At MDS, Leadership Means More
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” Ronald Reagan, former U.S. President
At MDS, leadership is not just a title or a position, it is what defines us and drives us to action. As a management-owned company, MDS has an executive team that strives to lead by example and is passionate about the future of the business. In the gas turbine testing business, leadership in the industry as well as leadership within the organization is paramount. Investing in leadership goes hand-in-hand with investing in the future of our company.
As MDS has grown to a company of over 250 people worldwide, having a well-structured organization has given us adaptability as well as a means to ensure that we deliver quality systems to match the caliber of our customers. Our President and CEO, Mr. John Jastremski, is the portrait of a great leader. Stepping into this role in 2014 from a background in Engineering and Business Development at MDS, Mr. Jastremski was the natural successor to previous CEO and owner, Kevin Fitzgerald. Having been with MDS since 1994 upon completion of his Master of Engineering degree, Mr. Jastremski has a passion and knowledge base that is difficult to match. Even a few short moments with him will convey that he truly loves the business, and all the people that that make up the MDS team. A balance of knowing the capabilities of the team and always striving for better is what defines MDS’s leadership.
“Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.” Jack Welch, former Chairman & CEO of General Electric
Much of our senior management team has been working together for more than 15 years, so they are exceptional mentors when it comes to leadership and cooperation. In addition to Mr. Jastremski, our COO, Mr. Simon Arbuthnot, as well as our Vice President of Business Development, Mr. Joe Hajjar, and our CFO, Wayne Penney, are members of TEC Canada, a premier member organization for chief executives, business owners, and entrepreneurs. TEC Canada provides Executive Development Forums that are tailored to various means of leadership development. Leaders from many different industries share their business expertise and leadership experiences to teach and inspire others to build more successful businesses. This is just another way in which the leaders of MDS further their own education and development to ensure the business is a success. MDS was further recognized as an organization that fosters leadership and excellence when Joe Hajjar was named one of the Ottawa Business Journal / Ottawa Chamber of Commerce Forty Under 40 recipients for 2016. Mr. Hajjar has been with MDS since he graduated from Aerospace Engineering at Carleton University in 2001.
MDS recognizes that leadership development is not a one-time event but a continuous process that is an important strategic lever critical to its success. An official report by The Consortium for Aerospace Research and Innovation in Canada (CARIC) states, “With this strong leadership, MDS has gained the trust of major players in the aerospace engine industry, putting the company in a favourable position for current and future innovation projects.”
According to the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada, Canada’s aerospace industry has continued to grow over the last decade and companies like MDS have helped to generate $27.7B in revenues (2014) and employed 180,000 Canadians1. Working with world-leading engine manufacturers and airlines, MDS must always be ahead of the curve as our success is directly linked to their success. Innovation is a key component of MDS’s business, and around the office it is known that no idea is a bad idea. In Mr. Jastremski’s words, “Innovative solutions help our customers reach great heights, and when we’re part of this team, we reach great heights as well. MDS is focused on setting standards that propel an entire industry into a new dimension.” Our clients are the best in the world and we do everything in our power to support their R&D endeavours. CARIC believes that our “entrepreneurial spirit, long-time expertise and knowledge of the industry is driven by an innovative and open-minded vision of the challenges ahead,” and our management team, “pursues ambitious goals of establishing new standards of the industry and becoming the world’s reference in engine test facilities and systems.”
“The incredible talent and passion of the MDS team combined with our world class customer base provides us with a great opportunity to play a key role in shaping the future of gas turbine testing technologies.” John Jastremski, President & CEO of MDS Aero Support Corp.
We Listen, We are Customer Focused, and We Deliver.
The MDS Promise
