Agility, Entrepreneurship Boosted With Enhanced Innovation Focus

Yann Barbaux has been appointed Airbus Chief Innovation Officer, effective 1st May 2013. In this new role he will lead a team to manage an agile network of innovators throughout Airbus. Barbaux (pictured) will report directly to Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and Chief Executive Officer. Airbus says Barbaux’s key mission will be to foster a strong innovation culture throughout Airbus. Together with his team, he will encourage new ideas from all areas of the company and facilitate a rapid, systematic screening at the right decision making levels.

“Innovation is at the heart of Airbus, it is part of our DNA and a fundamental ingredient in ensuring our long term growth and profitability,” said Fabrice Brégier. “This new network will instil and spread a more open innovation mindset across Airbus also taking on board the numerous ideas generated outside. I am convinced that this will enable us to respond to and anticipate future trends quicker for the overall benefit of our customers. I wish Yann Barbaux all the best on this inspiring assignment.”

In 2006, Barbaux was tasked to create and develop the new Corporate Research organization of the Group, EADS Innovation Works, which he has been leading since then. Prior to this he was named Vice President Research & Technology and Defence in the Corporate Merger Integration team tasked the creation of EADS in 2000. In 2002 he was appointed Vice President – Chief Operating Officer of the EADS CCR (Corporate Research Centre), becoming Vice President and Executive Director in 2004.

He began his career in 1981 at Aerospatiale’s Corporate Quality Organization, where he was responsible for the structural test laboratory as well as for qualification of initial prototypes and test articles for different products of the group. During this time, he was associated with the development of new programmes – including the A320. During 1987, Barbaux was appointed head of the Metallic and Thermo-structural Materials Department in the Aerospatiale Common Research Centre (CRC), and was promoted in 1996 as the CRC’s Head of Strategy, Research Coordination and Cooperation.

Having graduated from the French Engineering School “Ecole Centrale de Paris” in 1981 with an engineering degree, Barbaux also has a master’s degree in metallurgy from the French University “Paris VI Pierre et Marie Curie."

Married with three children, Barbaux is a self-described rock n’ roll fan, and plays the electric guitar. He is also a skier and a rugby supporter.

(Image provided by Airbus)

FMI: www.airbus.com