Airbus, an international pioneer in the aerospace sector, has appointed Andrew Forbes as the new head of the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region of secure land communications.

In his new role, Forbes will help maintain the growth and development of the Middle-Eastern and North-African advanced communications and collaboration solution markets, said a statement from the company.

Forbes has replaced Selim Bouri who has moved on to another position within Airbus. He will build on Airbus’s previous strong performances in delivering the latest Tetra technology in those regions, targeting new markets, and developing mission critical-solutions tailored to customers’ needs.

Speaking on his appointment, Forbes said: “We strongly intend to intensify efforts made in the fields of public safety networks, defence, transportation, energy and other critical industries such as the mining sector, in order to bring forward innovative and customised solutions that surpass competitors. In the Middle East region in particular, we can build on our excellent existing customer relations.”

“Our customers, particularly in the Middle East, are forerunners in mission-critical technology solutions. They are expecting their systems to follow the same megatrends that the civilian ones are following while maintaining the most important features such as security, reliability, resiliency, and of course, voice,” he added.

“Our aim is to bring forward hybrid possibilities, seamless connectivity, data-driven services, and applications with extremely high security standards while maintaining flawless voice services”, he adds,” he said.

With a Master of Science (MSc) in Information Technology Service Management from Northampton University, and a Diploma in Company Direction, Forbes has 36 years of experience in the implementation, operation, and management of geographically dispersed information and communication technology (ICT) systems and is an experienced communications and structured cable design engineer.

In addition, Andrew Forbes has extensive experience in military communication services as he started his career in the British Armed Forces and has also worked for the NATO Communications and Information Agency.

He has spent a total of ten years in Saudi Arabia, and joined Airbus in 2014 to become head of GPT Special Project Management Ltd., part of Airbus Defence and Space’s Secure Communications branch. He first served as operations director before becoming the managing director responsible for a 542-person team in 2017.

Forbes is based in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) and will oversee more than 95 employees in the offices located in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, it stated. – TradeArabia News Service