HOUSTON, Aug. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Bristow Group today announced the promotion of Chipman "Chip" Earle to senior vice president, chief legal and support officer, adding oversight of Bristow's global communications, executive compensation and information technology functions to his previous responsibilities for all legal aspects of the business, compliance and insurance.

Bristow also promoted Mary Wersebe to vice president of human resources, responsible for leading the company's strategy in all areas of human resources, with a focus on employee and labor relations, leadership development, non-executive compensation and benefits, and performance management, in addition to corporate social responsibility.

Earle and Wersebe will continue to serve on Bristow's senior management team and report to Jonathan Baliff, Bristow president and chief executive officer.

With the reorganization of these functions, Bristow is eliminating the position of senior vice president and chief administrative officer. Government affairs responsibility will consolidate under Chet Akiri, chief commercial officer and interim senior vice president global operations.

"As our head of the legal department for the past four years, Chip has been an invaluable member of our senior management team," said Baliff. "His strategic counsel has been critical to me and our board and the expansion of his role will help us to navigate our business through the current economic environment to best position Bristow for a successful future."

Earle most recently served as Bristow's senior vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary since May 2014. He previously served as Bristow's senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary since July 2012. Prior to joining the company, Earle worked as the head of legal operations for Transocean Ltd. and previously as a corporate and securities attorney at the law firm of Baker Botts L.L.P. in Houston, Texas.

"Mary has been a valued human resources leader who has helped drive business results," said Baliff. "She has been instrumental in her role as interim chief administration officer and we will continue to benefit from Mary's expertise in these areas."

Wersebe has served as Bristow's acting chief administrative officer since June 2016. She previously served as director human resources global operations. Prior to joining Bristow in May 2014, Wersebe was director human resources at Exterran.

About Bristow Group Inc.
Bristow Group Inc. (NYSE: BRS) is the leading provider of industrial aviation services offering exceptional transportation, search and rescue (SAR) and aircraft support services, including helicopter maintenance and training, to government and civil organizations worldwide. With headquarters in Houston, Texas, Bristow has major operations in the North Sea, Nigeria, the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, and in most of the other major offshore oil and gas producing regions of the world, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Russia and Trinidad. Bristow provides SAR services to the private sector in Australia, Canada, Guyana, Norway, Russia and Trinidad, and to the public sector for all of the UK on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

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SOURCE Bristow Group