DAIR

Innovate Slide 2024
D2I Partners

DAIR to Innovate 2024: A Day of Inspiration and Collaboration

October 24, 2024

Bombardier Centre for Aerospace & Aviation, Centennial College – Downsview Campus

On October 24th, we welcomed over 270 participants from industry, academia, government and supporting organizations at our second annual DAIR To Innovate Conference and Tech Showcase. The event served as a catalyst for innovation, fostering connections and exchanging ideas to propel Ontario and Canada’s aerospace industry forward.

Throughout the day, attendees engaged in thought-provoking panel discussions that tackled critical issues facing the sector, with a strong emphasis on the importance of collaboration to enhance competitiveness and experts shared insights on emerging trends and technologies.
A key feature again this year was the Tech Showcase, where innovative technologies and projects were featured, including a demonstration of DAIR’s partnership with SIEMENS to offer Tecnomatix software solutions to industry. We also announced our new initiative, the DAIR Innovation Network which is designed to accelerate innovation through a cyclical and iterative process.
The overwhelming feedback from attendees underscored the event’s success in creating a collaborative atmosphere that will propel the vision for aerospace growth across Canada. We look forward to continuing these important conversations at upcoming events and meetings and building upon the momentum from this year’s conference.

Thank you to our speakers, attendees and exhibitors.

We will see you next year for DAIR To Innovate in October 2025. 

Hosting Partners

Premier Event Partners

Platinum Sponsors

GOLD Sponsors

SILVER Sponsors

Tech Showcase

Speakers

Matthew Aiken

President & Principal Consultant
Murisphere Solutions Inc.

Phil Arthurs

Executive Director
DAIR

Sylvain Boisvert

General Manager
Safran Canada

Gordon Bourque

Business Development executive
Akonovia

Pervez Canteenwalla

Program Leader, Low emission Aviation Program
National Research Council of Canada

Steven Cargnello

DAIR Green Fund and R&D Manager
DAIR

Glenn Chapnik

Sr. Director of Project Engineering
Bombardier

David Coulter

Director, Business Development Commercial Training and Simulation
Flight Safety

Michel Dion


Director General
Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technology™ (INSAT)

Richard Dubé

Project Manager, Engineering PLM
Bombardier

Larry Fitzgerald

CEO
RAMPF Composite Solutions Inc

Natasha Gagnon

Chief Executive Officer
Ontario Aerospace Council (OAC)

Ashton Jila

Director Engineering Co-op and Career Readiness
Toronto Metropolitan University 

Ron Ganis

Technical Fellow - Mechanical Design & Integration
Collins Aerospace

Alyson Gasperetti

Plant Manager
Fleet Canada Inc.

Scott Goobie

Senior Advisor, Engineering
Bombardier

Dr. Suzanne Kearns

Associate Professor of Aviation, Founding Director
Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA)

Pranav Khanolkar

PhD candidate, Ready Lab
University of Toronto

Renu Kumar

Operations Manager
Trinity Aerospace

Etienne Leclerc-Jolette

Vice-President, Partnerships & Strategy
CRIAQ

Mélanie Lussier

President and CEO
Aéro Montréal

Rob Mobilio

Vice President, Engineering
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited

Mike Mueller

President and CEO
Aerospace Industries Association of Canada

Valerie Myers

Senior Director, Global Procurement & Supply Chain Management
CAE 

Andrew Petrou

Associate Vice President
Centennial College

Francois Provencher

Expert Consultant, Strategy and Innovation
Innovitech

Tim Repetski

Program Coordinator, Professor
Centennial College

Verlyn Smith

Supplier Development and Continuous Improvement Manager
DAIR

Dr Craig Stephenson

President and CEO
Centennial Collge

George L Rendell

Vice president, product management and product marketing
Siemens Digital Industries Software

Janet Wardle

President & CEO
MHI Canada Aerospace

John Wyzykowski

aviation and leadership consultant
Formerly Lilium Jet and Pratt & Whitney Canada

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          Advanced Mobility Products Inc.

          (advancedmobilityproducts.com)

          Project Title: Development of Safe and Reliable Rechargeable Energy Storage System (RESS) for a Solar Battery Electric UAS

          Project Description: The project is to develop Safe and Reliable RESS for Superwake's Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) commercial applications. As Superwake begins its drive towards commercialization of its product, the need for conformity to regulatory standards is critical to the success of the product. This project focuses on a product conformity related to a regulatory framework such as Transport Canada Advisory Circular (AC) No. 922-001 – Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems Safety Assurance. More specifically, a more complex RESS is required in advanced operations such as beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), flying in controlled airspace and near people.

          Environmental Impact: Low carbon footprint and replacement of aero vehicles that run on fossil fuels. The use of smaller solar battery electric drones can replace some applications of small, manned utility aircraft used in commercial applications. The cost to operate these drones would be substantially lower using solar battery electric drones.

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          Portrait photo of Nacy Barber

          Nancy Barber

          President

          Women in Aerospace Canada

          An aerospace senior executive with over 20 years of in-depth experience in operations, supply chain, and program management, Nancy Barber has spent much of her career in a product development environment involving large-scale clean sheet commercial and business aircraft programs. Nancy owns her own consulting business, Barber Complete Consultancy Inc, and is currently active in the aerospace industry, focused on leadership development, mergers & acquisitions, commercial strategy, product strategy and business development.

          Prior to Nancy establishing BCC Inc., she held the position of Chief Operating Officer, Bombardier Business Aircraft, responsible for planning, assembly, and delivery of the Learjet, Challenger, and Global business aircraft as well as the industrialization strategy of Bombardier’s operational footprint. Nancy also held the role of Vice President, responsible for the Global 7500 and Global 8000, and New Aircraft Studies, where she led proactive management or program milestones and cost commitments supporting the ramp up of the Global 7500 aircraft, the largest purpose-built business aircraft world-wide, and its successful entry into service in 2018.
          Nancy is a passionate promoter of women in aerospace serving as a mentor, coach, and speaker. In 2020, Nancy was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women, and the Northern Lights Aero Foundation awarded her with the Elsie Award for Business in recognition of her outstanding contributions to aviation and aerospace in Canada.

          In June 2022, Nancy was appointed President of Women in Aerospace Canada, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to expanding women’s opportunities for leadership and professional development as well as increasing their visibility in the aerospace community by creating a professional network in Canada and across the globe.

          Nancy graduated with an Honors Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Waterloo and has successfully completed the Queen's University Executive Leadership Program. She is published in the Journal of Sport Management as well as the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

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