DAIR

thank you to our sponsors

24 October 2023 – Full Day

at the Bombardier Centre for Aerospace and Aviation, Centennial College Downsview Campus

 

Charting a Vision for the Aerospace Innovation Ecosystem

DAIR To Innovate 2023 will bring together more than 150 Ontario aerospace leaders, academics, researchers, government officials and stakeholders. This fusion of industry, academia, and government creates an ecosystem that will drive innovation and growth. 

Discover leading-edge projects and network at the must-attend event of 2023 for the Ontario aerospace sector. 

Conference Program

8:30 – 9:00Participants’ Arrival
9:00 – 9:15

Welcoming Address
Maryse Harvey, Executive Director, DAIR

9:15 – 9:35

Morning Keynote
Working collaboratively to reach our net-zero targets

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Rob Mobilio, Vice President Engineering – De Havilland Aircraft of Canada

9:35 – 10:35

Greener Skies Ahead
A discussion on collaborative partnerships and commercialization
The R&D priorities that will position Ontario as a leader in green & sustainable aerospace and aviation solutions, followed by an interactive Q&A

PANELISTS:
Dr. Ibrahim Yimer, NRC
Dr. Fassi Kafyeke, Bombardier
Dr. David Zingg, UTIAS
Ron Ganis, Collins
Phil Arthurs, DAIR (Moderator)

10:35 – 10:55Special Feature: Unveiling of Horizon Aircraft’s Cavorite eVTOL prototype
Networking Break
10:55 – 11:45

Ontario’s Most Innovative SMEs
A peek into our greatest future
A discussion with SMEs leading the charge with new ideas helping our industry move towards sustainability

PANELISTS:
Brandon Robinson, Horizon Aircraft
V-Bond Lee, Solid Ultrabattery Inc.
Atefeh Nabavi, RAMPF Composite Solutions Inc.
Nikola Kostic, Aeroflux Braking Systems Inc.
Dr. Paul Walsh, Toronto Metropolitan University
Steven Cargnello, DAIR (Moderator)

11:45 – 1:00Networking Lunch
Tour of the Tech Showcase
1:00 – 1:25

Afternoon Keynote
Perspectives from a major Ontario aerospace manufacturer on supply chain competitiveness

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Darren Solman, General Manager – Global 7000/8000, Bombardier

1:25 – 2:25

Innovation imperatives for a best-in-class supply chain
A discussion about the winning strategies to position Ontario SMEs as critical players in the global aerospace industry, followed by an interactive Q&A

PANELISTS:
Paul Chana, Avion Technologies
Jean-Sebastien Coulaud, Fleet Canada
Martin Hamel, MACH Initiative
Kithio Mwanzia, SONAMI
Christy Michalak, NGen
Natasha Gagnon, OAC (Moderator)

2:25 – 2:45Networking Break
2:45 – 3:35

Where did all the workers go?
The workforce development & critical skills imperative
A discussion about the solutions to current and evolving workforce pressures, followed by an interactive Q&A

PANELISTS:
Nancy Barber, Women In Aerospace Canada
Mayu Jeyakumar, Bombardier
Jim Gould, CFN Precison
Dr. Huw Lloyd-Ellis, Queen’s University
Glen Lowry, Centennial (Moderator)
3:35 – 4:15

Fostering collaboration within Ontario’s advanced manufacturing sector
Leveraging cross-sector synergies to optimize Ontario’s innovation potential, followed by an interactive Q&A.

PANELISTS:
Brett McQueen, Linamar Corp.
Guy Dulude, Siemens
Alex Tsoulis, MHICA
Alexander Berger, A Berger Precision
Dr. Stephen Veldhuis, McMaster University
Brendan Sweeney, Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing (Moderator)

4:15 – 4:30Bringing it all together – Main takeaways from the day and follow up actions
The key elements of a comprehensive Ontario Aerospace Innovation Ecosystem Vision
4:30 – 6:00Closing Networking Reception

 

Subject to slight change

Speakers

Nancy Barber

President

Women in Aerospace Canada

Alexander Berger

President & CEO
A Berger Precision

Paul Chana

President
Avion Technologies

Jean-Sébastien Coulaud

President & CEO
Fleet Canada

Guy Dulude

Portfolio director - canada
Siemens Digital Industries Software

Dr. Fassi Kafyeke

Fellow Research, Innovation and Collaborations
Bombardier

Ron Ganis

Chief of Design
Collins Aerospace

Jim Gould

General Manager
CFN Precision

Martin Hamel

Consultant
MACH Initiative

Mayu Jeyakumar

Operations Strategic Manager
Bombardier

Nikola Kostic

CEO
Aeroflux Braking Systems Inc.

V-Bond Lee

CEO
Solid Ultrabattery Inc.

