Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE: ACHR), a leader in electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, announced two key hires who bring decades of additional aviation experience to the company. Long-time private aviation executive, Miles Rogers, has joined Archer as its Senior Vice President, Head  of Marketing and Sterling Gerdes has joined Archer as its Product Lead for Vertiport Experiences. Rogers, who brings twenty years of experience at private aviation companies, including NetJets and most recently as the Chief Strategy Officer at Delta Air Lines-backed Wheels Up, will lead and oversee Archer’s global marketing efforts. Sterling Gerdes comes to Archer after spending over seven years at Delta Air Lines focused on bringing new products to customers including overseeing its early Advanced Air Mobility strategy. Their combined experience and skills will be integral to Archer’s commercialization efforts as the company readies for its Midnight electric air taxi’s planned entry into service in 2025.

“Miles and Sterling bring the perfect mix of experience and skills to Archer’s management team as we accelerate towards commercialization in 2025,” said Nikhil Goel, Archer’s Chief Commercial Officer. “At WheelsUp, Miles pioneered key strategic initiatives to build the company into a well known brand. At Delta Air Lines, Sterling oversaw the company’s early AAM strategy, with a focus on integrating eVTOL aircraft into its operations to upgrade a traveler’s home-to-airport experience. We couldn’t be more excited to have both leaders join the Archer team.”

“I’m honored to be joining Archer as the level of talent that has come to work here is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in my career and ensures we’re set up to successfully execute the company’s vision across every aspect of the business,” said Rogers. “The value proposition Archer is poised to deliver with our Midnight eVTOL aircraft goes well beyond saving people time. We have the opportunity to change our customer’s perspective on the communities they live in by providing a travel experience that unlocks new worlds of opportunity. I look forward to building out our strategic initiatives with new partners all over the world as we bring our brand to market and change the game in urban transportation.”

“At Delta, I had the opportunity to interact with all of the major eVTOL aircraft manufacturers globally and decided to come to Archer because for me its vision and execution have driven the company’s impressive ascent to the top of the industry over the last few years. I’m thrilled to be joining this team at such an exciting time to lead the maturation of the Archer customer experience in preparation for bringing Midnight to market,” said Gerdes.

Prior to Archer, Rogers was most recently at Wheels Up serving as the company’s Chief Strategy Officer, where he played an instrumental role in the company’s growth and acceptance of its unique membership model, making private aviation more accessible with an experienced-focused emphasis, forging key partnerships with globally recognized brands and brand ambassadors. Before that, Rogers served as Senior Vice President of Marquis Jet, a private aviation company that was acquired by Warren Buffett’s NetJets corporation, which is a Berkshire Hathaway company.

Gerdes comes to Archer after spending over seven years at Delta Air Lines, where he most recently served as its General Manager for Venture & Innovation Strategy during which time he was responsible for tech scouting and venture focused on bringing C-suite strategic initiatives to life. Prior to that, he held various leadership roles at Delta including in AI & Innovation Strategy.