After more than a decade as an in-house leader in the aerospace and defense sector for Saab Inc. and Rolls-Royce, Marc Nichols has landed a new role leading the Federal Aviation Administration’s legal department. 

Nichols, who was sworn in earlier this week as the FAA’s chief counsel, readily acknowledged that he’s “now in the thick of” a swirling array of challenges “confronting the aviation industry around the globe.”