GKN Aerospace has appointed Krisstie Kondrotis as President of Defence effective 1 November, and Julie Smyth as General Counsel effective 25 November. In their new roles, both will join the GKN Aerospace Executive Committee reporting to Hans Büthker, GKN Aerospace Chief Executive Officer.
In her newly-created role, Krisstie will lead GKN Aerospace’s growing Defence business and will be based in Dallas, USA. Krisstie joins GKN Aerospace from Spirit AeroSystems where she was Senior Vice President Defence Programs and Business Development. Prior to this, she was Vice President Business Development, Information Systems Sector at Northrop Grumman Corporation. Previously Krisstie held senior executive roles in the defence industry at General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin.
As General Counsel, Julie will be based in London, UK, and will be accountable for legal, risk, compliance, and governance matters across the global aerospace business. Julie joins GKN Aerospace from BAE systems where she was Chief Counsel for the Air Sector. Prior to this, she was Chief Counsel Military Air and Information at BAE Systems. Julie brings more than 20 years’ experience in senior legal roles in the aerospace industry.
Hans Büthker, CEO GKN Aerospace said: “I’m excited to welcome both Krisstie and Julie to the business and our Executive Committee. They both bring a wealth of industry experience and, together with our customers and employees, they will play a key role in shaping the next step of our journey towards One GKN Aerospace.
“Krisstie brings a proven ability leading major programmes for our largest Defence customers and peers, as well as extensive leadership experience in building and strengthening global teams. Our Defence business is around 30% of our global sales today and Krisstie is the right leader to grow this business in the coming years.
“Similarly, Julie is a highly experienced General Counsel, with significant expertise in corporate reputational protection, compliance and regulation and governance. She is an expert negotiator and communicator, bringing over 20 years’ experience in senior legal roles to GKN Aerospace, as well as an outstanding background in the industry.
“I look forward to working with both Krisstie and Julie during this exciting time for GKN Aerospace.”