On May 22nd 2014, almost 5 years after its creation, WIA-Europe held a panel discussion at the Berlin Air Show ILA, at the stand of the “Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen”. The participants were Simonetta di Pippo, Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and President of WIA-Europe, Jean-Yves Le Gall, President of the French Space Agency CNES, Johannes von Thadden, Senior Vice President at Airbus Defence & Space and Brigitte Zypries, Secretary of state in the German Ministry of Economics and German Coordinator for Aerospace. The discussion, moderated by Claudia Kessler, CEO of HE Space Operations and Chair of the Board of WIA-Europe, involved the status quo of women in the aerospace field today and the perpectives for a more female leadership in the aerospace community in the future. The panelists agreed that one major key to advancing careers for young women is building a strong network and Ms. Zypries confirmed that the draft law for the gender equality in the supervisory boards of large enterprises, as agreed in the German coalition treaty, is on its way. Equivalent laws are already in place in France and Italy, the home countries of panelists di Pippo and Le Gall.
Parting WIA-Europe Board Member – Paola Belingheri
We would like to announce that Paola Belingheri will be stepping down from her role as a Women In Aerospace-Europe