IAQG President Andy Maher passed the leadership gavel to Eric Jefferies, Sr. Manager, Process Integrity and Compliance for Bell Textron, during the organization’s 54th General Assembly in San Francisco, California. Maher, Quality Director – Group for BAE Systems, thanked the Assembly for the opportunity to hold the leadership position for two terms and welcomed Eric Jefferies as the new president.
Maher assumed his position as IAQG President in 2019. Before that, he was the EAQG Sector Lead. During his tenure as President, Andy was instrumental in developing new products and progressing the mission that began 25 years ago. Some highlights include bringing new products to market (such as AIMM), investing in the IAQG digital footprint (such as membership and collaboration tools), maintaining strong leadership during a global pandemic, and significantly reducing the time to market for our standards by implementing a single publishing process for our standards.
“It has been an absolute privilege to lead a global community of Quality leaders across the aviation space and defence sectors for the last four years,” expressed Andy. “Whilst there have been significant challenges in terms of a pandemic and geo-political tension, it has been excellent to see the IAQG’s agility and responsiveness to sustain operations under difficult conditions and quickly grow participation from both Original Equipment Manufacturers and Contracting Agencies due to the recognised value that the IAQG provides. This would have been impossible without our members’ and partners’ dedication and commitment.”
As president, Jefferies will continue to advance IAQG initiatives and processes employed by the supply chain that consistently deliver high-quality and safe products through global industry collaboration and standardization. Prior to becoming President, Jefferies was the Americas Aerospace Quality Group (AAQG) Sector Lead. As president, Jefferies is head of the IAQG Executive Committee, which manages the global group by establishing and maintaining policies and procedures on behalf of the aerospace industry. Jefferies’s presidential term is for two years with the possibility of remaining in the position for one additional term.
“I am both humbled and excited to serve as the new IAQG President. As I reflect on the IAQG’s tremendous contributions within Aviation, Space, and Defense over the last 25 years, I’m inspired by our collective potential moving forward,” said Eric. “It is up to us to lay a foundation that will continue to drive improvements within our industry, and I am confident that together, we can build upon the IAQG legacy of providing tremendous value to its members and stakeholders.”
Per the IAQG Articles of Association, an IAQG President shall be a full IAQG member represented by an individual designated by its company. The IAQG President is head of the IAQG Executive Committee, which manages the global group by establishing and maintaining policies and procedures on behalf of the aerospace industry.
Please join us as we thank Andy Maher for his service and welcome Eric Jefferies to his new position.