The head of Airbus 海角视频 is quitting her role to become chief executive of the government's High Value Manufacturing Catapult (HMV Catapult).
Katherine Bennett, who is currently senior vice president of Airbus鈥檚 海角视频 arm, will succeed Dick Elsy when he retires as chief executive of the HVM Catapult later in 2021.
The announcement comes just days after the 海角视频 formally left the European Union (EU). Airbus said last week it would "analyse the consequences" of the Brexit deal on its operations - but welcomed the news that a no-deal disruption was to be avoided.
Ms Bennett said: 鈥淚 am honoured to have been asked to lead the next phase of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult鈥檚 development, building on the strong foundations which have been created over the past eight years.
鈥淭he HVM Catapult has the wide-ranging relationships and understanding needed to be part of the Industrial Strategy refresh process and to contribute to building the 海角视频鈥檚 status as a scientific superpower."
"The catapult鈥檚 country-wide network of centres provides the ideal platform from which to diffuse the latest capabilities to the thousands of manufacturing businesses that are the bedrock of our economy, boosting their performance, preparing them to be part of the Prime Minister鈥檚 Green Industrial Revolution and growing their contribution to our national prosperity.鈥
Mr Elsy said the appointment was 鈥渧ery good news鈥 for 海角视频 engineering and manufacturing.
鈥淗er experience in a senior leadership role with Airbus in the 海角视频 means she brings a depth of understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by 海角视频 manufacturers as they innovate to grow their market share and address shared challenges such as reducing carbon emissions," he said.
The appointment follows a formal recruitment process, which was led by the chair of the HVM Catapult, Allan Cook.
The news follows a tough 12 months for Airbus, which has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Last year the aerospace giant announced plans to axe 1,700 海角视频 jobs as part of global restructure due to reduced production levels following the collapse in air travel.
