I started my career at Valeo in Normandy and later moved to Aérospatiale Hélicoptères near Marseilles (now Airbus Helicopters).

Keen to get some experience abroad, I joined Lucas Aerospace in Solihull in 1984, initially for a one-year contract.  I still live in the UK almost 40 years later!

Throughout my career I have been fortunate to hold senior management positions in large and medium size engineering and manufacturing companies such as Lucas Aerospace (now Collins Aerospace), Lucas Automotive (now ZF Automotive), Alvis Transmissions (now BAE Systems), Ricardo and Romax (acquired by Hexagon).

I held management roles in Sales & Marketing, Engineering, Project Management, Quality and General Management, both with successful companies and with businesses needing to return to profitability.

I have been part of several teams negotiating the creation of joint ventures and the sale of businesses.

Over the years I had the privilege to work closely and learn from colleagues, customers and suppliers from different cultures and countries in Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden), Southeast Asia (China, Korea, India, Japan) and the US.