Interview: High Value Manufacturing Catapult CEO Katherine Bennett CBE

For the best part of a decade, Dick Elsy - the first chief executive of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult - was a constant presence on the UK manufacturing scene: a passionate, hands-on advocate for industrial collaboration whose tenure was crowned by the Ventilator Challenge, UK industry’s effort to rapidly scale up the manufacture of ventilators for Covid-19 patients.

When Elsy announced his retirement in 2020, the search began for someone who could match his enthusiasm and propel HVM Catapult into an era where engineering and manufacturing is playing an ever more central role in addressing the grand challenges our society faces.

Now twelve months into the role, Elsy’s successor - former Senior Vice President at Airbus, Katherine Bennet - is delivering on bold plans to build on his legacy and accelerate the organisation’s mission to supercharge UK industry.

Prior to taking the helm back in June 2021, Bennett had enjoyed a stellar 16-year career at Airbus, becoming one of its most senior executives and heading up the aerospace giant’s UK engagement strategy.