Aviation Personnel International vice president Jennifer E Pickerel is to assume the role of president. She is appointed by the current CEO and president Sheryl A Barden.

“Jennifer is an exceptional leader in business aviation and has a deep understanding of the workforce challenges facing our clients today,” Barden notes. “Her creativity, ability to think 'big-picture' and her depth of thought are widely admired.”

Barden has served as president since 2003 and, in 2013, she assumed additional responsibilities as chief executive officer. “Both Jennifer and I look forward to continuing our core recruitment services while broadening them to include even more data-driven workforce offerings,” adds Barden, who will remain an integral part of the API team, serving as its owner and CEO. “And we'll sharpen our focus on work that helps aviation organisations become 'employers of choice'.”

Since joining API in 2015, Pickerel has steadily progressed in the company, assuming key roles that included director of candidate services, director of client services and, most recently, vice president. Throughout her tenure, she has made substantial improvements in nearly every area of the organisation. Her expanded responsibilities now include leading API's growing staff, overseeing marketing efforts and developing new programme offerings.

A thought leader in business aviation, Pickerel authors industry articles and speaks at regional and national events on a wide range of topics, including cultural development; employee attraction and retention; and the importance of embracing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB). She is chair of the NBAA's Endeavor Working Group, and serves on Bombardier's Safety Standdown Advisory Council. She's also a member of the NBAA Business Aviation Management Committee and a former member of the NBAA Maintenance Committee.

Before joining API, Pickerel advanced through various account management and leadership roles at International SOS company MedAire. She is a distinguished graduate of the International Women's Forum Leadership Fellows Program, having completed residence coursework at both INSEAD Business School and Harvard Business School. Additionally, she attended an executive education programme focused on DEIB at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. Pickerel holds a BA in English from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

“I'm deeply honoured to step into this role and continue building on the strong foundation that Sheryl and our founder, Janice K Barden, have established,” Pickerel says. “My focus will be on driving innovation, expanding our services, continuing to foster a culture of belonging and ensuring that API remains the industry leader in aviation recruitment and workforce solutions.”

Pickerel further elaborates on API's plans for the next decade: "We look forward to leveraging our more than 50 years of experiential intelligence and transforming it into actionable, data-driven insights. By analysing our extensive industry knowledge, we aim to provide aviation organisations with statistics and benchmarks that enhance decision-making, optimise financial outcomes and substantiate business cases specifically related to people, leadership and workforce issues. The API team and I are eager to broaden our offerings, while maintaining an unwavering commitment to quality and credibility, addressing HR challenges that align with our core competencies and serve the evolving needs of the industry.”