John Copley is putting years of experience garnered from a variety of roles within the UK's aerospace sector to good use at the helm of the not-for-profit trade association Farnborough Aerospace Consortium.
What does your job entail?
Farnborough Aerospace Consortium is a not-for-profit trade association that works to facilitate business through all levels of the supply chain, from global primes to small and medium-sized enterprises and academia. We offer advice and support to some 300 member companies broadly based in the south-east of England, one of the world's strongest aerospace and defence clusters.
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FAC also contributes to national strategies, particularly in their delivery at a local level. My role as chief executive is to work closely with member companies and partners to maintain the operational delivery of support to our members and understand the long-term issues industry faces.
Tell us how your career equipped you for the role at FAC
I've spent my whole career in the sector. My first decade was spent as a fast-stream graduate in the Ministry of Defence, initially in technical areas, but then moving into project management and supporting the government minister responsible for equipment. I also had a spell on secondment to the French defence ministry.
Then I moved into the private sector, joining Thales. Initially I led the company's strategy for becoming a major player in the UK market. I then ran its missiles electronics business in the UK and its global unmanned air vehicle business line. This combination of roles has given me a broad understanding of how the industry operates and the organisations and people who work in it.
How do you keep all the FAC stakeholders happy?
In many ways we have the same issues that businesses face - the need to keep customers happy, understand and deliver your service offering well, balance short-term and long-term issues and maintain financial health.
We have a strong non-executive board who give their time for free, including major companies such as BAE Systems, Cobham, Qinetiq and Thales, as well as SMEs and academia. We also have a strong team committed to supporting industry and we work closely with other national and sub-national trade associations. Our membership is growing all the time, so we must be doing something right.
What are the biggest challenges facing UK companies?
The UK aerospace industry continues to maintain its position as number two in the world through some great technology and its diversity, so generally speaking it is well placed as we move out of recession. The UK is great at generating the cutting edge knowledge and technology, but historically has missed opportunities to exploit that technology commercially. The challenge - and key to success - lies in very tight integration of the whole supply chain. For SMEs, in a global market, that can be a lot of bases to cover, which is where organisations such as FAC can make a big difference. Maintaining sensible levels of government investment in the sector, and ensuring SMEs see the benefit, will also be very challenging.
What is the worst part of the job?
There are many opportunities to add value to the sector - it is frustrating not to have enough time or resources to do everything.
If you had one piece of advice to give a 16-year-old considering a career in aerospace what would it be?
The industry offers fantastic opportunities to work with stunning technology and passionate, committed and motivated people. You can see the world and contribute to something meaningful. Grab the opportunity.
Source: Flight International
