PHILADELPHIA, PA – Leonardo Helicopters, the leading producer of commercial and military helicopters, has placed Jim Palmieri as their new Chief Financial Officer for the United States. Co-Founder, Tom Christopher and Recruiting Director, Kristen Perez, led and placed the critical search.
“I am profoundly thankful to have had the opportunity to bring together an outstanding financial leader with an equally outstanding client,” said Tom Christopher. “This particular search had some unique challenges given the globality of the parent organization and the unique skills and experiences sought in an ideal candidate. In the end, it was one of the most enjoyable and exciting searches I have been blessed to be a part of in recent years.”
As the Chief Financial Officer, Jim will lead & develop a US-based team of 20 staff who form part of Leonardo’s US finance function. Through a matrix structure, they will work directly with both the US-based and global leadership teams.
“It is an honor to be appointed the CFO of Leonardo Helicopters US. My experience in working in high growth markets in South East Asia and Central and Eastern Europe has uniquely prepared me for this role. I look forward to working with the team to make a positive impact and expand the business. I also want to thank Kristen and Tom in supporting me in this professional search,” Jim Palmieri shared.
Jim Palmieri is a seasoned financial leader known for his expertise in driving financial excellence across diverse industries. His strategic leadership is evident in his successful transitions of manufacturing sites to shared service models, implementation of global capital review processes, and driving digital transformation in finance operations KPIs. His impressive history of achievements, which includes optimizing operating margins, leading integration initiatives, and spearheading cost-saving projects, underscores Jim Palmieri’s role as a dynamic financial leader making a significant global impact.
About Leonardo Helicopters US
Operating in Northeast Philadelphia, PA since 1980 and employing nearly 1,000 people in 2023, Leonardo Helicopters US produces the best-selling AW139 twin-engine helicopter and the AW119 single-engine helicopter, and will soon produce the AW609, the world’s first commercial Tiltrotor. AWPC also provides customer support, maintenance, and overhaul for the entire Leonardo Helicopters portfolio of aircraft from Philadelphia. In 2021, Leonardo opened a new 60,000 sq/ft Training Academy for customer Pilots and Maintenance Technicians to learn to fly and maintain Leonardo helicopters, featuring state of the art classrooms, lounges, maintenance training devices, virtual-enhanced training devices and full flight motion simulators. Additionally, AWPC operates a Blade Repair Center in Broussard, LA; a U.S. Government Sales Office in Alexandria, VA; and is presently constructing a new 100,000 sq/ft customer support and service center in Milton, FL, slated to open in 2025.
About The Christopher Group
Through its award-winning, customized HR solutions, The Christopher Group (TCG) delivers critical human capital solutions in the area of executive HR search, interim HR leaders, fractional CHROs, HR consulting, and bench builder services. Since 1998, TCG has served clients across all industries, locations, company sizes, and verticals. Staffed by former HR professionals and highly trained search practitioners who have sat in the job, TCG has been named one of the Fastest-Growing and Best Non-Profit, PE, Higher Education and Diversity Executive Recruiting Firms by Hunt Scanlon as well as Forbes’ 2019, 2020, 2021 & 2022 list of America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms.