MDHI Chief Commercial Officer Craig Kitchen to Participate in the Straight Talk from the Top Discussion Panel on Opening Day of the 3-day Conference
MD Helicopters, Inc. (MDHI) is pleased to announce that Craig Kitchen, Chief Commercial Officer, will be a plenary speaker at the AHS International 73rd Annual Forum & Technology Display: The Future of Vertical Flight, Ft. Worth, Texas, May 9-11, 2017. Mr. Kitchen will participate in the Opening Day General Session ‘Straight Talk from the Top’ discussion panel, moderated by Vertical Magazine’s Elan Head.
The AHS Forum is the longest running and most established international technical event on vertical flight technology in the industry. The three-day meeting will include over 250 technical papers on every discipline from Acoustics to Unmanned Systems, as well as workshops, invited presentations, and discussions by nearly 50 leaders in industry and government.
“The AHS conference is really the only forum – world wide – that brings industry together with key operating groups specifically to discuss the technology requirements that will drive growth across all facets of the rotorcraft market,” comments Craig Kitchen, Chief Commercial Officer for MD Helicopters. “It’s an honor be part of the Straight Talk panel this year, and to meet and talk with other OEMs, suppliers and operators who are as committed to the future of vertical lift as we are at MD Helicopters.”
Mr. Kitchen will be joined on the ‘Straight Talk’ panel by senior officials from all major rotorcraft manufacturers.
“The pace of modernization in our industry is increasing exponentially,” Kitchen continues. “The rapidity of our own efforts to design and deliver forward-leaning technologies has advanced markedly over the past two years. As more and more operators require next generation capabilities to meet today’s mission requirements, it is the sharing of ideas at venues like the AHS Forum that will ensure all players move forward with a singular focus: to deliver advanced capabilities that improve performance, reduce cost, and increase safety for all rotorcraft operators.”
The Straight Talk from the Top discussion panel will take place on Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at the Fort Worth Convention Center, Ballroom B&C, from 2:00 – 3:30pm.
Speaker Biography – Craig Kitchen
Craig Kitchen is the Chief Commercial Officer for MDHI responsible for all new aircraft sales and aftermarket business. Mr. Kitchen first worked at MDHI from 2006-2009 as the Chief Operating Officer before returning in January 2013. After graduation from the United States Air Force Academy, Craig began his career as an Air Force pilot. In 1982 Craig joined The Garrett Corporation, later AlliedSignal, in the propulsion engine business unit in Phoenix, Arizona. Craig held various leadership roles in Product Line Management and served as Vice President Aftermarket Market Global Sales before becoming CEO of Catalytica Energy Systems, Mountain View California. Under Craig’s leadership, Catalytica had a successful IPO in 2001 and was sold to Kawasaki Heavy industries in 2006.
Mr. Kitchen’s career has taken him to every continent in the world and he has successfully managed sales and business support activities in all of these locales.
About AHS International
AHS International – The Vertical Flight Technical Society – is the world’s only international technical society for engineers, scientists and others working on vertical flight technology. AHS brings together industry, academia and governments to tackle the toughest challenges in vertical flight. Since 1943, AHS has led technology, safety, advocacy and other initiatives, and have been the primary forum for interchange of information on vertical flight technology.
