After nearly 40 years at the head of the air charter brokerage that bears their name, Peter Hunt and Jeremy Palmer have announced the beginning of a process that will see management control for the Hunt & Palmer Group transition over the next 12 months.

The succession plan, which will evolve during the months ahead, will see existing senior managers Julie Black, director of group subsidiary Premier Aviation (UK), and Jamie Peters, director of Hunt & Palmer Cargo Charters, join Hunt & Palmer main board directors Simon Edwards and Mark Jenkinson to form a new executive management team. This team will take responsibility for the day to day operational and strategic control of Hunt & Palmer’s global charter business.

During the transition, Messrs Hunt and Palmer will progressively remove themselves from the day-to-day management of the business while continuing to serve as main board directors of the group, alongside co-directors Neil Harvey, Simon Edwards and Mark Jenkinson. Harvey, who has contributed more than 30 years with the company, will play a significant role helping to facilitate the management succession plan.

Palmer says: “Now is the right time to address future proofing the business and start implementing these changes to the company we founded with our late partner, Jamie Martin, all those years ago. We and the other directors are acutely aware of our responsibilities to the people we employ. Their future and the continuation of our business is of paramount importance to us, and an effectively managed, well executed succession to the executive management team is both a desirable and necessary factor in securing that future.”

Commenting on the new management structure, Hunt adds: “We have always believed in providing opportunities for those within our organisation as a priority. We invest in our people, and it is no coincidence that we have chosen Julie and Jamie to step up to work with Simon and Mark on the challenges ahead. They have both proved to be eminently capable and insightful leaders, highly respected within our business and throughout our industry.”