LONDON – On 31 January 2023 in Toulouse France, Stefano Marazzani was named the new Senior Vice President of Customer Support & Services.
The Italian native joins the manufacturer’s top management team and reports directly to Nathalie Tarnaud Laude, the Chief Executive Officer of ATR.
Marazzani replaces David Brigante who now takes on a prestigious role within the Leonardo Group, an Italian conglomerate.
Stefano Marazzani no doubt has all the qualities required to tackle the job. He has more than 26 years within the aviation industry and embarked on challenging tasks globally.
He has held important roles within this industry, including being the CEO of SuperJet International, where he took on the CEO position in 2017.
He held numerous positions at Alitalia, the former flag carrier of Italy before joining Superjet International.
In addition to his strong and impressive portfolio, Marazzani has had experience with aircraft maintenance, and the engineering aspects of the industry. His background also includes customer support and operations, which adds value to his newly nominated position at ATR.
Marazzani holds a Master of Science degree in Aeronautics Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Milan (Politecnico di Milano), a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Master’s in Technology and Design Strategy Innovation (MTDSI).
Armed with his experience and knowledge, Marazzani is the best candidate to succeed his predecessor.
An Increasingly Important Role
Following the unfortunate deadly crash of Yeti Air on the 15th of January 2023, ATR has worked hard on the investigation.
The role of SVP Customer Support & Services is now more prominent than ever after the Nepali aircraft crash, as the European OEM maintains trust and ties with current and future clients of the ATR.
The role of any Vice President typically has to report directly to the CEO, but with increasing competition, unfortunate events like the Nepali ATR crash gives more attention to the role of customer support and services.
Many airlines are now faced with stiffer competition from rival OEMs such as Embraer and de Havilland in selecting their ‘regional workhorses’.
The upfront ex-factory costs and the efficiency of the aircraft plays an important role in airlines or customers weighing the purchase an aircraft.
The after-sales support plays an increasingly important role as airlines will need to have their aircraft maintained and supported over the years of service. Without adequate support from the OEM, this may incentivise airlines to sway towards other OEMs.
Closing the purchase an aircraft is a major milestone to reach, but keeping customers loyal to your brand is an art of aircraft sales and intra-human relationships in itself.
