Recaro Aircraft Seating has announced Sunitha Vegerla as its new General Manager of Recaro Aircraft Seating Americas in Fort Worth, effective June 1. Vegerla is the Director of Quality and Process Management and a member of the Americas executive leadership team.
After three years in the role, current General Manager René Dankwerth will be transitioning into a new position as EVP Competence Center Composites at Recaro headquarters in Schwaebisch Hall, Germany. During his time as General Manager, Dankwerth ramped up the facility’s production capabilities to double the sales volume in 2018-2019, while maintaining on-time delivery to customers.
“When René approached me about returning to Germany, I remembered Sunitha telling me that she could imagine herself taking over this role again at some point in the future,” said Dr. Mark Hiller, CEO and Shareholder of Recaro Aircraft Seating. “I am confident that Sunitha is the right person to lead our site into this new chapter for our industry and continue expanding our footprint in the Americas region.”
Vegerla has been with the seating company for nearly two decades and is responsible for helping build the program management department in the Americas. Originally from India, Vegerla holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Andhra University in India and a master’s degree in engineering technology from the University of North Texas.
“I am honored to accept the General Manager position and I look forward to continuing the great work accomplished at our site,” said Vegerla. “René did a wonderful job leading for the past three years and I want to build on his successes. Our team members are greatly valued for their hard work, and their commitment to Team Recaro will drive our post-pandemic growth.”
Recaro Aircraft Seating Americas is one of five Recaro sites located around the world and was established in 1998 in north Fort Worth. The facility employs nearly 400 team members and was producing 42,000 seats in 2019 on its eight production lines for airlines around the world.