CFMS appoints Iain Gray as new Chairman

Iain (above), former Chief Executive of Innovate UK, will work closely with the CFMS executive team and its board members to further execute the company vision and business strategy. Through his expert knowledge and leadership experience within the UK’s high value manufacturing industries, academia, and government, Iain will support CFMS as an independent and trusted digital test bed for the design of high value engineering products and processes. 

As Professor and Director of Aerospace at Cranfield University, Chairman of the Bristol Aero Collection Trust, Non-Executive Director of Versarien plc and Vice President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Iain brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the board. He has also held roles with Airbus and BAE Systems and has been awarded Honorary Doctorates from Bath, Bristol, University of the West of England, Aberdeen, Aston, Cardiff and Exeter Universities. In 2014, he was awarded a CBE in the New Year Honours list for his contribution to innovation, science and technology.

Iain commented: “I have followed the progress of CFMS since its inception, and it is a great honour to serve as Chairman as the company moves forward with its capabilities  to play a lead role in advancing HVD across the UK.”

Sam Paice, Chief Operating Officer, CFMS, said: “This is a very exciting time for CFMS. Iain’s appointment will further strengthen the CFMS vision of supporting the growth of industrial digitalisation across UK industry. This is testament to our commitment to grow and deliver strong value to organisations and drive forward the UK’s HVD capabilities.”

Ian Risk, Chief Technology Officer, CFMS, added: “Iain’s expertise in innovation, combined with his insight of how digital technologies will radically transform the design of high value goods, will be vital in helping CFMS to engage a wider range of industrial clients. We are on track with our three-year expansion plan and look forward to Iain joining the team and helping to drive our ambitions to transform HVD industries.”

Through its four core service lines – Data Science, Advanced Simulation, Model Based Engineering, and Engineering Computing Services – CFMS enables high value manufacturers across aerospace, automotive, transport, energy and construction sectors to accelerate design and manufacturing productivity and competitiveness for their products, processes and services.