CEO of the Ontario Aerospace Council
Published: 2022/05/16
In this edition of Faces of Aerospace, Downsview Aerospace Innovation and Research (DAIR) had the privilege of speaking with the late Moira Harvey, CEO of the Ontario Aerospace Council. Since 1993, the Ontario Aerospace Council (OAC) has promoted Ontario’s aerospace capabilities as a leader in global aerospace markets and built toward industry growth and prosperity. Moira joined the council in 2014, but before taking her CEO role, she had extensive experience in the marketing & communications side of the aerospace industry. Entering aerospace from a marketing and communications perspective has shown Moira that there is so much opportunity to raise awareness for aerospace and get people excited and engaged with the industry.
D: How did you get into the aerospace industry?
MH: My background is predominately in marketing and communications. My first exposure to aerospace was when I was working at Messier-Bugatti-Dowty (now Safran Landing Systems) in Ajax, Ontario. At that point, I had no idea landing gear was made in Ajax and was not looking for a career in aerospace. Coming at it from a marketing and communications perspective, I could see there were so many opportunities for engagement, to raise awareness, and get people excited.
D: Can you speak on aerospace’s significance to Ontario and Canada and share thoughts on promoting the value of aerospace in Ontario?
MH: The number of things Ontario and Canada have contributed to the industry on a national and global scale is extraordinary. Think back to the Avro Arrow – an aircraft that was far ahead of its time – designed and built in Ontario. The Canadarm is another example. All those capabilities exist here, and not a lot of people know. I previously worked at Safran Landing Systems, and we had giant landing gear on the front lawn, and people were not aware that there was a landing gear company in their backyard. Folks do not recognize or have no idea about Ontario’s aerospace accomplishments and the extensive capabilities here.
We want people to recognize Ontario as a leading jurisdiction for aerospace in Canada, and to do that, we need to talk about it more. The OAC looks to broaden Ontario’s aerospace reach and scope. Concerning our international representation, we try and present ourselves at various trade shows while also educating groups in all areas on the extensiveness of our aerospace capabilities.
D: Strategically, what do you think is required to address the Ontario industry’s shortcomings and fully leverage its strengths?
MH: The past two years has been unprecedented almost overnight we went from significant ramp ups in production and concerns of finding talent to meet the demand, to grounding of the global fleet. If we go back to the pandemic’s start, companies were struggling to stay financially alive due to the impact on air travel and subsequent order cancellations and delays across the entire sector. This made it even more challenging for an industry where Research & Technology (R&T) is critical for the future. Add to that, the pandemic accelerated the timeline on many longer term R&T initiatives. It is a tricky balancing act: how do companies manage to invest in R&T when facing an economic downturn?
And that is where having an effective strategic plan for aerospace at the national level and provincial levels comes into play. Having a strategy and knowing that the plan is backed up with funding is essential. While we need commitment from the standpoint that aerospace is important to us and the country, we also require investment. We have companies willing to invest, but aerospace is expensive – you cannot get there on your own.
If you compare Ontario to the jurisdictions we are competing with globally; the most prosperous jurisdictions have the necessary commitment and financial support. If we do not put pieces together strategically and put forth an action plan for the province, Ontario may be at a competitive disadvantage globally. Moving forward, the OAC, along with organizations like DAIR, can put together strategies on how Ontario can remain competitive, enhance capabilities, and promote the uniqueness of our province’s sector from a strategic standpoint.
D: How is the OAC addressing these shortcomings?
MH: The primary mission of the OAC is to ensure the recognition of aerospace in Ontario and promote the capabilities in the region. With that, there is a strong element of youth outreach. Our industry has labour shortages, so it is critical to maintain our talent pipeline. The average age of people in aerospace is on the older side, meaning we have a fair amount of talent coming up for retirement. It would be a considerable loss to lose all that knowledge and skill base without transferring it to a younger generation.
A step in addressing this gap is getting youth excited and aware of our industry’s wide range of opportunities. Folks commonly assume that you need to be a pilot or a design engineer to work in aerospace, but that is not the case. We need to increase the industry’s visibility to inspire a new generation of skilled workers. How can youth know what is out there if we do not make it visible to them?
One of the things we have been looking at and working hard on is establishing a youth member council. The council would empower youth to forge mentorships with industry people who have decades of experience and amassed substantial knowledge. Creating spaces where aerospace industry veterans can share their knowledge in schools or with youth starting their careers is central to retaining all the knowledge accumulated over the years.
D: What would the OAC like to accomplish for the future of Ontario aerospace?
MH: It is important to remember that the Ontario Aerospace Council is a member-driven organization. Our members are the ones steering our goals. Their input determines where we go as an organization and what we need to do to reach maximum success, visibility and overcome challenges. We take all our members’ input and suggestions and craft solutions that can help them increase competitiveness and enhance skills and promotion. There is a lot of neat stuff happening in aerospace, so our role of promotion and strengthening engagement from a potential base of new aerospace talent is paramount.
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(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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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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