Hot Topic: Pellegrini Leaves IMS and Takes Helm at Thales IFS!

Probably no individual’s name is more synonymous with in-flight entertainment in the last 10 years than Alan Pelligrini, You probably have seen him at shows, in airports, and with airline customers – always a warm smile and a handshake. Alan takes over as President and General Manager of Thales Inflight Systems, in the Irvine California facility since Brad Foreman has been promoted to CEO Thales Avionics USA, and will be overseeing commercial and military ventures in the US. Alan officially takes office on Feb 26.

With a rich in the in-flight entertainment industry, Alan has degrees in Mathematics and Aeronautical Engineering (BS and MS, respectively) and an MBA. He began his began his career at Hughes-Avicom. He noted that one of the highlights from his days with HAI was the debut of real-time television during the 1996 summer Olympics with their partner Delta Air Lines. In ’97, Rockwell-Collins purchased HAI and Alan took on the roll of VP Sales & Marketing for both Avionics and In-Flight Systems. During the late ‘90’s Alan joined the entrepreneurial enterprise, Tenzing, as President & CEO. In 2001 Mr. Pellegrini joined Panasonic (then Matsushita) as Sr. VP Marketing and Operations. Most recently he has been the CEO of IMS, another innovative business venture, founded by Joe Renton. The move to Thales brings Pellegrini back to the top of the ‘large IFE manufacturer arena’ (The Big Two).

As a bit of recent history, Alan joined IMS 2 ½ years ago and, in that time, the company has enjoyed a threefold increase in revenues. IMS introduced 5 versions of their portable IFE offering into the marketplace with the latest being units developed with Archos from France. With the most recent IMS order announcement, they are probably selling at a higher rate than any other portable device – this most likely propels them into a leadership role within that market niche. Overseeing IMS’s three business categories (portable devices, gatelink TDL, and professional services) strategically gives Mr. Pellegrini broad visibility of our industry, and with his experience he is ideally suited to take Thales IFS forward.

“A diverse background is not the only key to success,” said Pellegrini, “Hands-on customer experiences as well as involvement with multiple product launches are a few of the big strengths that I bring to Thales.” In his own words, “I have managed my career…and the steps that I have taken, I hope, are a logical progression through the in-flight entertainment industry over the past 12 years. I have worked in both large and small companies and would note that one of the strengths that a small corporation has is their intrinsically entrepreneurial spirit…not to mention the value of team building. This is very important in our industry because we are continually on the leading edge of entertainment technology and charged with creating a great passenger experience. We must look to the consumer marketplace, and along with our partners, take innovative applications and port them onto the aircraft. This is my kind of challenge!”

When asked about the future of Thales IFS and his work there, Alan said, “Thales has made substantial strides over the last two years in their market position. The whole team there has done a terrific job and one of my highest priorities will be to maintain their customer base through high performance - by meeting delivery schedules and quality assurance. A big job, but I am looking forward to it.”

We promise a follow-up with Alan in a few months so stay tuned!

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