Icon Aircraft’s outgoing public relations officer Brian Manning has shared with AVweb that the company’s “transitional” president Jason Huang announced that he is stepping down. In a holiday message to company stakeholders, Huang announced the position will now pass to Lily Hu, described by Huang as bringing “over 17 years of executive leadership experience and a proven track record of success” to the job. AVweb sent an email to Hu asking for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.
In addition, Huang wrote, “The company will be transitioning a portion of its manufacturing to a new, state-of-the-art facility in China. At the same time, Icon will maintain a strong North American presence at its headquarters in Vacaville, California. Our management team remains fully committed to Icon’s mission of revolutionizing personal aviation.”
Huang wrote of his successor, “She will be supported by our exceptional leadership team, including Jason Courtney, Vice President of Production, and Noah Collins, Vice President of Marketing, Sales, and Service. Together, they are dedicated to continuing our mission of delivering an outstanding product and experience to you.”
Huang will move to an advisory role with Icon parent SG Investment America (SGIA), which assumed financial control last August. He wrote, “While the Icon A5 will remain our flagship product, my new role at SGIA will allow me to explore investment opportunities within the general aviation industry, helping to diversify Icon’s product portfolio and expand its impact.”
In his note to AVweb, Manning said he is proud of the decade he has spent at Icon. He said, “I’ve still yet to meet anybody who’s been up in the A5 who came away disappointed in the experience. It’s an incredible airplane that’s been a passion project for so many talented people over the years. I don’t know what the future of Icon looks like under new ownership, but like you, I will be following the progress of the company to see how things take shape from here.”