Dr. Huw Lloyd-Ellis

Professor of Economics
Queen's University

Brett McQueen

Director of Innovation
Linamar Corp.

Christy Michalak

Director, Manufacturing Development Programs
NGen

Robert Mobilio

Vice President Engineering
De Havilland Aircraft of Canada

Kithio Mwanzia

Network Manager
SONAMI

Atefeh Nabavi

Director of Engineering & Quality
RAMPF Composite Solutions Inc.

Brandon Robinson

CEO
Horizon Aircraft

Darren Solman

General Manager - Global 7000/8000
Bombardier

Alex Tsoulis

Senior Manager
MHICA

Dr. Stephen Veldhuis

Director & Professor
McMaster University

Paul Walsh

Director & Professor
Toronto Metropolitan University

Dr. Ibrahim Yimer

Vice-President
NRC

Dr. David Zingg

PROFESSOR
University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies

MODERATORS AND PRESENTERS

Phil Arthurs

Director of Operations
DAIR

Steven Cargnello

DAIR Green Fund Manager
DAIR

Natasha Gagnon

Interim CEO
OAC

Maryse Harvey

Executive Director
DAIR

Glen Lowry

Associate Vice President, Applied Research, HyFlex Learning and Academic Partnerships
Centennial College

Andrew Petrou

Associate Vice-President & Chair of the DAIR Board of Directors
Centennial College

Brendan Sweeney

Managing Director
Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing

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          Application Submission

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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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          Jean-Sébastien Coulaud
          President & CEO
          Fleet Canada

          Jean-Sébastien Coulaud is the President and C.E.O. of Fleet Canada Inc. and was appointed to this position in July 2019.

          Born in France, Jean-Sébastien was raised in multiple countries across Africa, Europe and North America. In 2006 he received an Aerospace Engineering degree from I.S.A.E. (Institut Supérieur de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace) in Toulouse, France. Later on, in 2015, he earned an MBA from the Ivey School of Business at Western in London, ON. He has 11 years of progressive experience in project management, manufacturing, logistics and operations leadership roles in the Automotive and Aerospace sectors. In 2015, he joined Fleet Canada as part of a succession plan for the then retiring President and C.E.O.

          Jean-Sébastien and his spouse live in the Niagara region with their three children.

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          Ron Ganis
          Chief of Design
          Landing Gear

          Ron is currently the Chief of Design within the Landing Gear business at Collins Landing Systems located in Oakville, Ontario. He joined Collins Landing Gear in 1998 as a Systems Engineer and has since held multiple design & development related roles prior to joining the Chief Engineering Office as a Principal Design and Innovation Engineer in 2010. He holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering from Ryerson University and a Masters Certificate in Composites Engineering from the University of Connecticut.

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          Dr. David Zingg
          Professor
          University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies

          David Zingg is in his 35th year as a professor at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies, where he was the Director from 2006-°©‐2016, and is currently the University of Toronto Distinguished Professor of Computational Aerodynamics and Sustainable Aviation. His research areas include aerodynamics, computational fluid dynamics, in particular high-order methods with the summation-°©‐by-°©‐parts property, and aerodynamic shape optimization. His current research is concentrated on applying aerodynamic shape optimization to the design of unconventional low-drag aircraft configurations motivated by the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft. Together with Harvard Lomax and Thomas Pulliam from the NASA Ames Research Center, Professor Zingg is a co-°©‐author of two well-°©‐known textbooks in computational fluid dynamics. He was awarded a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship in 2004 and is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. Finally, he has supervised 42 PhD and 60 MASc students, many of whom hold senior positions in industry and academia.

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          Dr. Fassi Kafyeke
          Chief of Advanced Aerodynamics
          Bombardier

          Fassi Kafyeke has an Aerospace Engineering Master’s degree from Université de Liège (Belgium), a Master’s degree (Air Transport Engineering) from the Cranfield Institute of Technology (U.K.) and a Ph.D. (Mechanical Engineering, Aerodynamics) from École Polytechnique de Montréal (Canada).

          Fassi Kafyeke joined Bombardier in 1982 and has had a long professional career, including 25 years in aerodynamics. For 15 years he has been Chief of Advanced Aerodynamics, responsible for the aerodynamic design of Challenger 300 and Global 6000 business jets, CRJ 700, 900 and 1000 regional jets and the Cseries single-aisle aircraft CS100 and CS300, now Airbus A220. Since 2007, he became Director, then Senior Director, responsible for the development of the strategic technologies that can be found on Bombardier aircraft (fly-by-wire, composite wing, new generation aerodynamics, etc). In 2020, he became Fellow Research, Innovation and Collaborations for Bombardier Aviation. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and has been active on many consortium boards, such as CRIAQ, GARDN, SA2GE and AERO 21. He is currently on assignment at Aero Montréal to lead efforts to set up the ZIAQ, the Montreal Aerospace Innovation Zone.

