Electra.aero has appointed Marc Allen as its chief executive officer.

Allen joins Electra after a distinguished career at The Boeing Company, where he most recently served as chief strategy officer and senior vice president for strategy and corporate development. He led the $5 billion customer finance business before spending nearly a decade on Boeing's executive council, where he served as president of Boeing International and oversaw critical enterprise-wide functions. As head of all venture businesses, he led Wisk Aero's restructuring and full acquisition, focusing on the future of autonomous flight and serving as chairman. Other roles at Boeing included president of the Embraer Partnership, president of Boeing China and general counsel of Boeing International. Allen is a graduate of Princeton University and holds a JD from Yale Law School. His early career includes clerking for US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, co-founding a sports medicine start-up and serving as a business consultant with The Parthenon Group.

“Marc's exceptional background in global business and strategic leadership makes him the ideal choice to guide Electra into its next phase of growth,” says founder and chairman John Langford. “With over 2,000 orders for our nine seat hybrid electric aircraft from customers worldwide, we are poised to become a global industrial champion. Electra already has the strongest technical team in the business, and now we have the finance, legal and operations experience to match.”

Langford, who has served as both chairman and CEO since founding Electra, will continue to serve as its chairman focusing on long-term strategy and innovation.

“I am excited to join Electra's first-rate team and help define the next level of air travel connectivity,” says Allen. “My passion has always been about building, coaching and inspiring high-performing teams. Electra is at the forefront of revolutionising air travel with its direct aviation model, bringing air travel closer to where we live, work and play, without airports, emissions or noise. Leading Electra at this pivotal moment is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”