant changes to the company strategy. In the six weeks since he arrive Sain has been relatively quiet. But trade show season is ramping up; we can expect to learn more soon enough.
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Hal says
Bartlett did have a short stint with GE Aviation (but different dynamics than pax experience)