John Maris, President of Marinvent, Elected Chair of the AIAC Board

OTTAWA, ON--(Marketwired - November 23, 2015) - The Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) is pleased to announce the election of John Maris as Chair of the AIAC Board of Directors. As President of Marinvent Corporation, Mr. Maris is the first AIAC Chair from a small aerospace business. Mr. Maris succeeds David C. Curtis, President and CEO of Viking Air Limited, who served as Chair of the AIAC Board over the last year.

"I am honoured to have the opportunity to serve as AIAC's Board Chair," said Mr. Maris. "This is a pivotal time for the Canadian aerospace industry, and the fact that AIAC'S membership has chosen a representative of small aerospace businesses as the next Board Chair shows the impact that members of all sizes have in the direction of the association and the industry. I am looking forward to working with industry and our partners in government on ways to support the long-term growth of Canadian aerospace companies both at home and around the world."

Jim Quick, President and CEO of AIAC, officially welcomed Mr. Maris to his new role at AIAC's Board Meeting on November 16. "For thirty years, John has led an award-winning small Canadian aerospace firm that has been recognized by clients such as NASA and the New Zealand air force for its exceptional products and services. He is also an experienced member of AIAC's board and an outspoken advocate for small business in the aerospace industry," Mr. Quick said. "On behalf of all of us at the AIAC, I offer our heartfelt congratulations to Mr. Maris on his election as Chair and look forward to working with him in the year ahead."

The Board also acknowledged the service and contributions of AIAC's outgoing chair, Mr. Dave Curtis. "Mr. Curtis' leadership, insight and expertise have been invaluable to AIAC's growth and strategic direction over the last year," Mr. Quick said. "I would like to personally thank Dave for his commitment to our association and industry and am very pleased that he will remain active on AIAC's Board in the coming year."

AIAC is the national association representing Canada's aerospace manufacturing and services sector. As the world's fifth-largest aerospace industry, Canada's aerospace sector contributes over $29B to the economy in GDP, exports 80% of its output, and dedicates over 20% of its activity to research and development (R&D). Aerospace is responsible for the employment of 180,000 Canadians.

Composition of the Board of Directors 2014-2015:

Members of the Executive

Directors

Biography

John Maris

President, Marinvent Corporation

John Maris is President of Marinvent Corporation, an award-winning Canadian aerospace firm based in Montreal that developed the world standard for certified aviation electronic charting applications. A leading voice for small businesses in the aerospace industry, John serves as chair of AIAC's Small Business Committee and has participated in industry working groups at AIAC, Aéro Montreal and CERBA. As of November 2015, he is also the Chair of AIAC's Board of Directors - the first small business owner to hold the position.

Under John's leadership, the Marinvent team has authored several worldwide patents in the fields of air operations, green aircraft technologies, and flight safety. These include the development of Boeing's TCL/MC3 vector graphics library, which is now the worldwide standard for the electronic depiction of Jeppesen cartographic data. Marinvent has been recognized for its achievements at the highest levels, including the Royal New Zealand Air Force, FAA and NASA administrators, and the heads of Russia's aerospace industry. Its flagship Avanti aircraft has been featured on the Discovery Channel and in numerous magazines and publications.

A skilled test pilot with over 6000 hours of flight time, John holds pilot licences for both fixed and rotary wing aircraft for transport agencies around the world, including the FAA, Transport Canada, CAA (UK), and JAR (Europe). He serves as principal flight-test investigator and test pilot for NASA's TASAR program, and is a recipient of the NASA Group Achievement Award and 2013 NASA Small Business Subcontractor of the Year Award for the TASAR flight test program.

John is an Aviation Week and Space Technology Laureate and was awarded Canada's oldest aeronautical prize, the Trans-Canada (McKee) trophy, for his contributions to Canadian aerospace. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute, a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and an Associate Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.