AAR, a global aftermarket solutions company serving commercial aviation and government customers, has appointed Michael Sharp to the top finance role, effective Oct. 5. The 19-year company veteran currently is controller and chief accounting officer, and served as interim CFO from October 2012 to July 2013.
John Fortson
Meanwhile, the outgoing finance chief at AAR, John Fortson, is joining WestRock, the $10 billion paper and packaging company, as CFO of its Ingevity specialty chemicals business. He will start his new job on Oct. 12.
Gregory Andrews will join data center provider CyrusOne as chief financial officer on Oct. 19, replacing Kimberly Sheehy. The outgoing finance chief will continue as an employee until Dec. 1 and then serve as a consultant on preparation of the company’s 10-K for 2015. Andrews most recently headed finance for Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust, a NYSE-listed real estate investment trust, and before that held roles with two other REITs.
Process manufacturing software firm Aspen Technology has promoted Karl Johnson to finance chief. He replaces Mark Sullivan, who resigned at the end of September. Johnson has been Aspen’s controller for almost two years.
Instacart, a startup grocery deliverer valued at $2 billion, has hired its first CFO. Ravi Gupta, who’s been a director with private equity giant KKR for 10 years after working at McKinsey & Co. for two years as an analyst, was tapped for the job. The company has raised $220 million in funding, serves 18 cities, and employs 300 full-time workers, 1,200 part-timers, and 7,000 contract workers.
Farmer Brothers, a national supplier of coffee, tea, and culinary products, has hired Isaac Johnston as treasurer and finance chief. He previously was CFO of operations and chief transformation officer at United Surgical Partners, before which he served 25 years with Pepsico. The outgoing head of finance, Mark Nelson, stepped down due to family considerations relating to the company’s upcoming relocation from Torrance, Calif., to Northlake, Texas.
The new finance leader at Spartan Motors is Frederick “Rick” Sohm, most recently treasurer at ALTe Technologies. He succeeds Lori Wade, who had been with the company since 2008 and was headed finance since February 2014.
Specialty insurance brokerage firm Alliant Insurance Services has tapped Ilene Anders as its new finance chief. She had been the company’s chief information officer. Before taking the CIO role she was Alliant’s vice president of financial planning and analysis, following prior positions in investment banking and financial consulting.
Anthony Buckley, CFO of the Oregon Department of Energy, has resigned effective Oct. 3. Buckley has been embroiled in a controversy of the resale of state energy tax credits.
