Anna Galoni has been appointed CEO of general aviation bearing and seal specialist Marsh Brothers Aviation, a Thomson-Gordon Group company. Galoni joined the Burlington, Ontario-headquartered company in 2007. Prior to her appointment in April, she held a number of senior roles in various departments including human resources director, new product development director and, subsequently chair of Marsh Brothers Aviation, a position she continues to hold.

Her appointment follows the retirement of Terry McGowan, who stepped down after almost 14 years in the CEO role.

Galoni says: “I am very excited to be leading Marsh Brothers at this critical period for the global aviation industry. I look forward to working with the senior management team to build on the work of my predecessor and to continue to expand the market share of our proprietary self-lubricating, low maintenance aviation bearings across the sector. We are not a huge company, but we make a significant difference in terms of customer value, customer service and in helping customers achieve their operating and environmental sustainability goals.”

As the company's first female CEO, Galoni hopes the appointment will encourage more women to consider senior executive positions in the aviation and industrial manufacturing sectors.

“A woman does bring a different viewpoint to the boardroom, but these industries are still male-dominated industries,” she continues. “We recently advertised a senior role but when I asked about the proportion of women that had applied for the role, I was shocked to learn there were none. Maybe they might be more open to applying for jobs in the manufacturing sector when there is a female at the helm; I don't know. What I do know is that these industries need to be made more attractive to women. Boardrooms need to be diverse; they need to be open to different concepts, different perspectives and different ideas.”

Thomson-Gordon Group Innovator and Marsh Brothers Aviation founder George A. Thomson adds: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of my stepdaughter Anna as our new CEO. After three generations of family ownership, the Thomson-Gordon Group and Marsh Brothers Aviation is now looking to a fourth-generation family member to safely navigate the company through the challenges the industry faces now and in the future.

“Anna has impressed throughout her years with the company and is now beginning to implement a plan that will see us expand and diversify the portfolio into other markets. Our philosophy, then and now, is to innovate and develop systems and technologies that last a lifetime. This will continue to be at the heart of everything we do.”

In addition to the aviation industry, Thomson-Gordon Group's polymer technologies are used in myriad applications across the maritime, oil and gas, clean power generation and industrial pump industries. The company's bearing and seal products have achieved worldwide renown as grease- and maintenance-free, environmentally safe alternatives to traditional bronze bearings.

“There's a lot of things happening,” Galoni concludes. “People here are excited. I am excited. Innovation is a big part of our 110-year history, and this will continue. We want to grow the business and have big plans to take us to the next level, internationally. There is a lot of potential.”