Robin Southwell (45), was prior to this appointment CEO of AirTanker, a consortia of EADS, Cobham, Rolls Royce, Thales and VT Group, which in February became preferred bidder for the MoD's FSTA (Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft) PFI programme.

Robin previously also held the positions of Chief Executive Officer at WS Atkins and Group Managing Director of Customer Solutions and Support at BAE Systems.

Sir Jeremy Blackham, EADS UK President, will hand over his managerial responsibilities to Robin Southwell and ensure a subsequent smooth transition before leaving EADS by the end of the year.

Since his appointment in April 2003 Sir Jeremy has established a substantial corporate presence for EADS in London at its UK headquarters on the Strand and built up an experienced management team, enabling EADS to interact much more productively with its main customer, the MOD.

Sir Jeremy commented on the appointment: "Robin is a great addition to our EADS UK team and absolutely the right man to lead us in the next stage of our growth. I look forward to playing a transitional role supporting Robin develop EADS in the UK and building on our strong relationships with the British customer and armed forces."

Jean-Paul Gut, EADS Chief Operating Officer for Marketing, International and Strategy said: "Robin has shown in his career to date that he understands the importance of satisfying customer requirements and delivering effective solutions. In the UK, EADS works closely alongside our customer across a range of important areas including secure satellite communications with Skynet 5 and on FSTA as part of the AirTanker consortium. With the team now in place under Robin we are confident of continued progress."

The EADS CEO's, Tom Enders and Noel Forgeard, said: "We are delighted to welcome Robin Southwell as the new CEO of EADS UK. The UK is one of the most important markets for us, and Robin's experience of managing complex military programmes and his insight and knowledge of the UK aerospace and defence market make him a great appointment. Robin has an impressive track record, not least leading the AirTanker consortium where as a consortium member we were impressed by his abilities to lead a team at first hand."

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