          Dr Kafyeke received in 2001 the Grand Prix d’Excellence de l’Ordre des Ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ) and in 2009 the Prix Innovation of École Polytechnique de Montreal. In 2003, he served as President of the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute (CASI).  He is a co-author of the book « Computational Fluid Dynamics for Engineers » and of several papers and lecture notes in Aerodynamics.

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          Dr. Ibrahim Yimer

          Vice President, Transportation & Manufacturing

          NRC

          Dr. Ibrahim Yimer is Vice-President of the Transportation and Manufacturing division where he oversees the Aerospace and Automotive and Surface Transportation Research Centres. Between September 2020 and 2021, he served in the same role in an acting capacity. Previous to this role he was Director General of the NRC's Aerospace Research Centre since January 2018.

          Since 1999, Dr. Yimer has occupied a series of roles at the NRC, including Director of the Gas Turbine Laboratory, Program Manager of the Gas Turbine Aerodynamics and Combustion Group, and a Senior Research Officer. He began his career as a research scientist in the private sector with Fives North American in Cleveland, USA.

          Dr. Yimer has successfully led the creation and implementation of various large-scale, R&D partnerships with industry and government stakeholders both nationally and internationally. He is a renowned expert in the field of gas turbine combustion and fuels with years of applied research in alternative fuels, combustion and optical diagnostics. He is well recognized in the science and technology community, having led and played instrumental roles in numerous leading international scientific associations such as ASME International, the International Forum for Aviation Research (IFAR), International Society of Air Breathing Engines (ISABE), and International Congress on Aeronautical Sciences (ICAS), in which he currently serves as a board member and national representative.

          Dr. Yimer earned a BSc in Chemical Engineering from Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, followed by a MSc and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, while specializing in Low-emission Combustion. He currently serves as Chair and ICAO representative of IFAR and as a Director on the boards of WestCaRD, and Aero Montréal.

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          Phil Arthurs

          Director of Operations

          DAIR

          Serving as Director of Operations since 2018, Phil advances DAIR’s mandate by forming partnerships, funding programs, physical infrastructure development, academic/industry working groups, strategy, project management, as well as R&D, supplier development and other initiatives to support members and the aerospace industry.

          Phil serves as co-chair of the Research and Technology Committee for the Ontario Aerospace Council and sits on the Program Advisory Councils for Toronto Metropolitan University’s (Formerly Ryerson University) Department of Aerospace Engineering and Centennial College’s School of Engineering Technology and Applied Science (Aerospace).

          With over 15 years of experience in not-for-profit, government and private sectors, Phil has a strong commitment to the success and growth of the aerospace industry.  Prior to DAIR, he worked for the aerospace section of the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, as a Senior Advisor, Team Lead, and then Manager of the team whose mandate is to support and advance the aerospace, defense and manufacturing industries in the province.  He has also worked for Dassault Systèmes (on location at the Boeing Company in Washington State) with a focus on the 787 aircraft, and as a Researcher for the Centre for European Policy Studies, a think-tank located in Brussels, Belgium.

          Phil holds a B.Eng (Aerospace) from Toronto Metropolitan University (Formerly Ryerson University) and an MBA from the Ted Rogers School of Management.

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          Paul Walsh

          Professor

          Toronto Metropolitan University

          For most, Downsview Park is a vast, grassy escape from the urban heat of downtown Toronto—a cultural hub that has hosted legendary rock bands like AC/DC or the Rolling Stones. For Paul Walsh, it’s the home for Toronto Metropolitan University's new aerospace research cluster.

          Walsh is leading the way in the creation of a new student-focused research space. Neighboured by Bombardier and Downsview Airport, the area will become a flourishing hub of aerospace activity. “They’ve had these clusters in Europe for decades,” explains Walsh. “So why aren’t we doing the same thing here?”

          As an educator, Walsh focuses on helping students build the confidence they need to succeed in the industry. In the Capstone Design Course, industry professionals are brought in to watch presentations and provide invaluable feedback. “I tell them to rake the students over the coals—it’s the test of fire! At that point, they’ve earned their degree,” he smiles.

          After holding the position of department chair for almost a decade, Walsh has earned his stripes. “It’s all about managing people and facilitating what they want to do,” he says. “You have to enable people to succeed, and I love doing that.”

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          Guy Dulude

          Portfolio Director
- Canada
          Siemens Digital Industries Software

          Guy is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience in the field of in the technology and manufacturing sectors. He currently holds the role of Portfolio Director at Siemens Digital Industries for Canada where he works with industry partners and customers on digital transformation initiatives and solution adoption.

          With a background in mechanical engineering and computer science, Guy has extensive expertise with Canadian manufacturing companies and is committed to driving progress and making a positive impact in the industry and looks forward to connecting with like-minded professionals.

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