Australia: AMSL Aero appoints Dr Adriano Di Pietro as CEO

 

photo: AMSL Aero Chairman Chris Smallhorn (left) with CEO Adriano Di Petrio (right) – source: AMSL Aero)

L-R: AMSL Aero CEO Adriano Di Pietro with Chairman Chris Smallhorn

Dr Di Pietro will lead the Australian company into its next phase of growth and bring its revolutionary aircraft to certification and international market launch. Vertiia is one of the world’s most advanced hydrogen eVTOLs, the new generation of aircraft that take off and land like a helicopter but fly fast and smoothly like a fixed-wing aeroplane.

Dr Di Pietro joins AMSL Aero from the Aerospace Innovation Research Hub (AIR Hub) at Swinburne University where he served as Director and CEO (Interim) of the Australian Air Mobility Cooperative Research Centre (AAMCRC). Previously, Dr Di Pietro held key roles at XTEK (now HighCom Group) as Chief Technology Officer, where he led the commercialisation of aerospace and defence technologies. He was also one of the first employees at Zoox, the Silicon Valley-based autonomous vehicle company acquired by Amazon, and held leadership roles at Quickstep Technologies, a leading aerospace composites manufacturer in Australia and Germany. He brings to AMSL Aero deep sector knowledge, strategic acumen and scale-up and go-to-market experience to the role, with nearly 20 years of leadership and technical expertise spanning aerospace, automotive, defence and autonomous systems.

In November 2024, AMSL Aero joined an elite group of top-tier global companies to fly an eVTOL in untethered horizontal flight successfully. The historic test flights underscored Vertiia’s leadership as the first eVTOL in the world, designed from inception to utilise hydrogen for long-range, heavy-lift and passenger operations.

Dr Di Pietro joins AMSL Aero as the company prepares to build its second full-scale prototype of Vertiia and undertake its first hydrogen-powered flight test program. Dr Di Pietro will lead AMSL Aero’s campaign for certification of Vertiia by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), scale up manufacturing capability and drive global commercial expansion, fuelled by strong forward orders. 

AMSL Aero Co-Founder and Board Director Andrew Moore said: “I am delighted that Adriano has chosen to join AMSL Aero. His deep technical expertise and industry leadership make him uniquely suited to lead the team into our next growth phase as we move towards hydrogen flight testing.”

Dr Di Pietro said: “I am excited to join AMSL Aero. I believe in the company’s bold vision to revolutionise air mobility through accessible zero-emissions technology. AMSL has a world-class team that’s not only redefining the future of aviation but building a cleaner, faster and more connected regional transportation system, something that’s vital to Australia’s economic resilience, accessibility and future prosperity.”

AMSL Aero Chair Chris Smallhorn welcomed Dr Di Pietro, saying his appointment is well-timed to elevate AMSL Aero’s leading development and commercial position. Mr Smallhorn said: “After a highly competitive search, we are thrilled to welcome Adriano. His track record in scaling aerospace technology ventures will be instrumental in the next phase of development with our second full-scale prototype, maintaining our position as a global leader in zero-emission aviation. He will lead our growing team of more than 65 talented and passionate engineers and aviation experts as we bring Vertiia’s affordable, zero-emission, long-range, point-to-point aviation capabilities to Australia and the world.”

Dr Di Pietro commences his CEO role at AMSL Aero in the week beginning July 7, 2025.

about AMSL Aero 
AMSL Aero is an Australian zero-emissions aircraft developer founded in 2017. The company is headquartered in Bankstown, Sydney, Australia, with flight test facilities in regional New South Wales. AMSL Aero’s team has international experience across all aspects of aerospace design, flight testing, manufacturing, certification and aviation business operations. AMSL Aero is backed by private investors including IP Group Australia, Telstra Super, Host Plus and StB Capital Partners, and the Australian Government.