MAURICE C S DIXSON BA MA Dphil(Oxon) FRAeS

Executive Chairman

Dr Maurice Dixson became Executive Chairman of Cranfield Aerospace Limited in August 2003.

Maurice, aged 64, is a widely experienced company director and manager of businesses. In his formative career with British Aerospace he was progressively commercial director of the military aircraft division, Director-in-charge of the Saudi Arabian Al-Yamamah defence project, Chief Executive of Royal Ordnance Plc, and Managing Director of the Commercial Aircraft Division. He also represented British Aerospace on the Executive Board of Airbus Industry. Subsequently he joined GEC where he was the main board director with executive responsibility for GEC's international portfolio of smaller companies with a combined annual turnover of £1.5 billion.

In 1993 he became Chief Executive of Simon Engineering Plc, which was loss making and controlled by its banks. By 2002, the company had been transformed and renamed the Simon Group. It operated in the Support Services sector with a strong balance sheet and consistent profitability. To achieve this, 35 individual businesses had been restructured and sold while a new port had been developed on the Humber.

Maurice was also a non-executive director of Swan Hill Plc in the house building sector and a non-executive adviser to British Airways. Maurice was also a member of the Economic Policy Committee of the Engineering Employers Federation.

Maurice has three degrees including a doctorate of philosophy (D.Phil) obtained at Pembroke College, Oxford. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (UK).