Spirit AeroSystems named Tom Gentile executive vice president and COO. Gentile will join the company April 1, reporting directly to Spirit President and CEO Larry Lawson.

As Spirit COO, Gentile will be responsible for the strategic leadership, profitable growth, development and operation of the company’s core business units. He will oversee all of Spirit’s programs as well as all aspects of engineering, operations and business development.

“Tom’s addition to the Spirit leadership team will further enhance both our strategic and operational focus. He has demonstrated success in managing and growing large, complex, global technology businesses across a multitude of industries,” Lawson said. “I look forward to working closely with Tom as we continue to transform Spirit into a world-class enterprise.”

Gentile has held a succession of leadership roles at General Electric divisions over the last two decades, most recently serving as president and COO of GE Capital. His GE career also included serving as president and CEO of GE Aviation’s Services division, a $7 billion global business overseeing the maintenance, repair and overhaul of GE’s jet engines, as well as president and CEO of GE Healthcare Systems, a $14 billion global business managing GE’s line of diagnostic imaging equipment and medical devices. Prior to joining GE, Gentile spent five and a half years with McKinsey & Company.

“Spirit AeroSystems is an incredibly strong, capable global company, that has a tremendous backlog of existing orders and significant growth opportunities,” Gentile said. “I’m looking forward to working with Larry and the rest of the Spirit team to help continue propelling Spirit forward.”

Spirit AeroSystems is a producer of large aerostructures. Its core products include fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components.