Speakers

Enis Ata is the CEO of TAAC Aerospace Technologies, a joint venture between Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and Altınay Defense Technologies. He also serves as the Vice Chairman of the Board at Altınay Defense Technologies and holds a board membership at DASAL Aerospace Technologies. 

He began his career at Turkish Airlines Technic in 2004 and later joined Altınay Defense Technologies in 2017, where he held several leadership roles and served as Director of Production, Procurement, and Program Management.


Mr. Ata holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Industrial Engineering from Istanbul Technical University (ITU). He completed his high school education at Kabatas High School.

Aydin van den Bergh is a Senior Business Developer at SAM XL, a collaborative R&T institute in smart advanced manufacturing from the aerospace engineering faculty from the TU Delft. Focusing on the automation of novel composite manufacturing processes, SAM XL has recently established itself as one of the most innovative R&D centers in Europe by being one of the core partners of the Multi-Functional Fuselage Demonstrator (MFFD) project, led by Airbus, that won the JEC Innovation Award 2025 in the category Aerospace. An example is SAM XL's patented Continuous Ultrasonic Welding technology that is currently the benchmark for the welding of thermoplastic composites in terms of quality, speed and flexible usage. Combined with its other core expertise in robotic software engineering, SAM XL is maturing end-to-end technologies that will enable the smart manufacturing of the next generation of thermoplastic composite aerostructures.

André Bourdais is the Senior Vice President of Manufacturing Engineering at Airbus, with over 24 years of experience driving innovation, industrial strategy, and advanced engineering within the aerospace sector. Based in Toulouse, André has held multiple leadership roles across Airbus, including Vice President of A350 Customer Services Project Leader and VP of DDMS Business Processes, where he was instrumental in shaping digital design and manufacturing transformations. A graduate of the Ecole nationale supérieure d'Ingénieurs de Constructions aéronautiques, his expertise spans avionics, systems development, and large-scale industrial operations. At the forefront of industry evolution, André brings a strategic perspective on next-generation aerospace manufacturing and engineering leadership.

Chief Commercial & Strategy Officer at one of the world’s leading eVTOL start-ups and a pioneer in sustainable aviation. Michael has overseen incredible growth since joining Vertical in 2019, with the company transitioning from a 40-person start-up to listing on the NYSE within 2 years, flying multiple full-scale prototypes and building a record $6bn order book for 1500 VX4 aircraft from some of the world’s leading aircraft operators and lessors including American Airlines, Avolon, Japan Airlines and Virgin Atlantic. He played a pivotal in shaping both the company strategy and aircraft design, securing funding and fostering strategic partnerships with the likes of Rolls-Royce, Honeywell, Leonardo, and Microsoft.

Before joining Vertical, Michael spent 22 years at Rolls-Royce after graduating with a first class honours degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Bristol University. He progressed through increasingly senior roles in design, development and service support across a wide range of Rolls-Royce civil and military aero engines. Most recently, as Head of Future Technologies reporting to the group CTO, he co-wrote the group’s electrical strategy, routinely reported to the board on disruptive technology and business model threats and opportunities and led a global multidisciplinary team responsible for generating future concepts and developing, protecting and transferring cutting edge technologies across all of the Rolls-Royce businesses.

Julian graduated from the ESTACA engineering school in 2003, and began his career at AIR FRANCE INDUSTRIES where he held various positions in purchasing, quality, maintenance, interior design and modifications. Joining UUDS in 2013 as COO, he then became head of development and innovation, before taking the position of group CEO in 2022.

Shawn Ehrstein is the Director of Emerging Technologies and CAD/CAM at WSU’s National Institute for Aviation Research. Mr. Ehrstein has overall administrative responsibility for coordinating projects, researching new methodologies and implementing additive manufacturing and reverse engineering. Mr. Ehrstein is also regarded as a “Digital Twin” expert in the Design community.

In his administrative capacity, Mr. Ehrstein oversees multiple laboratories at the National Institute for Aviation Research namely CAD/CAM Lab, Additive Manufacturing Lab, Reverse Engineering Lab, Emerging Technologies, Virtual Reality Lab, Automation Research Center and the Applied Learning Program. Mr. Ehrstein also oversees the “3D Experience Center” – a high-tech series of lab where industry, community and academia can innovate using next generation tools and technologies. For over two decades, Mr. Ehrstein has been training the advanced manufacturing industry by offering specialized custom training, workforce development training courses and have offered over 25 different certification courses in CAD/CAM software and Product Lifecycle Management software such as Dassault Systèmes 3DExperience Platform.

Graduating from the École Polytechnique (1994) and the École Nationale Supérieure de l’Aéronautique et de l’Espace (1999) and as an Armaments Engineer, Philippe Koffi has been the Combat Engagement Defense System Architect (ASD) within the SASD since May 2023 and is, in this capacity, a member of the Steering Committees for NGWS and MGCS (Main Ground Combat System). In 2019, after the signing of the NGWS (Next Generation Weapon System) framework agreement, he took the head of the Combined Project Team, a Franco-German-Spanish team responsible for steering the project. 

In 2014, he was the Program Director for SCAF and combat drones within the Fighter Aircraft and Equipment Management Unit. In 2011, he joined the Force Systems Architects Service (SASF), where he, alongside the Combat Engagement Force System Architect, is responsible for preparing the future in the field of combat aviation. In 2005, he was also appointed as the Overall Design Architect for the nEUROn UCAV demonstrator program, a position he held until 2008, when he was entrusted with the management of this program. 

Philippe started his career at the DGA in 1999 at the Model Testing Basin, where he was in charge of designing propulsion systems for surface vessels and conducting studies on the acoustic stealth of submarines.

