Panel Discussion: Harnessing Diversity in Aerospace Engineering to Drive Innovation

Nichola joined Boeing following a decade-long career working with early stage and scaling startups, where she championed the role of the SME to 
government, particularly in the security and resilience sector. Nichola brings extensive experience of international business development and 
fundraising for growth, from strategy through to execution; with a wide network across governments and industry. Having also gained experience of 
working inside one of the world's largest corporations, she has become even more passionate about the benefits of collaboration between startups 
and corporates. In her role as Managing Partner for Aerospace Xelerated, Nichola invests in and supports startups using innovative technologies to 
the benefit of the aerospace sector and related industries.

Christophe Bénaroya, a graduate of Toulouse Business School (TBS Education), holds a master's in Management Science from Toulouse University and a PhD in Marketing from Lyon. He worked in the industry for 15 years in various marketing roles before joining TBS Education as a professor. He led the "Business to Business Management" program in Barcelona and an international specialized master’s in marketing & Communication.
From 2015 to 2020, he directed the Aerospace MBA programs in France and India, and the "Aerospace & Mobility Center of Excellence." Currently, he heads the MSc Aerospace Management. He has published multiple articles and books on marketing. He is Honorary Consul of Latvia in Occitanie.

Anne JANY, a former VP at Airbus, held various leadership roles, including Head of Propulsion and Mechanical System Product Development for the A350XWB, and Head of Propulsion Systems Procurement Operations, managing the A320 NEOs ramp-up. She managed numerous test programs at the aircraft, engine, component, and structure levels. In 2022, after a successful 33-year career, Anne founded JANY Coaching & Consulting (JC&C), specializing in aviation consulting and individual and team performance. She co-created the STOKE Method to optimize company effectiveness and offers PERFILMENT® , a coaching system enhancing job fulfillment and performance. With over 30 years of aviation experience, Anne is an MIT graduate and holds an executive coaching certificate from HEC Paris.

Harsh is an aerospace engineer specializing in Aerodynamics and Propulsion, and is a part of the technical team in Blue Spirit Aero since 2022. Based in the R&D office in Toulouse, France, he works on optimizing the aerodynamics of the aircraft and on the systems architecture for the Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) configuration. Beyond his technical expertise, he is also actively involved in the strategic development of Dragonfly's operating plans.