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AMSL Aero has appointed a director of aerospace research at Swinburne University to become its new chief executive.
Dr Adriano Di Pietro will replace Max York, who quietly stepped away from the role for family reasons in April. York, a former head of GE Australia, came out of retirement to take the position in November 2023.
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AMSL is best known for creating a hydrogen-powered electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, called Vertiia, which it hopes will be able to fly up to 1,000km.
Its maiden flight took off in November last year, and the company has now completed its first year of hydrogen fuel cell testing.
“Dr Di Pietro joins AMSL Aero from the Aerospace Innovation Research Hub (AIR Hub) at Swinburne University, where he served as director and CEO (interim) of the Australian Air Mobility Cooperative Research Centre (AAMCRC),” the company said in a statement.
“He brings deep sector knowledge, strategic acumen, and scale-up and go-to-market experience to the role, with nearly 20 years of leadership and technical expertise spanning aerospace, automotive, defence and autonomous systems.
“Dr Di Pietro joins AMSL Aero as the company prepares to build its second full-scale prototype of Vertiia and undertake its first hydrogen-powered flight test program.”
Dr Adriano Di Pietro also holds a PhD in advanced aerospace manufacturing technology, a degree in engineering, and previously worked as chief technology officer at XTEK.
He was also one of the first employees at Zoox, the Silicon Valley-based autonomous vehicle company acquired by Amazon, and held leadership roles at Quickstep Technologies, a leading aerospace composites manufacturer in Australia and Germany.
In 2023, AMSL Aero received $5.43 million in federal government funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency to develop hydrogen fuel cell technology for Vertiia.
In total, the firm has received deposits for at least 26 Vertiia aircraft orders from civil customers, including 20 from Aviation Logistics, which operates the Air Link, AirMed, and Chartair brands, covering passenger services, aircraft charter, air freight, and aeromedical flights across Australia.
Vertiia’s first test flight, late last year, saw the aircraft fly without being tethered to the ground. AMSL revealed the historic test flight was performed by remote control in the Central West region of NSW. Later, AMSL completed a year of hydrogen fuel cell testing for Vertiia.
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