Heart Aerospace, hybrid-electric airplane maker, has announced the appointment of Benjamin Stabler as its new Chief Technology Officer, effective immediately. The appointment comes as Heart Aerospace, based in Sweden, enters a new phase of hardware testing in advance of the company demonstrating fully electric flight during next year.
Stabler brings a wealth of experience and expertise to Heart Aerospace, having led hardware and software teams on the Crew Dragon program at SpaceX and served as co-founder of Parallel Systems, developer of automated, battery-electric freight rail vehicles.
Experienced in building safe, high performing vehicles, Stabler has demonstrated that he can grow cross-functional teams to solve inter-disciplinary problems. His appointment underscores Heart Aerospace’s commitment to move at pace to define a new paradigm for innovation and sustainability in the aviation industry.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ben to the Heart team as our new CTO,” said Anders Forslund, co-founder, and CEO of Heart Aerospace. “Ben’s proven track record and passion for innovation align perfectly with our mission to revolutionize air travel by decarbonizing and democratizing the skies. His leadership will be instrumental in this new and exciting phase of hardware testing and technological advancement.”
The appointment of Stabler to the role of CTO comes as Heart Aerospace significantly expands its presence in the United States with the establishment of a new Research and Development hub in Los Angeles, California. Stabler will be based in Los Angeles where he will recruit a team to work closely with the organization based at Heart Aerospace’s headquarters in Gothenburg.
“Decarbonization of aviation is one of the most important and difficult challenges we will face over the next 20 years,” said Benjamin Stabler. “Heart has shown that we can make an impact today. I’m excited to join the existing team in Sweden and the new engineering team in Los Angeles, with its rich heritage in aerospace, on this mission.”
With Stabler assuming the role of CTO, Anders Forslund will transition from his interim technical leadership to focus exclusively on his duties as CEO, ensuring seamless execution of Heart Aerospace’s mission and strategic objectives.
