Wisk Aero CEO Gary Gysin will be retiring from his position and as a member of the board from 1 February, 2023. He will be succeeded by Dr Brian Yutko.

“On behalf of Wisk's board, employees, and the broader advanced air mobility industry, I want to thank Gary for his dedication, commitment and leadership since Wisk's founding in 2019,” says chairman of the board Brian Schettler. “Gary's authenticity, execution and vision have established Wisk as a leader in advanced air mobility, built trust among the broader public and advanced the industry as a whole.”

Gysin shared his intention to retire with Wisk's board and executive leadership team in mid-2022. As CEO, he helped found the Wisk brand and transform the company into an industry leader. Gysin led the formation of the company's leadership team and, under his direction, the company saw tremendous growth across all teams, including development, engineering and business operations. He set the direction for the company's long term vision, strategy and goals, while also strengthening the strategic partnership with Boeing that included an additional $450 million investment commitment in January 2022. Most recently, Gysin oversaw the strategy for the launch and development of Wisk's sixth generation air taxi. Thanks to him, Wisk has become a leader in the advanced air mobility industry and is globally recognised as a pioneer in autonomy and future mobility.

“After nearly four decades of a career at the forefront of technology and autonomy, I've made the difficult decision to retire,” says Gysin. “Leading Wisk has been one of the most rewarding roles of my career, and I'm honoured to have helped lay the foundation for both the company and the future of mobility. Wisk is an incredibly unique and rare place, with passionate and smart people at all levels and the resources to make it across the finish line. I'm very excited to continue watching Wisk succeed under the strong leadership of Brian Yutko.”

Schettler adds: “We are excited to welcome Brian Yutko as Wisk's new CEO. To date, Brian has already been instrumental to Wisk's success, from helping to secure additional resources for Wisk from within Boeing to championing the concept of operations developed by the two companies. Brian's deep expertise in aviation and passion for autonomy, as well as his existing familiarity with Wisk, will enable a smooth transition and allow Wisk to maintain its development timelines and trajectory within the industry with minimal disruption.”

Following an executive search process, Yutko was selected based on his experience with eVTOL aircraft and autonomous technology and his passion for Wisk's vision. As a board member, Yutko has developed a deep familiarity with Wisk, the company's strategy, the Generation 6 programme and the company's long term goals. His relationships, respect and trust within the industry will help Wisk fulfil its commitment to bringing the first self-flying, eVTOL air taxi to the US. Yutko was selected by a unanimous board vote.

Yutko currently serves as vice president and chief engineer of sustainability and future mobility at Boeing. He has served multiple leadership roles at Boeing, including chief technologist for Boeing NeXt. Prior to Boeing, he was senior vice president of programmes at Aurora Flight Sciences, where he held P&L responsibility, led research and development, and also served as a programme manager and principal investigator for various rapid prototyping and autonomous technology development programmes. Yutko helped to lead Aurora through a period of substantial growth while the company pioneered cutting edge autonomous systems technologies and applications. He began his career at MIT and NASA. Yutko received his BSc in aerospace engineering from Penn State University and his MSc and PhD in astronautical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

“I've spent my career pursuing the future of aviation and Wisk is the embodiment of that pursuit,” says Yutko. “I'm fortunate to have been part of Wisk's effort over the past two years as a member of the board, and I'm honoured to take on the role as CEO. Under Gary's leadership, Wisk has built an incredibly strong team with a track record of success. We have no plans to slow down, and I'm excited to lead this incredible team as we advance safe, everyday autonomous flight.”