Carl Hallam joined Airbus after completing his Business and Management degree from the Henley Business School at the University of Reading. Today, he is working as a Solution Manager at Secure Communications Airbus Defence and Space. 

“The electric light did not come from the continuous improvement of candles” Oren Harari

Hear from him as he tells us about his unpredicted journey into the Space sector. 

Education and professional path

Carl completed his degree in Business and Management from the Henley Business School at the University of Reading. Before joining Airbus, he worked as a Product Manager in the Camera industry where he learnt all the foundations of the role in a fast paced and very competitive market.

Carl joined Airbus in 2018 as a graduate on a 2 year program in which new university graduates can enter entry-level roles. Throughout these programmes, graduates are trained on several roles depending on their speciality: Business, Engineering, Human Resources, Procurement and Supply Chain to name a few. 

This programme offered Carl in-depth exploration of the Space industry where he has been able to develop new skills and learn more about the roles which interested him.

“It was a very fascinating time in my life; learning about a new field was very exciting. We had various leadership trainings, and I had the opportunity to go on placements where I worked in the Space Systems business in Toulouse, France.” 

This experience helped Carl to be in his current position, a Solution Manager in Satcom Connectivity. With missions which gravitate towards customer needs and innovation, Carl is responsible for spotting market opportunities, assembling a team to build innovative solutions and then make them available in the market at the right time and place.

 

Delivering innovative solutions to customers

Prior to his graduate program, Carl had no experience in the defence or space sector but he was interested in cutting-edge technology. After being familiarised with Airbus’ portfolio, his passion for innovation helped him to quickly become acquainted with the markets.

Today, he is supporting campaigns across the business, such as COMMFLEX Multi-Domain or the Multi Domain Combat Cloud (MDCC). MDCC is a decentralised, cyber-resilient, collaborative information network across multi domains which connects nodes for all forces, enabling real-time intelligence and exchanges.

“I was looking for a trusted brand, which was willing to push boundaries in innovation and I found it within Airbus. I now enjoy developing appealing Satcom Solutions which supports our large programmes, whilst working with a great team of internal and external stakeholders to make it a reality.”. 

Space: a challenging industry constantly evolving 

The Space industry presents many challenges since it is constantly evolving. However, there are many opportunities where individuals, without a technical background, can contribute towards an exciting future.

“Among all people working in the Space industry, passion is at the heart of everything they do. They are often driven by a desire to pioneer the next big innovation and find solutions to difficult challenges. Being in this environment requires a large variety of skills and knowledge but it shouldn’t stop you. I wasn’t initially intending to work in this sector but the graduate programme was very appealing and I’m now enjoying the new challenges every day. If you have the passion and collaborative spirit, this could certainly be an area of interest for you”. 

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