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A digital industrial company has brought in a former Royal Australian Navy Commander to be the chief executive of its Australian business.
GE, a company that aims to transform industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive, has announced Max York as the new chief executive of GE Australia. York has been promoted to the CEO role following 14 years as the general manager for GE Aviation in Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and the south Pacific.
The appointment will be effective 1 November and comes after York’s predecessor, Geoff Culbert, prepares to depart GE to take on the CEO role at Sydney Airport Corporation. York will be based in GE Australia’s North Sydney headquarters and will be responsible for operations across Australia.
York joined GE in 2000, and has held several roles within GE Aviation, most recently overseeing the commercial engines, services and systems throughout Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and the south Pacific. He has also covered India, Hong Kong and south-east Asia at different times. He previously led the global six sigma business process in the GE Aviation sales and marketing division in the US.
Prior to joining GE, York spent 18 years with the Royal Australian Navy, attaining the rank of Commander.
York is also a board member of the Australian Advanced Manufacturing Council and sits on advisory boards at the University of Sydney Engineering Faculty, the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Business School and the University of New South Wales Aviation School.
Upon his appointment, York said, "GE has a long-standing track record of innovation in Australia and Geoff has done an outstanding job in his tenure as CEO. My focus will be to build upon this success, and to work with our exceptional team and customers to continue to bring world-class technology to our shores. I see great opportunities for GE in Australia, and am looking forward to taking on this new challenge."
Wouter Van Wersch, president and CEO of GE in the ASEAN/ANZ region, said, “Max is a strong leader who brings with him nearly two decades of GE experience, deep customer relationships and a passion for people. We are committed to Australia and are excited to see him continue to grow the company in this important country.”
