Press Release
Issued by Kopter, a Leonardo company.
June 21, 2017
The board of directors of Marenco Swisshelicopter AG (MSH) has welcomed André Borschberg as a new member. André will join the board as a non-executive director with immediate effect, subject to confirmation at MSH's next shareholders' meeting in July.
The former Swiss Air Force jet and helicopter pilot and co-founder of the Solar Impulse project, the first ever round-the-world solar flight, will bring his passion for aviation, his pioneering spirit and managerial expertise to the MSH board of directors.
André Borschberg said: “In the global aviation landscape, MSH's development and roll-out of a next generation helicopter made in Switzerland is a landmark project of our time. As an aviation enthusiast and as a Swiss, I am excited and proud to become part of the MSH venture.”
Philippe Harache, chairman of the board of directors commented: “It is a pleasure to have André joining the team. As a non-executive director of MSH, he will not only exercise overview of the company, but we will also benefit from his strategic guidance on MSH's path to becoming the first full-fledged Swiss global helicopter provider and manufacturer.”
André Borschberg, born on December 13, 1952, in Zurich, is a Swiss entrepreneur who conceived, with his team of engineers, a solar airplane of unlimited endurance and, alternating with Bertrand Piccard in the cockpit, successfully completed the first circumnavigation of the globe without a drop of fuel and establishing a world record by flying for the first time ever 5 days and 5 nights non-stop over the pacific ocean.
André Borschberg flew as a jet pilot in the Swiss Air Force prior to his work with Solar Impulse and he is also a turbine rated helicopter pilot. Graduate engineer from EPFL and holder of a management science degree from MIT, he also is an entrepreneur of several new projects and start-ups. His solid experience in creating and managing companies, the passion for aviation and innovation have naturally convinced him to fly-in his values and energy into MSH.
