Dr. Chirinjeev Kathuria, Chairman of AIRO Group, is an Indian-American entrepreneur, physician, and philanthropist who leads the company with a focus on helping clients, investors and partners pioneer new frontiers in aerospace and defense.
He is a co-founder of The AIRO Group and was the founding director of MirCorp, the first private company to launch manned space programs.
Dr. Kathuria has also co-founded leading digital healthcare and technology companies, including American Teleradiology NightHawks and The X-Stream Networks. Dr. Kathuria holds a B.S. and M.D. from Brown University and an MBA from Stanford University.
Joe Burns, a seasoned veteran of aerospace and defense boldly leads AIRO’s global business – building strong brands, faithful clients, collaborative partners, and forward thinking, problem-solving employees as the company’s Chief Executive Officer.
Joe draws on 35+ years of experience in aerospace, having founded and grown numerous companies such as AIRO Drone and Sensurion Aerospace.
Joe is an AIRO Group Co-founder, a certified pilot and former United Airlines Captain who oversaw $250M in NextGen technology programs as their Director of Operations.
Burns serves on NASA advisory boards and is the Chairman Emeritus for the Airline Operations Committee and the Air Traffic Control Council of Airlines for America, formerly known as the Air Transport Association of America. He earned an MBA and a B.S. in Aeronautics from Miami University.
John Uczekaj has a history of running world-class businesses and is doing just that with The AIRO Group.
As the President and COO, John’s 35 years of avionics and aerospace industry experience helps clients and partners go from good to great – pushing new frontiers of technology convergence, manufacturing processes and a truly global and dynamic supply-chain.
John began his career as an engineer with Boeing and has held numerous executive leadership roles at Honeywell.
As CEO of Aspen Avionics for almost 20 years, he established the company as a leading general aviation avionics manufacturer.
He previously served as President and COO of The NORDAM Group.
A Living Legends of Aviation honoree, John sits on the General Aviation Manufacturers Association board of directors. He holds a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Oregon State University, an MBA from City University.
Mariya Pylypiv, PhD, serves as Chief Financial Officer of AIRO Group Holdings, Inc., where she leads the finance organization across AIRO’s global operations, overseeing financial strategy, capital markets, financial reporting, treasury, and strategic initiatives.
Mariya brings extensive experience across corporate finance, investment banking, M&A, capital markets, and public company strategy. Prior to AIRO, she held senior roles across investment banking, corporate development, and investment management, advising and leading companies through complex transactions, financings, and strategic growth initiatives.
She holds a PhD in Consumer and Family Economics from Purdue University, as well as bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Accounting. She is a graduate of the MIT Sloan Executive MBA program.
As the CEO of Sky-Watch, AIRO’s prominent drone brand, Martin brings extensive leadership experience across multiple industries to his global role.
Prior to joining Sky-Watch, Martin held several senior leadership roles across European industrial and technology sectors.
From 2015 to 2018, Martin served as Chairman of the Management Board of Belmaflex Sp. z o.o., Poland, and concurrently as CEO of Belmaflex A/S, Denmark — a manufacturer of polyethylene casing joints, fittings, and insulation solutions for the energy sector.
He later served on the Board of Directors of Belmaflex A/S from January 2018 to January 2024.
Earlier in his career, Martin was Director of Sales and Marketing at Samson Agro, a leading European manufacturer of advanced agricultural machinery.
He was also Vice President of Sales and a founding team member at Asetek, a technology start-up specializing in microprocessor cooling solutions.
Martin is a veteran of the Danish Armed Forces with international mission experience.
Martin holds an MBA and a B.S. in Business Administration and Commercial Law from Copenhagen Business School and Aarhus School of Business.
Partners closely with executive leadership and the Board to drive organizational alignment, strategic execution, and operational effectiveness across AIRO, translating strategy into action and helping key initiatives move forward with clarity and coordination.
As AIRO’s first in-house counsel, Isabella played a central role in coordinating cross-functional initiatives and building the structure to support the Company’s growth, and now draws on that experience as Chief of Staff and Corporate Secretary.
Provides legal counsel across AIRO, drawing on more than two decades of experience in corporate compliance, government contracts, and regulatory affairs.
Ben spent nearly 17 years at the Institute for Defense Analyses, most recently as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, and began his career as an associate attorney focused on export controls, import regulations, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Sets marketing strategy and leads all marketing execution across AIRO’s business enterprise, including sales enablement and market activation, bringing clarity and brand value to shareholders, clients, and employees while helping teams harmonize around a common vision.
Dan brings nearly 30 years of aerospace and defense industry experience, having held business development and sales leadership roles at Honeywell, UTC Aerospace Systems, Remmele Engineering, Wipaire, and Sensurion Aerospace, and is a co-founder of AIRO.
Martin Peryea leads AIRO’s Electric Air Mobility division, with his 40+ years of aviation experience.
Martin is an expert in aircraft design, development, and certification, including leading two clean-sheet designs to commercialization.
He has held senior roles at Triumph Aerospace Structures and Bell Helicopter, managing multimillion-dollar budgets and cross-functional teams.
Martin specializes in rotorcraft aerodynamics, handling qualities, and advanced aerospace systems for commercial and military applications.
Martin has B.S. in Applied and Engineering Physics and a Masters Degree in Aerospace Engineering from Cornell University.
Christopher Levy brings his storied career in aerospace and defense to AIRO, leading both military and commercial training groups.
Christopher Levy, a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel with 37 years of aviation experience, has served as an F-15C and MC-12 instructor, logging over 400 combat hours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He has led aviation units of over 1,000 personnel in both peacetime and wartime and currently flies international routes on the Boeing 777.
A commercial glider pilot with CFII, MEI, and ATP ratings, he also managed aircraft acquisition and training programs for the U.S. Air Force.
Christopher holds degrees in Human Factors Engineering, Aeronautical Science, and Operations Research.
Leads AIRO’s human resources strategy and operations, with a focus on compensation, benefits, and people operations.
Krissy brings extensive experience building total rewards and HR programs at organizations including Nikola and Flex Technology Group.
Leads engineering strategy and execution across AIRO’s Autonomous Systems, Avionics and Electronics businesses, the core of AIRO’s Products platform, overseeing product development, systems and manufacturing engineering, certification, and technology roadmaps.
Rich brings more than 20 years of aerospace, defense, and autonomous systems leadership from Anduril Industries and Panasonic Avionics, where he built high-performing engineering teams and delivered complex mission-critical programs.
Leads AIRO’s drone portfolio and corporate development strategy, driving the Company’s “buy-and-build” growth across Autonomous Systems, Advanced Avionics & Microelectronics, and Mission-Ready Training.
Francisco brings nearly two decades of experience across national security innovation, venture capital, and investment banking, including senior roles at the Defense Innovation Unit, Castle Placement, and Stamford Capital.
Mark brings extensive leadership experience in avionics sales to his role as Vice President of Avionics and Electronics at The AIRO Group. He previously served as Vice President, Business Aviation Sales and Marketing for The NORDAM Group, where he was responsible for delivering $350 million in annual revenue. Prior to NORDAM, Mark built a successful career at Honeywell’s Business, Regional & General Aviation division, advancing from sales representative to Director of Aftermarket Sales.
Mark is a Six Sigma Green Belt and a private pilot with an instrument rating.