Oakleigh Thorne, CEO of Gogo. Photo: Gogo.

Gogo has appointed Oakleigh Thorne president and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective immediately. Thorne succeeds Michael Small, who mutually agreed with Gogo’s board of directors to step down from the same positions recently.

Thorne, a director of the company since 2003, has approximately 30 years of leadership experience with significant operational and financial expertise. He currently serves as CEO of Thorndale Farm, the family office of the Thorne family, which is the largest Gogo shareholder, owning approximately 30 percent of the company’s outstanding common stock.

From May 2000 until July 2007, Thorne served as chairman and CEO of eCollege.com. Under his leadership, the website saw a five-fold increase in equity value which culminated in the sale of the company for more than $500 million. Earlier in his career, Thorne served as CEO of Commerce Clearing House and led an operational transformation that culminated in the company’s $1.9 billion sale to Wolters Kluwer in 1996.

“I am excited to work with the Gogo team as we move forward with urgency to execute on four strategic priorities: driving quality for airlines and passengers, sharpening our operational focus, achieving profitability with the money we have in the bank and driving shareholder value,” Thorne said.

This story was originally published in Avionics, a Via Satellite sister publication. It has been edited to better serve our audience.