Published in Midwest Flyer – August/September 2019 issue
DULUTH, MINN. & KNOXVILLE, TENN. – Cirrus Aircraft has announced that Zean Nielsen has been selected to succeed cofounder Dale Klapmeier as its next Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Nielsen has held senior leadership roles in global world-class organizations, including Tesla Motors, James Hardie and Bang & Olufsen.
“Cirrus Aircraft has a remarkably bright future ahead,” noted Dale Klapmeier, cofounder and National Aviation Hall of Fame inductee. “We are fortunate to have someone of Zean’s caliber and experience to lead us into the next era of growth. I am looking forward to moving into a senior advisory role and continuing to work with our exceptional team on reinventing the future of personal transportation.”
Nielsen said that he is honored and humbled to join this team of experienced general aviation leaders and a world-class workforce as Cirrus continues to bring game-changing products and services to market. “Our mission is to deliver an aviation experience that is the pinnacle of innovation, quality and safety to our customers – and that is exactly what we will continue to do for many years to come,” said Nielsen.
Nielsen assumed the CEO role at Cirrus Aircraft on June 3, 2019.