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Jim Maser named PWR president; Byron Wood retires PWR NEWS RELEASE Posted: December 5, 2006 Pratt & Whitney President Steve Finger named Jim Maser president of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) effective Dec. 4. Maser succeeds Byron Wood, who is retiring after 43 years with PWR. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is a business unit of United Technologies Corporation (NYSE: UTX). Maser comes to PWR from SpaceX, where he was president and chief operating officer. Prior to this assignment, he spent 18 years with the Boeing Company where his last position was president and general manager of Sea Launch Company, LLC, an international partnership of which Boeing is the lead partner. He also served as Sea Launch's chief systems engineer, and he was the chief engineer on the Delta program where he worked extensively with Rocketdyne. "Jim's extensive background and knowledge of the space business, coupled with his work across many U.S. government agencies, make him an ideal candidate to lead PWR," said Finger. "His experience and vision will be an asset to Pratt & Whitney and will help propel the PWR business to the next level." "I am eager to be a part of Pratt & Whitney, a company that has provided strong leadership across all segments of the aerospace propulsion industry," said Maser. "I am excited about the opportunities ahead and I stand ready to keep PWR at the forefront of propulsion excellence." Wood's retirement will conclude a career that started with the J-2 engine for the Apollo program, an engine PWR is re-developing today for a return to the moon. Wood was the primary engine architect for the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) system and his work on the first flight of the shuttle in 1981 led to his receiving the NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement medal. He was further recognized by NASA, who awarded him its Public Service medal for his work on the SSME following the Challenger accident. Most recently, Wood was awarded the Wernher von Braun Award for Excellence in Space Program Management from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Additionally, Wood led PWR through the safe return to flight of the shuttle program with strong employee teams working closely with the NASA customer. "Byron has been a terrific leader and respected member of the leadership team for Pratt & Whitney," said Finger. "I thank him for his dedicated service and exemplary customer focus, and will truly miss his counsel, visionary leadership and commitment to ensuring PWR as the leader in the liquid propulsion rocket engine business." "I have spent nearly 44 years with the company being involved with and doing things few are privileged to do," said Wood. "My passion for the business is one I will never lose, but it is time for me to relax and let a new generation take the company to even greater accomplishments." Wood will remain with PWR through January 2007 to ensure a smooth leadership transition. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc., a part of Pratt & Whitney, offers a complete line of propulsion products from launch vehicles to missile defense to advanced hypersonic propulsion. These have been used in a wide variety of government and commercial applications, including the main engines for the space shuttle, Atlas and Delta launch vehicles, and high altitude defense systems. Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines. United Technologies provides high-technology products and services to the aerospace and building industries. |
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