Dassault Aviation has appointed Jean Kayanakis to the newly created position of senior vice president, worldwide Falcon customer service and service centre network. This new role encompasses responsibility for customer service activities, Dassault's service centre network organisations, plus the operational and pilot support department.

Kayanakis was most recently general manager of Dassault Falcon Service (DFS), which offers maintenance to Falcon operators, as well as charter operations and aircraft management, from its bases at Le Bourget airport in Paris and Mérignac airport in Bordeaux.

“This is a new, comprehensive approach to customer service at Dassault Aviation, and Jean is the right person to lead the effort. He has a complete vision of the customer service experience, a strong legacy of achievements, and he is very well appreciated by our customers and his teams,” says president and CEO Eric Trappier.

Kayanakis spearheaded the recent development of a heavy MRO facility at Bordeaux-Mérignac in southwest France, dedicated to supporting the Dassault Falcon 7X and 8X business jet fleet. He also led the expansion of the DFS network with satellite facilities in Nice, France; Rome, Italy; Moscow, Russia; and Lomé, Togo. Under his leadership, DFS also set up and operated FalconResponse, Dassault Aviation's Falcon airborne support solution, for the eastern hemisphere.

He recently directed a major renovation of DFS' FBO at Le Bourget airport, which has been rated in multiple surveys as the number one FBO in the Paris region. DFS's Le Bourget facility is part of the Air Elite FBO network, serving a wide range of business aircraft.

Kayanakis graduated from the École Nationale Supérieure d'Ingénieurs de Constructions Aéronautiques (ENSICA) engineering school in France. He started his career at the Dassault design office more than 25 years ago, working on the Rafale fighter prototype. He has held a variety of positions within Dassault Aviation in customer service, logistics, purchasing, parts and maintenance services.

He is succeeded in the role of general manager by Pierre-Etienne Aubin, who moves up from VP maintenance operations at DFS where he focused on improving the quality of maintenance by raising on-time and on-cost delivery performance. Aubin was also involved in the management of Falcon 7X maintenance growth, an effort that culminated in construction of the new DFS MRO facility at Mérignac airport, and development of paperless maintenance documentation processes.

“Pierre-Etienne's exceptional project management and lean management skills will stand him in good stead in his new position,” says Trappier. “These skills, together with his expertise in digital transformation, will contribute greatly to enhancing the efficiency of DFS operations and optimising the Falcon customer experience.”

Aubin holds degrees from the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris, the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace in Toulouse and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a certified private aviation pilot and parachutist and the recipient of the For Merit and Médaille de l'Aéronautique awards.

In the customer service role, Kayanakis takes over from Jacques Chauvet, who plans to retire this year. Chauvet has been with Dassault since 1980, beginning in the prototype workshop. “Jacques has established the highest standards in customer care and developed a more vibrant network of dedicated professional experts around the globe,” adds Trappier. “We wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement.”

As part of the company's re-organisation of its global customer service activities, Geoff Chick will take on a new strategic role as senior vice president, worldwide service network, functionally reporting to Kayanakis. “Geoff has been the face of customer service for Dassault Falcon Jet (DFJ) in the Americas and Asia, and will now bring his extensive experience to our network of more than 50 owned and authorised service centres around the globe,” Trappier continues. “The challenges for Geoff and his teams are to continue to strengthen our network, further increase its efficiency and enhance the Falcon customers' experience.”

Former Dassault Falcon Jet deputy vice president, customer service John Loh succeeds Chick as VP customer service based in Teterboro, New Jersey, and Pierre Thielin is promoted from VP eastern hemisphere customer service, Dassault Aviation to VP worldwide customer service, based in Saint-Cloud, France.