Christchurch Aerospace Meet Up #12: Career Pathways In Aerospace

With over 300 aerospacers registered to attend our first ever webinar, this inspiring event did not disappoint, delivering information on how to launch your career within local aerospace industries and the various career pathways on offer.

Event Moderator And Overview Of Career Pathways
Mark Rocket, CEO, Kea Aerospace and President, Aerospace Christchurch
Mark was our event moderator and gave an overview of the various career pathways and opportunities available to students and entrepreneurs within the aerospace sector in Canterbury.

Viruses In Space And Careers In Research
Dr Sarah Kessans, University of Canterbury, Lecturer
Dr Sarah Kessans, lecturer in the UC College of Engineering’s School of Product Design talked about research on “viruses in space” and her career as a biochemist and synthetic biologist, working on creating solutions for sustaining life both on and off Earth, as well as developing technology that will make this possible.

Careers In SpaceCraft And Launch
Dr Avinash Rao, Director and Co-Founder, IDS Consulting & Argo Navis Aerospace
Avinash led the development of the guidance, navigation and control systems for Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle before taking up the role of Director of Mission Delivery until mid-2019. He has now moved into full-time work at IDS Consulting/Argo Navis Aerospace.

Aerospace Telecommunications: Receiving Telemetry And Payload Data From Spacecraft
Kerry Clapham, PhD Student, Great South
An overview describing some of the stellar opportunities in Ground Segment Operations, in particular the critical role of telecommunications, data processing, and mission control. Kerry also spoke about the importance of extra curricular activities and networking as an important tool to set yourself apart from the rest!

Career Progression In Manufacturing: Shooting For The Stars
Roland Sommer, Plant Manager/General Manager, TE Connectivity
An overview of how a career in manufacturing can take you from the shop floor to leading one of NZ’s largest tech manufacturers! Roland spoke about his career journey beginning in UK Merchant Navy to his current position as General Manager at TE Connectivity.

Congratulations to Nicky Dachs for winning a tour of Dawn Aerospace.

A huge thank you to ChristchurchNZ for working with us to organise this event.