Airbus Group today announced that Chris Emerson, a veteran Airbus Group executive, has been appointed President and Chief Executive of Airbus Helicopters Inc. effective June 1.  Emerson will also serve as head of Airbus Helicopters North America Region, which includes oversight of both the U.S. subsidiary and Airbus Helicopters Canada.

In his new roles Emerson will replace Marc Paganini, who has accepted a new assignment with Airbus Group as head of Special Projects. Paganini has headed Airbus Helicopters Inc., the Grand Prairie, Texas-based subsidiary of Airbus Group Inc., since January 2003.

Emerson is currently Senior Vice President, Head of Marketing with Airbus in Toulouse, France, and heads a team of 200 analysts that provides data demonstrating the value that Airbus aircraft bring to the marketplace.  Previously he was Head of Airbus Future Programmes & Product Strategy, where he was responsible for producing the Airbus Global Market Forecast and setting policy direction for current and future programs.

Emerson was Senior Vice President and CFO of EADS North America (now Airbus Group Inc.) from 2003 to 2010. He began his career in 1996 with Mercedes Benz U.S. International, then joined Daimler Chrysler Aerospace (DASA) and was part of the internal team that formed EADS (Airbus Group) from three national entities, was responsible for establishing the initial valuation of the company for an IPO and establishing its credit rating.

“Chris is a talented young executive who has had a big impact on Airbus Group from its inception and in every subsequent post,” said Allan McArtor, Chairman and CEO of Airbus Group Inc. “He is inheriting the leadership of a strong company that has been the leader in the U.S. commercial helicopter market for more than decade. We are confident Chris will continue and enhance the growth of Airbus Helicopters in North America.”

“Airbus Helicopters (formerly American Eurocopter) has thrived in the U.S. market under Marc Paganini’s leadership during his nearly 13-year tenure, growing commercial market share and securing the Lakota contract from the Army,” said Airbus Helicopters CEO Guillaume Faury. “Chris is taking over at an opportune time to guide a new era of growth for Airbus Helicopters in the North American market.”

“This is a bittersweet time for me,” said Paganini. “I am excited to be taking on a new role as head of Special Projects for Airbus Group. It will be a challenging, but invigorating position as we look for ways to expand Airbus Group in the U.S. and globally. At the same time, I’m a little sad to be stepping away from Airbus Helicopters Inc. even though this is the right time to do so. My time with this company has been incredibly rewarding.”

About Airbus Group Inc.

Airbus Group, Inc. is the U.S.-based operation of Airbus Group, a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. Airbus Group – comprising Airbus, Airbus Defense and Space and Airbus Helicopters – contributes more than $15 billion to the U.S. economy annually and supports over 245,000 American jobs through its network of suppliers. Airbus Group, Inc., headquartered in Herndon, Va., offers a broad array of advanced solutions to meet U.S. military and commercial requirements, including fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, homeland security systems, public safety communications, defense electronics and avionics, and threat detection systems.

About Airbus Helicopters Inc.

Airbus Helicopters Inc. (AHI) is the U.S. affiliate of Airbus Helicopters, the largest helicopter manufacturer in the world, and a subsidiary of the Airbus Group. Airbus Helicopters Inc. manufactures, markets, sells and supports the broadest range of civil and parapublic helicopters offered in the U.S. The product line represents the industry’s most cost-effective, technologically-advanced helicopters serving all markets and missions. The company’s headquarters and main facility are in Grand Prairie, Texas with a large manufacturing and production facility in Columbus, Miss.