NEW YORK, March 30, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Board of Directors of Blade Air Mobility, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLDE), a technology-powered global air mobility platform, today announced the expansion of the Board from seven to nine members, and the appointment of two new directors, Andrew Lauck and John Borthwick. Mr. Lauck, a current Board observer for Blade, will officially join the Board as a director and will serve on the Audit Committee. Mr. Borthwick, a former Board member when Blade was private, will join the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.
“We are pleased to welcome Andrew and John to our Board of Directors,” said Eric Affeldt, Blade Chairman. “Their extensive experience in business, technology, and capital allocation will be a strong addition to the Board. Andrew’s deep experience in aviation will be particularly valuable as we further expand our Passenger and Medical air transport services. John’s 30 years of expertise in consumer facing and business-to-business technologies will be vital as our fliers and customers demand more real-time information about their flights, and to collect relevant data insights to optimize our flight economics.”
Rob Wiesenthal, Blade Chief Executive Officer, added, “The addition of Andrew and John to our Board is an important step forward in the evolution of our Company. Andrew’s deep expertise in aviation, platform buildouts and M&A make him an excellent addition to the Board. John’s extensive background in technology and product development, as well as his experience during the launch of our Company, will prove to be invaluable to me and our Board. We are confident that their unique perspectives will help us drive continued success.”
Andrew Lauck is a Partner of RedBird Capital Partners LP, and leads the firm’s Consumer Vertical, which includes investments in Blade, Jet Linx, BETA Technologies, Aero Centers, Equipment Share and RedBird QSR.
John Borthwick is the CEO and Founder of Betaworks, a leading technology investment and incubation company based in New York City. Previously, he served as SVP of Alliances and Technology Strategy for Time Warner Inc. and head of AOL’s product development studio.
Blade’s expansion of its Board of Directors comes at a time of strong growth for the Company, with increasing demand for its Passenger and Medical air transport services. The Company’s durable competitive advantages, including exclusive infrastructure, proprietary technology, globally recognized brand, and safety track record, continue to drive its success.
About Blade Air Mobility
Blade is a technology-powered, global air mobility platform committed to reducing travel friction by providing cost-effective air transportation alternatives to some of the most congested ground routes in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and India. Today, the Company predominantly uses helicopters and amphibious aircraft for its passenger routes and is also one of the largest air medical transporters of human organs for transplant in the world. Its asset-light model, coupled with its exclusive passenger terminal infrastructure, is designed to facilitate a seamless transition to Electric Vertical Aircraft (“EVA” or “eVTOL”), enabling lower cost air mobility to the public that is both quiet and emission-free.
For more information, visit www.blade.com.
