Bristow Group Inc. (NYSE: VTOL) today announced Fernando Quental has been appointed to the role of Brazil Area Manager, effective today. In this role, he will be responsible for all facets of Bristow’s operations in Brazil.

Quental has more than 20 years of leadership experience in various industries, and he comes to Bristow from SGS do Brasil, where he was business unit Director of Oil, Gas, Chemicals and Minerals. Prior to that, he was Latin America Services Director at Baker Hughes. Before his role at Baker Hughes, he was the Head of Latin America Field Services at GE Oil & Gas. Prior to joining GE Oil & Gas, he served in various leadership roles at Rolls-Royce Brazil. He is also an honorary member of the Brazilian Air Force and received the Santos-Dumont merit medal in 2009.

“I am honored to join Bristow at such an exciting time and look forward to growing the Bristow brand and leading our talented Brazil team into its next chapter,” said Quental.

“Fernando’s experience, passion and skills will help us build on our past success and take the next steps to a successful future,” said Chief Operating Officer Dave Stepanek, to whom Quental will report.

Bristow has been an integral part of the oil and gas industry in Brazil for more than 40 years, servicing the helicopter support needs of Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras, independent Brazilian exploration and production companies and multiple international oil and gas companies.

Bristow currently operates a modern fleet of 12 AW139s in Brazil. In addition to offering vertical flight solutions for onshore and offshore exploration, development and production activities, Bristow provides MEDEVAC, charter flights and flight support for various seismic operations to support several international companies operating in the region.