Miguel began his career as a young engineer in 1997, dedicating ten years to the implementation and management of large-scale PLM projects. In 2007, he transitioned into traditional software sales at IBM. By 2011, he entered the SAP ecosystem, ultimately serving as Director at a boutique firm specializing in the delivery of major SAP implementations. In 2018, he was appointed CIO of SABCA, and in 2020, he was promoted to CIO of the broader Orizio Group. In this role, he is responsible for shaping the group's digital strategy and overseeing all ICT solutions.

Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation by the North Atlantic Council (2012-2015). Graduated from Air Force Academy in 1973, Jean-Paul Palomeros has been qualified as a fighter pilot in 1976 and has conducted 82 combat missions and more than 3,500 flight hours. 

From 1996 to 1998, he commanded Air Base 120 in Cazaux. In 1993 Jean-Paul Palomeros became Deputy to the General Commanding the French elements participating in Operation Kestrel. In 1995 he was Head of the "Air" Office and Deputy Air to the Commander of UNPROFOR. In 1998, he became Head of the "Studies and General Plans" Office of the Air Force General Staff in Paris. Promoted to Air Brigadier General in 2001, he became Head of the "plans, programs and evaluation" division at the Army General Staff in 2002. 

Promoted to Air Force General, he became Chief of Staff of the French Air Force in 2009.

Massimiliano Pane is the Head of Business Development and Finance in UrbanV.

His entire career has been dedicated to the world of Corporate Finance & M&A. Over the past four years, he has focused extensively on the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) sector, gaining in-depth knowledge and expertise in this rapidly evolving field. His analytical skills, combined with his industry-specific insights, enable him to drive innovation and strategic growth initiatives in the mobility industry.

Christophe RODRIGUES joined BoostAeroSpace in April 2019 and took over Product management activities for AirDesign and AirCollab. Since beginning of 2024 he moved to take the lead on the management and delivery of the Aero Excellence platform.

Christophe is a senior PLM project manager with more than 15 years’ experience. He started his career in 2003 at Dassault Systèmes where he spent 8 years as consultant. He has gradually become a specialist in the A&D and had the chance to share his knowledge in PLM projects for the following companies AIRBUS, DASSAULT AVIATION and BAE SYSTEMS. He has also developed an expertise in the area of electrical system design.

In 2011, Christophe joined GOODRICH ACTUATION SYSTEMS, a leading aerospace manufacturer, to define and implement the PLM strategy within the European sites.

In both experiences, he took on the dual role of Project Manager and PLM Application Manager.

Christophe holds an engineering degree from ESIEE (Higher School of Engineers in Electrotechnics and Electronics), option: Production Systems Engineering coupled with an executive MBA in digital transformation at Toulouse Business School.

Lionel Rouby has been SVP Head of Digital within Airbus Defence and Space since 1 January 2023 and is a member of the Airbus Defence and Space and Executive Committee. 

He is responsible for driving the digital transformation while serving the division with state-of-the-art IT solutions. Previously, Lionel was SVP Innovation and Digital Solutions for Airbus Customer Services. In this role, he was leading the digital transformation of the Customer Services business, leveraging digital innovation and responsible for the development, delivery and support of digital solutions for Airlines and Lessors, exploiting in particular cloud solutions and big data analytics capabilities. Lionel also served as Chief Engineer of the A400M programme and NH90 programme where he also held leadership positions of increasing responsibility within the design office and as the Technical director of NHIndustries. 

Lionel started his career at the French Flight Test Centre (CEV) at Istres as military test engineer for the Mirage 2000 programme. He participated in and managed several test campaigns to qualify the integration of new armaments or avionic systems. Lionel graduated from Ecole Polytechnique (ParisTech) and from Sup’Aero (ISAE, Toulouse).

Waruna Seneviratne is the Director of the Advanced Technologies Lab for Aerospace Systems (ATLAS) at the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR), Wichita State University. With over 25 years at NIAR, he leads a diverse research portfolio in advanced manufacturing, inspection, durability, damage tolerance, certification, and aging of composite aircraft structures—supported by agencies including the FAA, DoD, DHS, NASA, and major aerospace manufacturers. In 2019, he founded the NIAR ATLAS Manufacturing Innovation Center to create a makerspace-style environment for accelerating advanced manufacturing research and prototyping.

Waruna serves on the Technical Oversight Committee for NASA’s Advanced Composites Consortium (HiCAM) and the Executive Steering Committee for the Office of Naval Research’s Composites Manufacturing Technology Center through The Composites Consortium.

Before joining NIAR, Waruna worked as a stress analyst on the Airbus A380 program, ensuring compliance with FAA and EASA certification standards. He holds BS, MS, and PhD degrees in Aerospace Engineering from Wichita State University and has lived in Wichita for over 30 years.

Jacques-Alexis Verrecchia leads the development of Beyond Aero's electric and hydrogen-powered aircraft, bridging technical innovation with market viability. His career began at Airbus, where he specialised in aeroacoustics and propulsion innovations. He later co-founded NIXYS, a medical tech startup, and then served as Head of AI and DevOps at TheGreenData, focusing on predictive models for sustainability. With dual master’s degrees in engineering from École Polytechnique and École des Ponts, Jacques-Alexis combines deep technical and entrepreneurial expertise with a passion for transformative solutions in aviation

Dr. Reynard de Vries is Co-founder and Chief Engineer at Elysian, where he leads the design of the E9X aircraft. He has performed extensive work on the conceptual design and performance of hybrid/electric aircraft, obtaining a PhD on this topic from Delft University of Technology. Reynard is actively involved in the R&D ecosystems on electric aircraft design and technology across Europe and the US, pushing for innovation in sustainable aviation.