Spirit AeroSystems names Heidi Wood, Duane Hawkins to senior leadership team

WICHITA, Kan., June 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. [NYSE: SPR] announced today it has named two experienced industry executives to its senior leadership team: Heidi Wood as senior vice president, strategy, and Duane Hawkins as senior vice president, operations.

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"One of my principal goals at Spirit is to ensure our strategy, operational and cost performance are world class, and I am confident that Heidi and Duane will help us accomplish exactly that," said Larry Lawson, president and CEO. "Both are well-known and highly respected in our industry, and they join what is already a solid leadership team. Heidi brings a uniquely valuable perspective and in-depth industry knowledge as we shape the company's go-forward strategy, including mergers and acquisitions and investor relations. Duane adds significant operational expertise with his 30-year record of performance across operational, supply chain, engineering and program management roles."

Heidi Wood is widely regarded as a top aerospace and defense industry expert, having served as Morgan Stanley managing director, global head aerospace/defense analysis from 1999 to 2012. Prior to her time with Morgan Stanley, Wood worked as an analyst for Cowen & Company. For 12 years running she was ranked a Top Three/Runner Up analyst by Institutional Investor All Stars. Wood served on the Presidential Commission for the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry, has been frequently cited by the Wall Street Journal as a top stock picker in aerospace and defense, and was one of the leading analysts for the Spirit AeroSystems initial public offering in 2006. Wood joins Spirit from Avjet Corporation, where she served as senior vice president and co-leader of global sales. Wood will report directly to the CEO.

Duane Hawkins is a 30-year veteran of the aerospace industry, having worked in executive positions for Raytheon Missile Systems, Defense Research Inc. and General Dynamics in operational roles spanning program management, manufacturing engineering and supply chain. Hawkins comes to Spirit from Raytheon Missile Systems, where he has served since 2012 as vice president, deputy, air warfare systems. Recent program responsibilities included: Tomahawk, AMRAAM, Sidewinder AIM 9X, PAVEWAY, MALD, JSOW, Maverick, GRIFFIN, HARM, SDB II development, and others. Prior positions at Raytheon included: vice president, deputy, land combat systems; vice president, deputy, supply chain management; and program director, standard missile. At Spirit, Hawkins will have oversight of supply chain management, fabrication, global quality and operations. He will be responsible for supporting manufacturing by ensuring the timely supply of quality parts at lowest cost. Hawkins will report directly to the CEO.

Spirit AeroSystems is one of the world's largest non-OEM designers and manufacturers of aerostructures for commercial aircraft. Every Boeing commercial aircraft in production contains Spirit hardware, as does a majority of the Airbus fleet. The company has more than $5 billion in annual revenue with a current backlog of approximately $36 billion.

On the web: www.spiritaero.com
On Twitter: @SpiritAero

About Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.
Spirit AeroSystems, with headquarters in Wichita, Kan., USA, is one of the world's largest non-OEM designers and manufacturers of aerostructures for commercial aircraft. In addition to its Wichita and Chanute facilities in Kansas, Spirit has locations in Tulsa and McAlester, Okla.; Kinston, N.C.; Nashville, Tenn.; Prestwick, Scotland; Preston, England; Subang, Malaysia; and Saint-Nazaire, France. In the U.S., Spirit's core products include fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components. Additionally, Spirit provides aftermarket customer support services, including spare parts, maintenance/repair/overhaul, and fleet support services in North America, Europe and Asia. Spirit Europe produces wing components for a host of customers, including Airbus.

SOURCE Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.