Executive Officers

Gunnar Kleveland, 54, President and Chief Executive Officer, joined the Company in 2023. He has served the Company as President and Chief Executive Officer since September 2023. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Kleveland served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Textron Specialized Vehicles Inc. He also served as the President of TRU Simulation + Training Inc. and Executive Vice President of Integrated Operations for Bell Helicopter Textron inc. Prior to joining Textron in 2004, Mr. Kleveland was a fighter pilot in the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) and finished his 15-year career in the air force as the Chief of Flight Safety.

Robert A. Hansen, 66, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, joined the Company in 1981. Mr. Hansen has served the Company as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer since January 2010. He previously served as Vice President – Corporate Research and Development from April 2006 to January 2010, and Director of Technical and Marketing – Europe Press Fabrics from 2004 to April 2006. From 2000 to 2004, he served as Technical Director – Göppingen, Germany. Before 2000, he served the Company in a number of technical management and research and development positions in Europe and the U.S.

Suzanne Purdum, Chief Human Resources Officer, joined the company in 2024. Suzanne brings more than 25 years of experience in a number of HR disciplines including development and execution of HR strategy, organization design and effectiveness, learning and development, talent management, employee and labor relations, change management, and compensation and benefits. She is an experienced HR leader and business professional who has held executive level positions in Business Partnering, Total Rewards, and Talent Acquisition at a global level for large US multinational companies. Most recently, Suzanne served as the Senior Executive Director for Boeing Global Human Resources – Europe, Israel and Ukraine. Prior to this role, Suzanne has held multiple leadership roles of increasing responsibility at Boeing, TRU Simulation + Training, Bell Helicopter, and Textron. Suzanne holds a Bachelor of Economics and a Master of Commerce in Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management from the University of Western Australia, a Graduate Certificate in Labor Relations from the University of Rhode Island, a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in International Management from Northeastern University, and is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt.

Robert Starr, 56, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, joined the Company in 2023. Prior to joining the Company, he served for 18 months as Chief Financial Officer of Fairbanks Morse Defense, a privately-held supplier of naval power and propulsion systems. He previously spent 12 years at Kaman Corporation where he served as Chief Financial Officer for 8 years and VP, Treasurer for 4 years. Before joining Kaman, Mr. Starr held increasingly senior treasury roles at large publicly listed companies including Crane Co., Aetna and Fisher Scientific International. Early in his career he worked in investment banking both domestically and internationally across a broad range of industries.