UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): April 20, 2018
GOGO INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 001-35975 | 27-1650905 | ||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) |
(Commission File Number) |
(IRS Employer Identification No.) | ||
| 111 North Canal, Suite 1500 Chicago, IL |
60606 | |||
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) | |||
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:
312-517-5000
Not Applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
| ☐ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| ☐ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
| Item 5.02 | Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers |
On April 20, 2018, Gogo Inc. (the “Company”) announced a series of leadership changes designed to strengthen its organizational structure and increase alignment with the Company’s objectives. A copy of the Company’s press release regarding these events is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.
As part of the leadership changes, on April 20, 2018, Anand Chari agreed to step down from his positions as Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of the Company effective May 1, 2018 (the “Effective Date”). Following the Effective Date, Mr. Chari will serve as strategic technology advisor.
| Item 9.01 | Financial Statements and Exhibits |
| (d) | Exhibits |
| Exhibit Number |
Description | |
| 99.1 | Press release, dated April 20, 2018. | |
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| GOGO INC. | ||
| By: | /s/ Marguerite M. Elias | |
| Marguerite M. Elias | ||
| Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary | ||
Date: April 20, 2018
Exhibit 99.1
| Investor Relations Contact: | Media Relations Contact: | |
| Varvara Alva | Steve Nolan | |
| +1 312-517-6460 | +1 312-517-6074 | |
| ir@gogoair.com | pr@gogoair.com |
Gogo Realigns Leadership to Drive Operational Excellence
John Wade Appointed President, Commercial Aviation Division
Sergio Aguirre Appointed President, Business Aviation Division
Jon Cobin Appointed Chief Strategy Officer and EVP Corporate Development
CHICAGO, April 20, 2018 — Gogo (NASDAQ: GOGO), the leading global provider of broadband connectivity products and services for aviation, today announced a series of leadership changes designed to strengthen its organizational structure and increase alignment with the Company’s objectives of driving quality for airlines and passengers and sharpening our operational focus.
| • | John Wade will serve as the first President of Gogo’s Commercial Aviation Division (CA) In this new position, he will have end-to-end responsibility for managing all aspects of the CA business, including product development, technology, sales, account management, quality, marketing and all aspects of product delivery. |
Wade, who joined Gogo in November 2008, has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer since August 2016, a role in which he ran account management, program management, quality, production and logistics. Prior to his role as COO, he served as General Manager of Gogo’s Business Aviation division which, under his leadership, achieved a leading market position and continuing strong financial performance.
Wade has more than 30 years of experience in the aviation industry, including numerous leadership positions in the avionics and inflight communications industry. Prior to joining Gogo, he served as Chief Technical Officer and General Manager of OnAir, an in-flight mobile phone and internet provider.
| • | Sergio Aguirre will serve as President of Gogo’s Business Aviation Division. Aguirre will continue to be responsible for managing the Business Aviation (BA) division and will now report directly to the CEO, Oakleigh Thorne. Aguirre joined Gogo in 2002. Since August 2016, he has served as Senior Vice President and General Manager of BA. Aguirre is an aviation industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience. |
| • | Jon Cobin will serve as Chief Strategy Officer and EVP Corporate Development. In this newly created role, Cobin will be responsible for leading Gogo’s companywide business, strategic planning and corporate development efforts as Gogo seeks to leverage the CA and BA product portfolios to drive growth and shareholder value. |
Cobin joined Gogo in 2010 and has held various leadership positions in the CA division, most recently serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. Prior to joining Gogo, Cobin served as the head of strategy at Centennial Communications and held positions of increasing responsibility as a strategy consultant at Dean & Company and in investment banking at J.P. Morgan.
| • | Anand Chari, who has served as the Company’s Chief Technology Officer since 2011, will move into a new role as Strategic Technology Advisor. Chari has been with Gogo since 2003 and has been instrumental in the design and development of the company’s ground-breaking ATG (air-to-ground) and 2Ku (satellite) products. |
“Gogo has a deep bench of talent and this realigns our leadership structure to accelerate our strategic priorities of driving quality for airlines and passengers and sharpening our operational focus,” said Oakleigh Thorne, Gogo’s president and CEO. “These appointments will help Gogo fully capitalize on John and Sergio’s deep aviation experience while enhancing accountability with end-to-end responsibility for our two critical divisions. We are also confident that Jon’s new role will help maximize the value of inflight internet and help us realize our significant long-term growth and value creation opportunities.”
The appointments are effective as of May 1, 2018. For full bios on Wade, Cobin, Aguirre and Chari visit here: https://www.gogoair.com/about-gogo/leadership/
About Gogo:
Gogo is the inflight Internet Company. We are the leading global provider of broadband connectivity products and services for aviation. We design and source innovative network solutions that connect aircraft to the Internet and we develop customizable services for our aviation partners. Once connected, we provide industry leading reliability around the world. Our mission is to help aviation go farther by making planes fly smarter, so our aviation partners perform better and their passengers travel happier.
You can find Gogo’s products and services on thousands of aircraft operated by the leading global commercial airlines and thousands of private aircraft, including those of the largest fractional ownership operators. Gogo is headquartered in Chicago, IL with additional facilities in Broomfield, CO and locations across the globe. Connect with us at gogoair.com.
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