Stars of the South West aerospace and defence sector were celebrated on Wednesday night (27 June 2018) at the second WEAF Aerospace Ambassadors Awards under the wings of Concorde at Aerospace Bristol.
Organised by the West of England Aerospace Forum (WEAF), the annual awards focus on the cream of the industry and shine a spotlight on their outstanding achievements.
Backed by headline sponsors Safran and SKF Aerospace, the awards attracted scores of entries, which presented the judging panel of independent and recognised experts a very pleasant problem – how to choose the best from the best!
The South West has one of the largest concentrations of aerospace and defence capabilities in Europe, and is the largest aerospace cluster in the UK, worth more than £7 billion per annum.
The winners were:
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Award & sponsor
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Winner
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Best Aerospace Engineer (sponsored by Castlemead Insurance)
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Ben Smith
Rolls Royce – Filton, Bristol
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SME Star Award (sponsored by Trowers & Hamlins LLP)
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Nick Epps
Bowmill Engineering – Poole
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Best Young Aerospace Entrant (sponsored by Bridgwater & Taunton College)
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Liam Towills
RPI UK – Bath
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Lifetime Achievement Award (sponsored by Airbus)
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Frank Bamford
Semper Aero - Weston -super-Mare
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Extra Mile - Customer Service Award (sponsored by AACE)
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Paolo Zanotto
Leonardo MW - Yeovil
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Best Aerospace Media Ambassador (Short film)
(sponsored by Aro PR and Marketing
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Linda Coode
Aerospace Bristol
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Legacy Award (sponsored by WEAF)
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Trevor Egginton
Westland Helicopters (now Leonardo Helicopters)
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Adrian Harding, Business Development Manager of WEAF, the leading membership trade organisation for aerospace and defence companies in the South West, said: “Congratulations to all the winners of the second Aerospace Ambassador Awards – the brightest and best in the South West’s aerospace and defence sectors! And a well done to all the individuals who were shortlisted – the judges had an extremely difficult job, such was the quality of nominations. The South West is a nest of innovation in engineering and manufacturing, and the individuals who have won these awards demonstrate this perfectly.”
Individual award sponsors are Airbus, Castlemead Insurance, Bridgwater & Taunton College, Trowers and Hamlins LLP and Aro PR and Marketing.
For more information on WEAF Tel: 01275 872353 or visit http://www.weaf.co.uk/