Vanguard Magazine

40 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2017 www.vanguardcanada.com See the full interview online Q How did you start in the industry and how has it brought you to where you are today? I started working as an aerospace engineer back in 1988. My eyesight didn't allow me to fulfil my dream of becoming a military pilot, so I went with the next best thing — designing, testing and building high- performance fighter aircraft. Over my ca- reer, I've been pretty fortunate working for a company like Boeing, which provided me an opportunity to work on fighters around the world. It was transitioning from engineering to business development that brought me to what I do today. I be- lieve that my engineering background has helped me be a better sales and marketing person. Q What is your role at your organiza- tion today? I'm the director of global marketing in Canada for Boeing Defense, Space & Se- curity, one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven cus- tomer solutions, and the deputy managing director of Boeing Canada. Here in Otta- wa, I oversee strategic planning and busi- ness development activities for Boeing's defense products and services to the Cana- dian government. I'm also responsible for the operation of the Boeing Ottawa office, with a focus on government relations and customer satisfaction. Q What was your worst moment? That is an easy one…anytime a customer goes with another offering! Besides time and money, there is a lot of blood, sweat and tears that go into a large campaign. It's always disappointing when we're not se- lected, but I've found over my career that there is a lot to be learned, both good and bad, from a negative outcome. It's those experiences that can be used to better posi- tion you in the next campaign. Q Step back and analyze your journey; what is the takeaway you want to give our audience? Never get too high or too low during the roller coaster ride called a campaign. This is easy to say, but tough to do, since most people working business development are pretty passionate about their work. Also, the saying "patience is a virtue" could not be more true than when you're working on a large defence and security file, where it may take a customer years to decide on their best path forward. Q What is the one thing that has you most fired up today? The pride displayed by a customer operat- ing our products, like the CF-18 Hornet, C-17 Globemaster and CH-147 Chinook, on a consistent basis — especially when these products are used by the Canadian forces in harm's way and bring them home safely, as well as for humanitarian efforts around the world. You see that same type of pride when walking in any of our pro- duction facilities. What we do matters! Q What is a habit that contribute to your success? Positive outlook. I'm not sure where I heard this, but the words I try to live by are these: "Every day is a good day; some are just better than others." Q What are some of the biggest impediments to innovation in your organization or industry sector? Innovation in the aerospace industry is sti- fled by the economics resulting from glob- al conflicts: the rise and fall of oil prices, stagnating economies, competing domes- tic and international polices, and budget constraints. But having such roadblocks is also what inspires innovation. Just when things seem impossible, we step up to the challenge with leaps forward in technol- ogy. It's happened time and time again in this industry throughout history. Q How has innovation become engrained in your organization's culture and how is it being optimized? Boeing's innovations go beyond our prod- ucts. We're designing differently, we're building differently, and we're streamlin- ing our processes, reducing risk and costs. At the same time, we are looking at all market areas and determining where we can best find solutions for our customers. Echo Ranger is a product that exemplifies such innovation. This unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) is a game-changing capabil- ity in that it's fully autonomous, not requir- ing a launch or recovery ship for operation. The result is significantly reduced operating costs for the customer, in addition to great- er flexibility in deployment of the vehicle. It's clear evidence of Boeing's ability to cre- ate innovative and affordable products in all market areas – from space to undersea. Q What is your parting piece of advice? Have fun. The challenges we face on a daily basis can sometimes be overwhelm- ing. Throwing in some fun helps put chal- lenges into perspective and allows you to deal with them accordingly. Jim Barnes Director – canaDa Global MarketinG & Deputy ManaGinG Director Boeing Canada g gAMe CHANGER

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