Grazia Vittadini
Early life and education. Growing up in Italy and the United States, Vittadini took an early interest in aviation and motorcycling. She studied aeronautical engineering with a focus on aerodynamics at the Polytechnic University of Milan and holds a private pilot's license. Career. Vittadini began her professional career working for the Italian industrial partner within the Eurofighter consortium. In 2002, she joined Airbus Operations in Germany, where she occupied several senior management positions, amongst others Chief Engineer on the Wing High Lift Devices of the A380. As Head of Major Structural Tests, she was also instrumental in  securing the A350 XWB's First Flight and Type Certification. Other positions held by Vittadini include Head of Airframe Design and Technical Authority for all Airbus aircraft and Head of Corporate Audit & Forensic. More recently, she was Head of Engineering within the Airbus Defence and Space management board, reporting to Division CEO Dirk Hoke. In May 2018, Vittadini was appointed 2018 Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Airbus and a member of the Airbus Executive Committee with responsibility for the technical development and coordination of the entire Group. In this role she has focused in particular on developing new technologies and  solutions to succeed fossil driven propulsion technologies and to enable environmentally friendly flight (e.g. hybrid and electronic engines). To address the growing complexity of aerospace technologies, Vittadini supports the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing. Amongst her additional roles, Vittadini serves as Director of the Airbus Foundation Board and as a member of the Inclusion and Diversity Steering Committee. She was also awarded the French "Légion d'honneur" (Legion of Honour) in 2017 and the "Woman of the Year in Business" award in 2018 by the French trade magazine L'Usine Nouvelle. Vittadini has been Member of the Supervisory Board  of Siemens AG since February, 2021. She will leave Airbus on 1 July after 19 years with the company, with Sabine Klauke replacing her as CTO. From November 2021 Vittadini will join Rolls-Royce as CTO replacing Paul Stein.