Discovery Air announces appointment of Jacob Shavit as President and CEO and appointment of Brian Semkowski as Chair of the Board

YELLOWKNIFE, Nov. 28, 2012 /CNW/ - Discovery Air Inc. ("Discovery Air") announced today the appointment of Jacob (Koby) Shavit as its President and Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") and the appointment of Brian Semkowski as a director and Chair of the Board.  The appointments are effective December 13, 2012.

Mr. Shavit is a highly-experienced global business leader and pilot who in his most recent role successfully grew AGT International, a privately held multi-billion dollar network of companies, as its Chief Business Officer. Mr. Shavit brings a wealth of international experience to Discovery Air as he has managed a significant number of international projects, penetrated emerging markets and built public-private partnerships for many large-scale programs, both with foreign governments and commercial companies alike. He has also previously held CEO positions in entrepreneurial organizations in China and the U.S.A. and possesses a significant aviation operations and military background.  Mr. Shavit has been both a fighter jet and helicopter pilot with over 3,000 flight hours in both cockpits. 

"With over 35 years of international business and aviation operations experience, Koby is uniquely positioned to take on this role. I am delighted to welcome Koby to the Discovery Air team and look forward to his contributions and leadership as we embark on this next phase of Discovery Air's development. I look forward to working closely with him in my new role as Chair of the Discovery Air Board," stated Mr. Semkowski. He added "On behalf of the Board, I want to take this opportunity to thank Gil Bennett for his leadership as Chair of the Board since 2008. Gil's thoughtful deliberation, integrity and respect have been the hallmarks of his leadership."

ABOUT DISCOVERY AIR AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

Discovery Air is a Canadian specialty aviation company operating over 160 aircraft with approximately 850 team members. Its subsidiaries provide airborne training to the Canadian military, air ambulance services, airborne fire services, helicopter operations, fixed-wing air charter services, expediting and logistics support, and a range of maintenance, repair, overhaul, modification, engineering and certification services.

Discovery Air Inc.'s Class A common voting shares and unsecured convertible debentures trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (symbols DA.A and DA.DB.A, respectively).

SOURCE: Discovery Air Inc.

Sheila Venman
VP Human Resources and Communications
[email protected]
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