EVERETT — magniX, an Everett company that designs and builds electric motors to power aircraft, has tapped a former Rolls Royce aerospace executive to be its next CEO.
Nuno Taborda, a former Rolls Royce executive with the British company’s aerospace division, will start the job June 1.
Taborda replaces Roei Ganzarski, who stepped down in January.
Taborda was senior vice president of production programs at Rolls Royce plc, where he was responsible for all engine production programs in the multi-billion dollar business aviation unit at the British engineering company.
Before that, he was responsible for the entry-into-service of the new Pearl 15 engine that powers Rolls Royce business jets.
Taborda has also held senior roles in engineering, operations and strategy in Germany, Brazil, Canada and the United Kingdom.
“I am extremely proud and excited to have the opportunity to lead the incredibly talented magniX team,” Taborda said in a statement.
“We are on the cusp of the biggest technological leap aviation has seen since the development of the gas turbine by Sir Frank Whittle,” Taborda said. Whittle invented the jet engine.
“It is exciting to see magniX leading the way with its advanced technology and innovation,” Taborda said.
Dominque Spragg, magniX’s chairman said Taborda is a “leader with deep experience in all aspects of the aviation industry.”
“His entrepreneurial mindset is highly valuable as magniX continues to pioneer electric solutions for the future of flight,” Spragg said. “The expertise and background Nuno brings to the team comes at a crucial point for magniX as the company moves its electrical propulsion systems towards certification and into production at scale.”
magniX may be best known for its partnership with Eviation Aircraft, which has an office and engineering facilities Arlington.
They have designed and built a fully electric, nine-seat airplane that is expected to take its first flight this year.
Known as Alice, the plane is specially designed around the magniX electric propulsion system.
magniX and Eviation are subsidiaries of the Clermont Group, a private investment firm based in Singapore.
Both firms relocated to Snohomish County in 2020.
magniX received a $74 million grant last year from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration program to advance electric aircraft propulsion technology for commercial airline use. magniX is one of two U.S. companies selected to support the space agency’s Electric Powertrain Flight Demonstration program.
Janice Podsada: 425-339-3097; jpodsada@heraldnet.com;
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