AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Skyways, designer and manufacturer of long-range autonomous unmanned cargo aircraft, today announced a series of strategic leadership hires as the company accelerates growth, expands customer deployments, and doubled revenue for the third straight year. The new appointments strengthen Skyways’ commercial, regulatory, customer success, and production capabilities as the company executes missions for both commercial and government customers that no other long-range cargo drone company is currently performing.
Notably, Bill Wimberley has joined Skyways as Chief Commercial Officer, bringing decades of global experience in building and scaling technology-driven businesses. Isaac Roberts, who previously led commercial strategy, will transition into the Chief Strategy Officer role and focus on major growth initiatives, partnerships, and market expansion.
“Skyways has reached an inflection point,” said Skyways CEO Charles Acknin. “We are scaling revenue, expanding deployments, and proving our technology in real-world missions every day. Bill’s experience building global commercial engines, combined with key additions to leadership, gives us the firepower we need to grow rapidly while continuing to do things no one else in the industry is doing.”
Wimberley is widely recognized for establishing and growing international technology companies through team- and customer-focused leadership, creative business development, strategic partnerships, and strong execution. His experience spans VC-backed startups, emerging growth companies, and publicly traded enterprises, including leadership roles before and after successful IPOs.
A few of his notable accomplishments include:
- Designing and deploying global business partnerships for uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) solutions with international logistics and medical organizations.
- Driving more than $45 million in revenue and 18%+ growth for a pioneering SaaS company, contributing to a successful NASDAQ IPO in under three years.
- Accelerating international software sales by 300% in 12 months, leading to a successful liquidity event.
- Creating and implementing a $60 million, 10-year U.S. federal government program supporting entrepreneurial and economic growth.
Wimberley is known for his integrity, follow-through, and success in complex, high-stakes environments, as well as for developing high-performance, cross-cultural teams across international markets.
“Skyways solves real-world logistics challenges here and now,” said Wimberley. “The technology is proven, the demand is real, and the team is exceptional. I’m excited to help expand Skyways’ commercial footprint while supporting government and enterprise customers who need reliable, long-range autonomous delivery today, not years from now.”
Building the Team to Scale Operations and Impact
Over the past month, Skyways has also added several key leaders to support its expanding operations:
- Gabrielle Wain, Vice President of Regulatory, Policy and Government Affairs, brings deep expertise navigating complex regulatory environments for advanced drone operations. Prior to Skyways, Wain led her own consultancy advising drone and robotics startups on regulatory strategy and stakeholder engagement, including work with Zipline on state and local government affairs for its P2 aircraft. Previously, she served as VP of Global Policy and Government Affairs at Iris Automation, securing Beyond Visual Line of Sight approvals for customers including Shell, Procter & Gamble, and the City of Pearland Police Department. She began her career as a political lobbyist in the UK.
- Mike Uffelman, Head of Flight Ops and Customer Success, will lead Skyways’ customer-facing operations, ensuring seamless deployments and long-term customer partnerships across commercial and government programs. His role bridges operators, customers and engineering teams, closing the loop between real-world mission performance and product development. Mike is a former U.S. Air Force pilot with more than 2,500 flight hours in different military and civilian aircraft, and he has led numerous UAS deployments abroad including in Iraq, Afghanistan, UAE, Canada, Ukraine, as well as domestically and on U.S. Navy ships. Mike also directed and led multi-million-dollar independent R&D and customer programs during his time with Insitu and Gentex.
- Jeff Weinstein, Vice President of Production, will lead Skyways’ manufacturing scale-up efforts, building the systems and teams required to support high-volume aircraft production. His mandate includes developing the strategy and infrastructure to deliver the world’s largest fleet of unmanned cargo aircraft with consistent quality and reliability. Jeff brings deep expertise in Design for Manufacturability and high-volume product launches, with more than 25 years of experience in robotics, consumer electronics and energy systems. His leadership experience spans multiple startup and growth-stage companies, where he built new-product pipelines, designed assembly systems, and aligned engineering with factory execution. A certified Six Sigma Black Belt, Jeff has launched multiple product lines at scale, established manufacturing in China, Mexico, and the U.S., and implemented robust QA systems and compliance frameworks across sectors.
About Skyways
Skyways builds unmanned aircraft systems that revolutionize autonomous drone logistics and transportation. Unlike competitors who remain in development phases, Skyways’ aircraft are operational today, carrying meaningful payloads over significant distances for both military and commercial clients. Based in Austin, Texas, Skyways is scaling toward mass production of its autonomous aircraft, building confidence through real-world missions that ultimately enable future passenger applications.
For more information and to view opportunities to join the team, visit www.skyways.com.
Media Contact:
Scott Worden
LLYC Global
scott.worden@llyc.global
+1 248 825 9343
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/55d709f3-8d92-416b-91dd-fd6e293f50a0
