Andy Leather

Andy Leather

Having spent more than 25 years in the aerospace industry, with several majors, the opportunity offered by SBAC to help support the industry in maintaining its leading global position was very exciting. I joined SBAC in October 2006 in the newly created position of Director, Aerospace Innovation and Growth Team Programmes, I have a wide and varied remit, with a very significant challenge. The AeIGT programme is now into its fourth year of implementation, and the results to date have been patchy, 2007 is definitely a year for action!

I am an experienced graduate business professional with a strong understanding of the whole business process, extensive positive experience in problem solving, leadership, profit & loss responsibility and business development. I have negotiated at senior levels with industry and government organisations both nationally and internationally and directed major complex high-technology projects from pre-bid phase through selection, and successful implementation and execution.

Leading the implementation of the AeIGT agenda, which encompasses the research and technology portfolio, supply chain improvement brief, and the people and skills agenda. The overall programme, underwritten by the PM and government, is aimed at maintaining the UK as a global leader in the aerospace industry.

This new role exercises my experience and skills in a different environment, and I welcome the challenge ahead. I am quickly adapting to the requirements of working in a small company (most programmes I ran had larger annual budgets than SBAC) and understanding the social engineering aspects of the complex arena the SBAC inhabits demands. It is an excellent place to gain a greater understanding of the total industry, and a particularly interesting time due to the significant changes taking place in both the commercial and military arenas.