Vivek Saxena, an aerospace executive who spent most of his career at Pratt & Whitney, has been named president and CEO of Mooney International, the Texas company announced.

Saxena has been an aerospace consultant since 2014. Before that, he spent 16 years at Pratt & Whitney in a variety of management roles. He has a doctorate from Cambridge University, has a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota, and graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology.

He replaces Jerry Chen, who brought the legendary aircraft manufacturer out of its self-imposed “hibernation,” restarted M20 production in Kerrville, and began FAA certification of a new line of diesel-powered, composite M10 aircraft in Chino, California.

“We now have the critical components of success in place,” Saxena said in a written statement. “A compelling brand, a world-class team, strong investor commitment, and a new product pipeline. These are amazing times at Mooney—and I’m proud to say there are even greater things to come.”

A Mooney spokesman described the leadership change as a “planned transition,” and said Chen will stay on as a special advisor.

Mooney is in the final stages of certifying its Acclaim and Ovation “Ultra” models that include left-side doors and a keypad data entry system for its G1000 avionics suite. Flight testing of the first M10 is underway at the company’s California research and development facility.