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Richard Deakin was Managing Director of Thales Aerospace UK, based in Crawley, with additional operations in Leicester, Raines Park and Edinburgh.

Richard has over 20 years experience of major programmes in the aerospace and defence industry sector with BAE Systems, TRW Aeronautical Systems and GKN Aerospace Services.

He joined British Aerospace in 1982 as an engineering apprentice and spent 17 years with the company in a variety of roles covering electronic warfare, manufacturing operations where he was Head of Airbus Wing Manufacturing for the single aisle product range, business development in the Asia Pacific region, and customer support.  Amongst the positions he held, were as assistant to the then CEO, Sir Richard Evans and subsequently he moved to a position as VP Commercial Aerospace based at Farnborough.

Richard then moved to TRW Aeronautical Systems as European Operations Director where he ran 9 factories in the UK, France and Germany producing high precision aerospace systems such as power generation, engine digital control systems and fly-by-wire control systems.

Prior to joining Thales in January 2004 he spent several years as Group Director - Programmes with GKN Aerospace Services, where his responsibilities included the Airbus A380, Boeing 7E7 and F/A-22 programmes.

Richard's initial position in Thales was as Managing Director of the Airborne Systems Business Group in the UK.   Following a reorganisation of the company in June 2004, he assumed responsibility for the newly formed Aerospace Division, which comprises all military and civil aerospace operations in the UK, along with Naval and Land EW and ground based surveillance radar systems.

A Chartered Engineer, Richard holds a first class degree in Aeronautical Engineering and an MBA from the Cranfield School of Management.  He is also a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, and was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Aerospace Engineering by Kingston University in 2007.