CHC Helicopter said today that Joan Hooper has been named senior executive vice president and chief financial officer of the world’s largest helicopter-services company.

Ms. Hooper, a former senior finance executive at companies including Dell and AT&T, succeeds Rick Davis, who stepped down as CHC’s CFO in early August.  Doug Yakola, a senior advisor at McKinsey & Co., has been serving as interim CFO.

William Amelio, CHC’s president and chief executive officer, said Ms. Hooper’s experience, insight and leadership will be invaluable as the company plans and implements a transformation of its global business.  She formally joins CHC on Oct. 3.

“Joan is an exceptional finance executive,” said Mr. Amelio.  “Strategy, talent and execution are essential to successful organizations, and she is highly effective – individually and through her teams – at all three.

“She has a strong record for mentoring and developing members of her teams and will be a great addition to CHC.”

Mr. Yakola, he added, will continue to help guide CHC’s initiative to reduce costs and increase cash flow by streamlining and consistently applying business tools, process and systems.

“Doug has been a great partner from the start of our transformation project and really challenged our leadership and finance teams as interim CFO,” Mr. Amelio said.  “We’re counting on him for more of that as he resumes his consulting role.”

Ms. Hooper has led finance organizations for Dell Global Public and Americas business units, and previously oversaw corporate finance and was the chief accounting officer for the company.   Before Dell, she was executive vice president and CFO of FreeMarkets, an innovative provider of procurement tools and services, which she helped take public in 1999 in a highly successful IPO.  At AT&T, she held a variety of senior finance positions.

Ms. Hooper earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Creighton University, and a master’s degree in business administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management.  She has earned public and management accounting certifications.​