Leadership Team

The SkyThread leadership team combines over two centuries of industry leadership and expertise in aviation digital transformation. We are a global team with extensive careers dedicated to aviation at global technology firms, aerospace OEMs, avionics and engine manufacturers, and airlines.

John brings over 25 years of leadership experience in aviation business development and digital transformation execution. Starting as what technologists call an “end user,” John began his career in the industry serving in the United States Army as helicopter test pilot and rotorcraft mechanic flying Boeing CH-47 “Chinooks” and Bell H-1 “Hueys.” Most recently, before joining SkyThread in 2023, John was the Managing Partner of DXC’s America’s Consulting operation, managing a $1B business focused primarily in the aerospace & defense industry, serving customers including Boeing, Pratt & Whitney, Collins Aerospace, Textron Aviation, General Dynamics, Raytheon, and Lockheed Martin.

John joined SkyThread in January 2023 as a Senior Business Development Advisor before being appointed CEO by the board of directors in November of 2024. However, John’s history with the SkyThread founding team members goes back decades. John first worked with Chuck Marx at Bearingpoint as a business development executive, and then was colleagues with Simon Free at IBM in the 2000s as an IBM Consulting Associate Partner. Later in the 2010s, John and Mark worked together at DXC on several digital transformation initiatives at Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace. As a senior industry leader and aerospace digital transformation consultant, John brings particular expertise to supply chain optimization, manufacturing process execution, and logistics.

Since 2021, John has also served as an Adjunct Professor for the College of Business- Minnesota State University, Mankato, and spends his free time volunteering for the neighborhood ski patrol.  As with the rest of SkyThread’s founding and leadership team, aviation is John’s life and passion.  

Mark brings a deep commitment to mission, a keen entrepreneurial drive, and an unyielding passion for the industry, combined with over 15 years’ experience in Aviation Digital Transformation execution. As an industry leader, Mark has motivated and led global multi-disciplinary teams and has owned P&Ls in excess of $600M / year to enable new forms and methods of engineering, operations, and maintenance. Mark is also a recognized thought leader on Applied Artificial Intelligence as well as on MRO Data, Processes, and Analytics. Mark has contributed to many of the industry’s largest digital MRO platforms, and he has also worked with dozens of airlines across the globe on prognostics, predictive maintenance, and the optimization of maintenance execution.

Prior to SkyThread.aero, Mark was General Manager for Digital Transformation—Aerospace & Defense at DXC Technology, a global $20B / year IT and digital services firm with a deep and historic presence in both the aerospace manufacturing and the travel/aviation industries. Prior to DXC, Mark was VP of Commercial Aviation at an Artificial Intelligence startup funded by Boeing, and before that, Mark was Global Solutions Leader for Aerospace & Defense at IBM.

Mark also chairs the SAE-G34/EUROCAE WG-114 Joint International Committee for AI in Aviation, which is working to develop the standard for the certification of AI & ML in aviation safety-critical systems, and he is also a member of the Prognostics and Health Management Society. Mark has several published patents, has penned numerous articles and industry white papers, and has contributed to several consensus-vetted standards critical to the future of aviation.

Chuck is a retired partner of Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) and former US Practice Leader for Aerospace and Defense.  Chuck has enjoyed a 40-year career in transformational thought leadership and major global program delivery for the largest companies in aviation. Chuck leads digital strategy development for SkyThread and its customers.

Chuck was PwC’s global account leader for Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace firm.  His team provided professional services in over 60 countries and included 15 executives supporting each operating business, major operating functions of the company, and multiple aircraft platforms.  At a previous firm, Chuck was the global account leader for an Aerospace OEM / Aftermarket supplier in 50 sites and 17 countries. In his airline roles, Chuck supported the design and integration of maintenance systems within multiple merging global airlines affecting over 4,000 aircraft.  

Chuck has been leading the strategy, design, and build of an aerospace industry block chain solution in support of a broader vision for Digital Aviation, a topic in which he’s been speaking about for over 15 years. Chuck is also a major contributor to five books on the topic of product costing, activity analysis, and performance management.  Chuck remains involved with major aerospace alliances.