Mark Jennings

As Executive Vice President of Panasonic Avionics, I am focused on these key initiatives: delivering on our customer commitments, improving the quality and speed of product and solution development, driving new business in existing and new markets, and leading our efforts to remain a customer-focused, outcome-based organization.

My team consists of our regional vice presidents and general manager, product line management, engineering and marketing. While this scope of responsibility is broad, I believe this kind of combined team is vital to our overall goal: Aligning all parts of the organization and heading into the digital era as with a unified culture. While that’s easier said than done, I’m confident that we can drive customer success by fostering ownership, integrity, and respect at all levels of the business.

I’ve always been passionate about aviation. In fact, it’s in my blood; my grandfather served in the Royal Air Force and worked on the Harrier Jump Jet program. So, when I landed my first few airline jobs, I was thrilled to be around aircraft on a daily basis. Later in my career, I was lucky enough to be involved in several landmark events, including the development of the 777, the CSeries, the A350, and the A380—the world’s biggest passenger plane. I even got to fly on board the A380 as it made its first-ever flight to North America.

Today, after 35 years in the industry, my excitement for aviation hasn’t faded. If anything, it’s grown, because I share it with all my colleagues at Panasonic Avionics. Everyone here is genuinely committed to making flights more pleasurable and more connected. We created the IFE market, and our innovations have helped customers deliver a consistently fantastic passenger experience for decades. Now, we’re going to challenge conventions and build the “next big thing” in cabin connectivity and digitalization. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Presently, I’m continuing to balance work with what I consider my proudest achievement: My family. Being a family man and Executive Vice President isn’t always easy, but in both roles, I always try to lead by example and exhibit the values that I believe are crucial to success—honesty, loyalty, and making a difference.