WEST CHESTER, Ohio — CFM International today announced that Allen Paxson has been named executive vice president, replacing Chaker Chahrour.
Mr. Chahrour, who had served in the role since February 2009, has been appointed vice president of Sales & Marketing for GE Aviation.
As part of the CFM Executive Team, Mr. Paxson is responsible for overseeing programs carried out by CFM. Along with his counterpart at Snecma, Cédric Goubet, he also serves as the primary interface between the two companies. Mr. Paxson is also general manager of the CFM project department for GE Aviation.
Most recently, Mr Paxson served as general manager for the Regional Engines & Services where he was responsible for development, production, product support and services for GE’s CF34, Passport 20 and CT7 engine families, as well as the CFE738 engine built by a joint venture between GE and Honeywell.
Mr. Paxson joined GE Aviation in 1984 and has held a series of increasingly responsible positions, including general manager of GE’s Military Turbofan and Turbojet Department. In this role, he was responsible for GE’s large military engines and tanker transport applications of GE and CFM commercial engines. Responsibilities included production planning, technical and business support of field programs, engine services & upgrade strategies, business partnerships and new product introductions.
Prior to joining the Military Systems Operations, Mr. Paxson served as product line manager for the GEnx and GE90 programs. He was responsible for engine product strategy, advanced marketing, engine development and airframe integration.
Mr. Paxson was part of GE’s first wave of Six Sigma Blackbelts in 1995. He was responsible for projects ranging from investment casting yields to overhaul turnaround times. He was also a significant contributor to the Six Sigma training content at GE and was promoted to a Master Blackbelt in 1997 for the Combustor and Configuration Design Engineering Department.
Mr. Paxson holds a bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering and master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.
CFM International (CFM), the 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran) and GE, is headquartered in West Chester, Ohio, near Cincinnati. CFM has delivered more than 26,000 CFM56 engines to date, making it one of the most successful aircraft engine suppliers in history. The two parent companies have extended the 40-year-old partnership agreement to the year 2040.