Sharon McDonald, CEO of the NWAA

Following the Northwest Aerospace Alliance boards desire to place more emphasis on a more commercially-focused business, Sharon McDonald has been unveiled as the Organisations new CEO.

The Northwest Aerospace Alliance (NWAA) board recently announced the appointment of Sharon McDonald as CEO to replace former CEO, David Bailey. As a strong professional executive with a considerable commercial and business background, McDonald is seen as exceptionally equipped to lead the Organisation through the next phase of its progression.

The NWAA boards confidence is tinged with some sadness in moving on from such a great CEO as Bailey, who has been regarded as a fantastic leader and servant to the causes of the industry and region over the last 15 years.

Recently unveiled as the new CEO of Composites UK, Bailey will still be closely linked to the programmes of the NWAA for the foreseeable future, and the Organisation will commit to him contractually for the continuing activities of a programme and industry representation nature. Bailey will be expanding his business involvement and services across a wide span, using his talents to further business enterprises, particularly in the North West.

I look forward to working with David very closely in his new capacity with a determination to focus on NWAA profitability over the next few years, states new CEO, Sharon McDonald. Of course, we get the best of both worlds the best bits of David his focus on our programmes, such as SC21 Competitiveness & Growth (C&G) and National Aerospace Technology Programme (NATEP), and continuing to be the facilitator leading our member events and to further his important involvement with the Aerospace Growth Partnership.

According to McDonald, there will be a continued focus on Member benefits, events and exhibitions, and providing the NWAAs members with the platform to promote their products and services.

Indeed, NWAA members were recently given the inside track to one of the best performing parts of the Airbus ecosystem. 46 delegates took part in the Inside the Prime Event at the OEMs Broughton site last February, where they were given an overview of operations.

The briefings were followed by tours of the Single Aisle Flowline where the Final Wing Box equipping takes place, as well as the North Factory it is the most recent addition to the Broughton manufacturing complex which acts as the production facility for the A350 wings. The day also included presentations from senior Airbus representatives on the best way to become involved in the Airbus supply chain.

We also hope to bring our members more of these events within the Primes and we are aiming to organise another one during the Autumn of 2020, continues McDonald. We will be continuing with our popular and informative supply chain workshops throughout the year. Also, our Annual Conference flagship event will be held on 14th May at the Dunkenhalgh Hotel, Blackburn.

McDonald concludes that as always, the NWAA exists to support and benefit its members and the aerospace industry in the North West region.

The NWAA needs the support of its members at our events and our airshow exhibitions in order to help maintain the profile and prestigious reputation of the aerospace industry in the North West. I thank you for your support and look forward to working with you in the future.

http://www.aerospace.co.uk

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