AtkinsRéalis has turned to a 32-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force with experience in the aerospace industry as a Canadian security vice president based in Ottawa.
AtkinsRéalis said in an Aug. 26 press release it has appointed John Edelman as its vice president, Defence, Canada.
In that role, Edelman will oversee the company’s critical national security infrastructure across Canada.
Edelman has a background as an aerospace engineer with more than four decades of combined military and industry experience. After his career at the Royal Canadian Air Force, which included a 2010-2011 deployment in Afghanistan, Edelman spent 11 years at CAE, a Canadian-based global aerospace and defence company, according to the release.
Edelman has also owned his own businesses, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“John joins us at an exciting time for AtkinsRéalis, as Canada’s defence spending is expected to become an increasingly important contributor to our growth,” Simon O’Byrne, AtkinsRéalis vice president and market Lead, Infrastructure, Western Canada & Ontario, said of Edelman’s hiring.
Already a top-five supplier of Defence Construction Canada in recent years, AtkinsRéalis has a role at most Canadian military bases and is well-positioned to benefit from Canada’s anticipated growth in military spending, according to the release.