By Yakubu LAAH InvestAdvocate
Lagos (INVESTADVOCATE)-Caverton Offshore Support Group Plc on Monday named Captain Josiah Choms as new managing director (MD) of its subsidiary, Caverton Helicopters.

The company in a notice to the Nigerian Stock exchange (NSE) said the appointment of Captain Choms is part of its repositioning plans and the appointment takes effect from August 1st.

‘’Captain Choms will take over from Sola Falola who steps down on July 31st as the pioneer managing director/accountable manager of the leading provider of aviation support services to the oil and gas sector. Having successfully served out two terms of four years apiece, Falola is stepping down in line with the company’s corporate governance practice,’’ the company said.

Caverton affirmed that Falola will however remain a member of the board of Caverton Offshore Support Group Plc, Caverton Helicopters’ parent company, and is expected to play critical roles as the company diversifies into the provision of first-of-its-kind aviation training and aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul services in Nigeria. ‘’Apart from retaining his position as a board member of the Caverton Group, Falola will also continue to be the chairman of Caverton Aviation, Cameroon,’’ the company said.

According to provider of aviation support services, Captain Choms, the incoming MD, has had over 15 years of continuous aviation experience and is the erstwhile Shell contract manager for Caverton Helicopters. He holds the Airplane Transport Pilot Licenses (Aeroplanes and Helicopters) and is a Certified Flight Instructor and an Authorized Examiner for the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority. He is also an ISO 9001:2008 Lead Auditor.

He has held several positions of increasing responsibility as part of a progressive senior management development. He was at the heart of the introduction of the state-of-the-art AW139 helicopter type into Caverton Helicopters.

Captain Choms joined Caverton in August 2010, serving first as the chief pilot for Shell Port Harcourt before his promotion to managing pilot for the entire Shell Operations covering Port Harcourt, Warri and Lagos. He was appointed deputy director of operations with concurrent responsibility as deputy Shell contract manager and took over as the substantive Shell contract manager in May 2013, a position he held creditably with stable operations and good availability.

He has attended several aviation and management courses in Nigeria and abroad including Cranfield University, UK and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. He also holds a multi-disciplinary Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree from the University of Wales, UK and is a member of several professional bodies including the Association of African Studies of the UK, the Royal African Society, and the National Association of Pilots and Engineers.